Seven Pounds

First Hit: Initially I struggled to get into the flow of the film, but in the end it was very satisfying and touches on an interesting subject.

Will Smith has played comedic and dramatic parts and he is showing himself to be very capable at both. In this film Smith plays Ben Thomas as an IRS Investigator, or is he.

Right at the beginning his behavior is unlike any investigator I’ve ever come across (yes I’ve met a couple). But as he investigates people, he truly learns about these people and if they're living of an honest true life. He grants people payment favors if possible and sticks it to others who are lying to him.

Interspersed with the flow of the story are haphazard scenes of him with his wife, his old home, and an accident. The flash backs and story line are choppy and keep one off course, but when the film hits the ¾ mark it starts to clear itself up. Ben has some great scenes with Rosario Dawson (as Emily), Woody Harrelson (as Ezra) and Barry Pepper (as Dan).

Additional scenes with Elpidia Carrillo and Joe Nunez were wonderfully dramatic and very funny respectively.

Will Smith is excellent at showing deep conflicted emotions which are required in this part. Rosario Dawson is wonderful as a woman who, besides having tax issues, has a congenital heart problem and may die. Direction by Gabriele Muccino was less than stellar because the scenes weren’t craftily mixed up, they were confusingly mixed up. As I started to get into the flow of what this film was attempting to do, more than half the film had passed. I think the mystery could have been concealed in a different way.

Overall: Once passed the halfway mark the film starts to get traction and became more engaging and interesting. At the end I felt justified for sitting there for 118 minutes.

The Reader

First Hit: A complex film showcasing an extraordinary acting performance by Kate Winslet.

This is a complex film about feelings of growing up; love, inadequacies, right, wrong and duty.

The film begins just before or at the beginning of WWII, has scenes war crimes court scenes and in the 1990s. The film spends time in all three time periods. And although the war is part of the story; it is only used to propel a better understanding of the characters.

The overall story is that Ralph Fiennes (playing Michael Berg) is reflecting on his life and his relationship to his daughter when we slip back in time to see him as a 15 year old boy (played by David Kross) who is assisted by an older woman named Hanna Schmitz. Hanna (played by Kate) is in her 30s when he falls ill near her home. She cleans him up and helps him home. When he returns to thank her for her assistance, he falls in love and lust as he sneaks a peek while watching her dress.

Embarrassed when he discovers she watched him spy on her, he runs away but comes back again only to be completely seduced by Hanna. This becomes a summer romance with him reading her stories followed by passionate sessions of love making. The most difficult thing for him in this relationship is her constant control of the situations and she even calls him “kid”.

However, you also get that she is learning something from being with him. One day she just disappears and he is heartbroken. A few years later, while in law school, he attends war crimes trials as part of his classes and discovers she is one of the defendants.

He is confused, shocked, and hurt as he watches her more of her story unfold.

This is an interesting and tragic film. It covers a lot of complex feelings as it weaves its way through the story. It is a dark story and much of the film is on the dark side with gloomy weather and clouds. Director Stephen Daldry does a good job of keeping the story on course and interesting to the viewers. We know nothing as to why Hanna is so remote but learn on important aspect about 2/3 through the film. However, I kept looking for additional reasons for her insistence on control and elusiveness. Regardless, Kate Winslet makes this character her own. I watched her with anticipation and curiosity. She’s vulnerable and hardened and makes it all work with sympathy and detachment. David Kross is wonderful as the young Michael Berg.

Overall: Oscar nod for Kate is probably in the offing for her performance in this complex film. However is isn’t an overall great film because it doesn’t get better as it moves along. It begins great and stays pretty even after that.

Frost / Nixon

First Hit: Although it had more fantasy drama built into the story than what was true, when it came to the goods of the film (the power of interview itself), it was incredibly strong and an extremely compelling story.

I didn’t get a chance or opportunity to watch the interviews when they were actually aired in 1977 so I was extremely pleased that this story came to the big screen in the capable hands of Director Ron Howard and Producer Brian Grazer.

The beginning of the film initially highlights the well publicized resignation of Richard Nixon but then begins to build the counter story of David Frost as a lighthearted talk show host who has more an eye for women than creating interesting and compelling television shows.

This is where some of the fantasy comes in. Yes, it is true he headed some light weight variety and talk shows but he had also interviewed other heads of state and therefore did have some chops.

But the film focused on his light side more than these other aspects as a way to build tension for the battle royal, sort of speak. Regardless, this view helps the film set up the two combatants who will meet in the ring of the interview.

Supporting the ex-President are strong seasoned intellectuals that are media savvy and strong Nixon loyal pragmatics who believe Nixon can be exonerated and come back into power. Also there is Nixon, and although he may have had lapses of judgment and a staff with devious intentions, he was a smart and driven man.

On the other side of the coin there was Frost and his team of researchers with one focus, to lay open Nixon’s poor judgment and lack of contriteness for his crimes and dishonesty towards the American people. They wanted blood, they wanted a confession.

The battle takes place in a nondescript location but this adds to the story and is wonderfully compelling.

The casting was spot on perfect. Frank Langella performance, as Nixon, could easily get an Oscar nod. Michael Seen as Frost is equally strong. The close up facial expressions of both these men made me fully believe they were the people they were representing. Kevin Bacon as Nixon’s protector Jack Brennan was a perfect fit. In fact everyone cast in this film was wonderful. Ron Howard is skilled at pulling out great performances while staying true to his craft of finding the path in telling a great cohesive story.

Overall: I grew up in this time period, a Vietnam veteran and was directly impacted by Nixon’s decisions. Therefore I felt nothing but anger for this man who lied to us all while being in our country’s highest office. However, this film was so good that I actually gained a level of compassion for Nixon the man, and although compassion doesn’t mean condoning behavior, I saw and felt the difficult life Nixon created for himself.

Milk

First Hit: Gus Van Sant did a fantastic job of recreating the feel of the 1970s gay movement in San Francisco and with Sean Penn as Milk, the film becomes an essential link to the gay movement and events of this time.

Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk the first openly gay, “major” government office holder in the United States.

The key words here were openly gay.

Milk believed that one’s power and strength lived in the realm of being open with one's orientation versus hiding and keeping yourself in the closet. He often asked his staff and other people he recruited to gain their individual power by coming out to friends and family. By doing so he realized that having just one friend or relative who was sympathetic to the person coming out would double the number of votes on important issues.

This happened when Proposition 6 went down into defeat in the State of California. The proposition was aimed at not allowing gays to teach in schools. This was one of many different issues Milk pushed for.

The film documents his rise in the Castro district of San Francisco to be the “Mayor of The Castro” and eventually become elected to the Board of Supervisors. Harvey was effective in working with other groups to make changes in the way the city worked.

During their association on the Board, Milk made numerous attempts to assist Dan White (played by Josh Brolin) another Supervisor who was having problems getting his legislation passed. Dan felt Harvey had too much influence on the Mayor Moscone and was jealous because Harvey was getting things done. Under financial pressure and the difficulty in working with the board, Dan resigned.

He recanted his resignation the next day and wanted back on the Board of Supervisors. The Mayor under some guidance of Harvey refused to reappoint Dan. Dan, who was deeply hurt by this and ended up killing both the Mayor and Milk.

Gus did an extraordinary job of weaving real 1970’s footage into the film. It felt seamless. Sean Penn capture the spirit of Harvey and his empathetic way of recruiting people. Josh Brolin carried the conflicted Dan convincingly.

Overall: This is one of the best biographical films made about a political figure, ever.

Slumdog Millionaire

First Hit: A very original, wonderfully acted, beautifully filmed movie which created spontaneous audience applause.

At the very beginning of the film there is a question posed and four possible answers are given. At the end of the film you are given the answer. 

I cannot remember when I enjoyed a new and fresh approach to a film as much as I did this one. The overall story is about Jamal a young man (mostly played by Dev Patel) who is one question away from winning 20,000,000 Rupees on an Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Everyone questions his ability know the answers to the program’s questions because he is from the slum, the lowest class.

The boy is orphaned at about age five and has lived on the streets and in trash dumps throughout India his whole life. At the time he gets on the television program his job is serving Chai Tea to telephone marketing representatives in a boiler room.

How the young man knows the answers to the questions is explored through the story of his life. He learned through his experiences.

Although the film uses flashbacks as a way to learn about this young man’s life, I think it is was effective and kept me interested. At times it is a bit jarring to go from being in a police station to the television studio to a flashback storyline, but in the end it was a wonderful experience. Each of the main characters is played by three actors and each of them deserves credit for making this story come alive. Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan were co-directors and they got a lot out of the story and the actors, especially the young ones. I was very impressed of the shots of Mumbai and other Indian towns. Having been there they captured the sights of the slums and life of kids living in garbage dumps. It made it real.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I thought it was a fresh way to present a wonderful story. Also make sure you stay through the first part of the credits so that you can watch a Bollywood style dance number.