Remembr Me

First Hit: A good film about two young people who have obvious wounds and are looking to grow through them.

I’m waiting for Robert Pattinson to be offered and/or accept a role which has his character be something other than dark, moody, mumbling his words, and wounded in some way. 

In this film he is a wounded character again and I must say he has it down pretty good. It has a wonderful effect on young girls in the theater (the whole row behind me) want to save him.

Anyway Pattinson plays Tyler Hawkins estranged son of a rich powerful New York executive named Charles Hawkins (played by Pierce Brosnan). As the story unfolds he’s estranged because his older brother Michael killed himself and Tyler blames some of it on their dad. He also has a younger sister named Caroline (played by Ruby Jerins) who depends on Tyler for love and guidance.

One evening Tyler tries to assist two innocent men from getting beat up by a couple of bullies and ends up mouthing off to a police Sergeant (played by Chris Cooper) who, in-turn, beats him and then throws him in jail. His roommate, Adin (played by Tate Ellington), gets him to date the sergeant’s daughter Ally Craig (played by Emilie de Ravin) to somehow get back at the Sergeant.

Ally’s own life is tragic because she witnessed her mother's murdered on a subway platform when she was 11 years old. These two wounded people like each other and go through their individual trials and tribulations as the relationship evolves.

The story line has a unhappy ending which I found intriguing, however I did see this ending prior to the major clue being given in the film.

Pattinson, as I mentioned before, has sullen and troubled down pat and here he does it well again. Ravin was compelling as Ally and I liked her involvement during the film. Jerins was great as the young sister and felt she glued a lot of the story together. Brosnan was effectively distant, cold, and affected as the hurting father. Although Cooper is usually dead on perfect with his character, here I didn’t buy his character. There was something missing. The story by Will Fetters was good and I liked how he linked Gandhi and other philosophical points view into the script. Ellington was the worst part of the film. I couldn’t see him being the actual roommate as his character was overly insensitive and mostly clueless. Allen Coulter directed and although it isn’t a groundbreaking film, the lighting and shots effectively captured being in New York. He also kept the pacing even and it seemed the actors were well in hand.

Overall: This isn’t a great film. And, it probably will do well with the teenage and early twenties crowd as it has appeal. It also has strong lines sprinkled throughout if one really listens to the dialogue.

The Yellow Handkerchief

 First Hit: A slow paced indie film that has a nice story to tell.

William Hurt is well cast as Brett Hanson, a loner who comes out of prison hoping to connect with his one and only true love May (played by Maria Bello).

Others who are leaving prison at the same time are met by loved ones while Hurt simply looks down a long empty road. Hanson walks into a small town, orders a beer and observes Martine (played by Kristen Stewart) having a disagreement with a young man. It is obvious that the young man took advantage of Martine and doesn’t want anything else to do with her.

He also watches Gordy (played magnificently by Eddie Redmayne), who appears to be a bit odd and goofy, ask a store owner for a disposable camera that has expired film. Martine sees something in Hanson that makes her curious about him. Each of begins to leave the cafe at the same time and they all end up together in Gordy's car heading "south." 

None of these people know each other but they are alike in that they are loners, lonely and are viewed as outsiders by others. This connection makes for a slightly uneasy ride in Gordy’s car towards New Orleans. On their trip, the stories of these three start to unfold with Hanson’s being the primary story. They learn how he ended up in prison and about his love for May.

His story is created in flashbacks with him and May learning how to embrace their love for each other. Hurt is perfect as the quiet lonely drifter who “has never made an important decision” in his life.

Bellow is sublime as May; a woman who’s made numerous important bad decisions and whom Hanson says, her "whole life" is in her face. Redmayne is wonderful as Gordy a very quirky, out of the box, kind of guy who follows his own path. Stewart is OK playing, yet another, sort of dark intense young girl who is barely finding her way. Udayan Prasad shoots this film with long slow moving scenes which, at times, takes life out of the film. However, it is clearly sensitive and can bring an emotional response.

Overall: I enjoyed the film; especially seeing Hurt and Bellow in their roles. They both brought strong characters which complemented their respective parts and created an engaging story.

Dear John

 First Hit: This film was designed to bring tears and evoke emotion which it does.

This was an obvious film from the beginning and stayed obvious to the end. I mean with a title like "Dear John" and the main character is in the Army, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out one of the story lines. It doesn’t necessarily mean it was a poor film; it is just means that the audience knows what's coming. And, frankly I enjoyed it.

Savannah’s (played by Amanda Seyfried) purse falls off the edge of pier, and John (played by Channing Tatum) was standing nearby and he jumps off the pier and recovers the purse. There is an instant attraction and so they start seeing each other.

They have two weeks of dating because they are both just visiting the area. During this time, as you suspect, their love for each other grows. However, she has to go back to school and he has to return to his Special Forces unit and head off to unknown places.

They stay connected by writing each other long letters. He promises to be back and out of the Army in a year, but then September 11th happens and he decides to stay in the Army, for the good of the cause, instead of coming home to her.

Seyfried, is attractive, interesting and holds up her end of the film. Tatum is charming, smoldering and attractive enough to ensure the chemistry between these two worked. Richard Jenkins plays Tatum’s father who is a bit autistic and obsessed with coins. And as Jenkins generally is, he is perfect and wonderful in this role.

Overall: This is a safe predictable film and enjoyable enough to sit back and let yourself be bitten by it's emotional predictability.

New York, I Love You

First Hit: This was a fun, interesting and heartwarming film.

Numerous small films make up this film. Each film provides a view and set of characters you will find in New York.

The thief, the hooker, the charmer, the beautiful wife, the interested husband, the newlyweds, the artist and a hopeful muse, the smooth talker, a father and his daughter and the observer. There are lots of characters in the 11 different stories which meld together and, at times, overlap. But what rings true to this film is that they are all believable.

There is the beautiful Julie Christie as an aged singer thinking about ending her life, but the hotel manager and room service boy give her a sense of peace. There are two scenes taking place outside restaurants where a couple has a conversation while smoking cigarettes. In one conversation perceptions are misconstrued and in another wants and hopes are expressed.

The artist sees a shopkeeper and draws her with an obsession. There is a diamond buyer and seller with affection for each other but neither will know what it is like to live with such a love; their religion and life take them each on a different but joyous path.

A thief takes a wallet and gets confronted by his victim and his girlfriend. There is the old couple, played by Cloris Leachman and Eli Wallach, whose dialogue is real, loving and is filled with the richness of spending 65 years together.

I won’t call out any of the directors or actors for their specific roles. What I will say is that it was wonderful from stem to stern.

Overall: Wonderful feel good film showing sides of New York and the people who live there.

Adam

First Hit: Well acted and a truly wonderful little film with a beautiful story of love and growth.

Asperger’s syndrome is a major player in this film as we, along with Beth (played by Rose Byrne), get to learn what it’s about and how to understand someone who has it.

Briefly; people affected have difficulty in social situations, have little empathy for another, may not know what a joke is because everything is taken literally, likes routines in everything and is preoccupied with a few very specific interests.

This is a key element in this film and the filmmakers create direct and real events to share this information with the audience. Hugh Dancy plays Adam a young man in his early 20’s who is an electrical engineer and has Aspergers syndrome.

At the beginning of the film we see him at his father’s funeral and, as Adam goes back to his now empty apartment, we see him simply going about his life. A young girl named Beth moves in upstairs and she is direct letting Adam know she would like to know more about him.

Adam, doesn’t get the hint very well, but as they speak and get to know each other a little better, Adam becomes more bold. At one point, Adam openly and naively states he was sexually aroused. Here is the moment the filmmakers use to begin the explanation of Asperger’s syndrome.

As Beth learns more she continues to be intrigued by this very real, almost childlike man, who enjoys her company. As their relationship develops, her father Marty (played by Peter Gallagher) tries to dissuade her from Adam because he is not good enough for her.

However Marty’s got problems of his own and there is some wonderful spot on acting by Amy Irving as Marty’s wife Rebecca as these problems come to light. As Adam and Beth's relationship grows and contracts, both of them learn about their life and what it takes to move forward. I thought then end scene was particularly heartwarming.

Hugh Dancy was spectacular as Adam. Not once did I not believe he was the character as he pushed the boundaries of Adam’s limitations. Byrne was sweet and complex enough to make Beth a critical and strong proponent of Adam’s evolution. Frankie Faison as Harlan, Adam’s dad and Adam’s friend, was beautifully strong, sincere as he guided Adam in some of his difficult steps. Irving was joyous to see on the screen again and in her brief appearances delivered critical comments and looks which spoke realms into the dynamics of love. Max Mayer both wrote and directed this wonderful film with empathy, kindness and mindfulness.

Overall: A truly wonderful film from beginning to end mostly because of Dancy’s acting and the cast’s commitment to make this film honest.