The Impossible (2012)

7.5 Popcorn boxes

The historic tsunami that struck Southeast Asia on the day after Christmas in 2004 is chronicled in this film, which personalizes the event through the eyes of one family, the Bennetts (changed from the actual Spanish names, to give a more universal appeal).  Henry (Ewen McGregor), his wife Maria (Naomi Watts) and their three boys have travelled to Thailand for a Christmas holiday, staying at a resort on the Indian Ocean.  They have settled in, and are enjoying the start of their holiday when, at 10:25 am, a tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake inundated their resort and miles of the surrounding coastline.  The family is immediately broken apart, and scattered, although Maria and her son Lucas survive the devastation together, and are rescued by local Thais, and brought, eventually, to a hospital.  Maria is seriously hurt, but Lucas suffered only minor injuries.  The film focuses on the efforts of Maria and the rest of the family to survive and regroup amidst the terror and confusion of the horrific calamity.

 It's a compelling tale, and gives us an inside look at a disaster and the aftermath.  There is much doubt throughout the film as to the outcome of each character, and the film is sensitive and insightful regarding the logistics of getting aid to victims, the role of the local population in handling the difficulties of managing the fates not only of their own people, but the thousands of visitors who, in many cases, spoke not one word of Thai.

The film is effective and touching.  Most people seemed to be doing the best they could under the circumstances, and the rescue effort seemed remarkably free of the selfishness and price gouging that might be expected elsewhere (not that that didn't happen, but it's not seen here).

Special note must be made of the special effects duplicating the actual tsunami.  It wasn't an easy task to relate the effects of billions and billions of gallons of seawater had on the low-lying land, but they did a very good job here, on a fairly limited budget.

The film was directed by Antonio Bayona, and based on the esperience of Maria Belon.

The film is rated PG-13 for somewhat graphic scenes of disaster victims and brief nudity

Desert Hearts (1985)

6.5 Popcorn boxes

This film has been in my film collection for years; I finally got around to watching it.

It's billed as a ground-breaking film that seeks to show a lesbian relationship that doesn't end in suicide, madness, or a sudden conversion to heterosexuality.  Despite its legendary status among gays and lesbians, 'Desert Hearts' in an uneven film.

Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) is a Columbia English professor who travels to Reno, Nevada, to establish the six week residency necessary in the 1950s to achieve a 'quickie' divorce.  She stays at a 'divorce dude ranch' to wait out her six weeks.  The ranch is run by Francis Parker, a lonely widow, who tries to support the ranch outside of Reno by taking in borders such as Bell.

Also living at the ranch is a change girl, Cay Rivvers (the very lovely Patricia Charbonneau).  Cay is introduced to Vivian in a stunning car scene, in which the car Cay is driving, goes in reverse at high speed to match Vivian and Francis' car.  Later, as Vivian settles in her temporary home, She encounters the unconventional Cay in more relaxed settings.  Cay is attracted to Vivian from the start, but Vivian doesn't reciprocate.  Later, Vivian begins to change her mind, and, tentatively responds to Cay's overtures.

First the good points: the film is lushly photographed.  High desert such as the area around Reno can be quite beautiful, and it's on high display here.  The period cars (the film is set in 1959) are fantastic.  The soundtrack is a high point, relating time-appropriate music.  The two leads are beautiful, well-costumed, and know their lines.

The bad points: the story is stilted, as is the acting.  The film is curiously emotionless. Shaver is only somewhat believable as she softens her tone to Cay Rivvers.  For herself, Charbonneu doesn't fully inhabit her role.  Audra Lindley is not very believable as Parker.  She's stiff and a bit wooden in her performance.  You never know if she's got a sexual desire for Cay, or just wants companionship.  Even the ending is unsatisfying.

Rated R for graphic sexual scenes.

Red (1994)

9.5 Popcorn boxes

The final installment of the Three Colors Trilogy (the other two, 'Blue' and 'White'), director Krzysztof Kieslowski gives us a strong installment of the series.

Valentine Dussaut (Irene Jacob) while driving destracted, hits and injures a dog.  She tracks down the dog's owner, Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant) but he gives the pregnant dog to Valentine.  They begin a platonic relationship, with both learning much about each other, life, and relationships.

It's a complicated plot, but suffice it to say, everything is mainly tied up at the end, bringing to a conclusion all three films of the trilogy.

This was Kieslowski's final film, unfortunately.  He died during open-heart surgery just two years after the film.  We will never know what other masterpieces he had in him.

Rated R for sexual content

White (1994)

9.0 Popcorn boxes

This second in the series Three Colors directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, White is the story of the oddly named Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) who, having been divorced by his wife in France, travels back to Poland in a suitcase, of all things.  He plots revenge on his wife, but has no means to accomplish this task.

He falls in with Mikolaj (Janusz Gajos) who wants to hire him to kill a 'suicide'.  The intended victim is a surprise.  After much development, Karol is able to become wealthy, and finally is in a position to seek revenge on his unfaithful wife.

All of this reads poorly, and makes the film sound uninteresting, and, yes, weird, but believe me, it's rich and replete with great characters, interesting settings, and a sense of justice finally served.

A fine film, but probably the weakest in the trilogy.  Has many amusing scenes.  The one when the suitcase containing Karol ends up in Poland is a classic.

Rated R for some sexual content, language

Blue (1993)

10.0 Popcorn boxes

There are three colors in the French flag, blue, white, and red.  Famed Polish director Krzysztof Keislowski (The Decalogue) directed three films bases loosely on the three themes associated with the colors of the flag: liberty, equality and fraternity.  The first of these films is Blue.

The stunning Juliette Binoche stars as Julie de Courcy, who survives a terrible car wreck that takes the life of her composer husband and her daughter.  She disassociates from her former life, withdrawing into herself as she moves from her home to an apartment in Paris.  She slowly becomes re-engaged in life, with the help of a female friend, Lucille (Charlotte Very).  She has to deal with an old family friend who becomes intent on finishing her late husband's unfinished composition.

This is film making at its best.  Universally beloved the Three Colors trilogy starts with 'Blue', and it's an auspicious beginning indeed.  Binoche has never looked so radiant, so serious, and so fulling inhabiting a character.  The cinematography is excellent, and the French location is used to help convey a sense of place.

This is a great film.  It should be on any film buff's list of must see films.  It's routinely on the list of best films of all time.

Rated R for some sexual content

Alex & Emma (2003)

6.5 Popcorn boxes

This slight but humorous romantic comedy was directed by Rob Reiner and stars Luke Wilson as Alex Sheldon and Kate Hudson as Emma Dinsmore.

Alex is a writer with a hit book under his belt, and he's contracted to write his sophomore novel.  But he has a problem...actually two problems.  He owes money to the 'Cuban mafia' and he has a serious case of writer's block.  After a visit by two thugs, he's informed he has just 30 days to finish the book he can't get started.

He hires Emma as a stenographer to take down his spoken lines of the novel.  It's rough going at the beginning, because besides being a stenographer, Emma is a tough reviewer, telling Alex that certain of his passages just don't make sense.

Interwoven into the present day, is a film within a film, set in the 1920s of the novel Alex is writing.  Alex appears as Adam Shipley who is hired to tutor the two children of the beautiful, but broke, Polina Delacroix (the beautiful Sophie Marceau).  Shipley soon falls for the penniless Delacroiz, but is also tempted by her au pair, played by Kate Hudson.

The separate stories collide as Alex completes his novel, he and Emma confront the reality that was hinted at in the novel.

This is a by-the-numbers romcom, but it's light and airy, and isn't bogged down by needless subplots and twists.  The film's denouement doesn't come as a shock, but it's satisfying and sweet.

For a film of this nature, the leads must have chemistry, or the whole conceit falls apart.  Here, the is just enough to make the film work.

Rated PG-13 for mild sexual content and language

Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000)

8.0 Popcorn boxes

I'll confess:  I thought that this film with the long title was a romantic comedy.  It's about as far from a romantic comedy as you can get, and not have explosions.

This is a loose collections of mildly interwoven stories centering around several women.  It's presented in a number of chapters, each featuring one or two female protagonists

The film begins with Kathy Farber (Amy Branneman), a lonely homicide detective, investigating the apparent suicide of a young woman.  We quickly change pace, and go to the home of Dr. Elaine Keener, a lonely doctor who is caring for an elderly woman who cannot manage on her own.  She's visited by a tarot card reader, Christine Taylor (Calista Flockhart).

The next story involves Rebecca Haynon (Holly Hunter) who is a lonely bank manager.  She encounters a homeless woman who unsettles her.  She has a married lover, but meets and beds a co-worker, Walter (Matt Craven).

Next we encounter Rose (Kathy Baker), a women on a second career as an author of children's books.  She's a lonely single mother whose a bit too close to her son. and is unduly interested in her new neighbor.

We learn more about Christine Taylor (Flockhart) in the next story.  Her partner Lily (Valerie Golino) is dying, probably of cancer.  Her sensitive nature is often tested by Lily, who has nothing emotionally to lose.

Police detective Kathy Farber, lives with her blind sister Carol (Cameron Diaz).  Kathy is highly protective of her sister, but Carol is more fearless.  Walter (Craven) re-enters the picture when he goes out with Carol. 

The film ends with Dr. Keener goes to a bar, and meets Walter,

The premise of the movie is fine; interwoven stories don't happen a lot in film, and this one ties together neatly.  It's written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, who's a producer, writer, director, and cinematographer.  His background is mainly in television and in web series.

This is not a happy film.  As you can tell by my plot synopsis, this is a film about lonely, struggling women.  It's worth the time watching it.  The acting is uniformly good; in fact Holly Hunter (who has never looked better) was nominated for an Emmy (since it went directly to cable).

Rated PG-13 for mature themes and some sexual content.