WALK THE LINE

Biography

BACKGROUND
Country-western star Johnny Cash (1932-2003) recorded more than 1,500 songs, sold more than fifty million records and won eleven Grammy awards. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Joaquin Phoenix: J.R. Cash, better known as Johnny
Robert Patrick: his father Ray
Ginnifer Goodwin: his mother Vivian
Dallas Roberts: Sam Phillips, owner of the Sun Records recording studio
Waylon Payne: Jerry Lee Lewis
Johnny Holliday: Carl Perkins
Jonathan Rice: Roy Orbison
Shooter Jennings: Waylon Jennings
Tyler Hilton: Elvis Presley
Reese Witherspoon: June Carter

REVIEW
Fans of Johnny “The Man in Black” Cash will love the movie. It’s a well told story about a troubled person coupled with performances by the two lead actors which are nothing short of amazing. You forget you’re watching someone portray Johnny and June Carter. It is uncanny.
The movie includes many of Johnny’s big hits, frequently cutting them short to keep the movie running time to a reasonable length.

CLASSIFICATION
for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug dependency.

P.S.
The title comes from his 1958 hit "I Walk the Line"
BTW: the unnamed Ontario, Canada concert location mentioned was Toronto.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

Fantasy adventure

BACKGROUND
Written in 1950 by C. S. Lewis, this classic tale is the first of a seven-volume series, which collectively have sold more than 85 million books in 29 languages. Lewis, a lecturer in medieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford and Cambridge, became well known as a Christian apologist for his radio shows and books Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, and The Screwtape Letters. As a diversion he also wrote a fantasy series and some science fiction to convey his delight in the joy and mystery of the human adventure.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
William Moseley: Peter, a responsible teenager and the eldest of the Pevensie children
Anna Popplewell: his sister Susan, the most serious of the lot
Skandar Keynes: Edmund, the typical “younger brother”
Georgie Henley: Lucy, the youngest of the four
Jim Broadbent: Professor Kirk
James McAvoy: a faun named Mr. Tumnus
Tilda Swinton: the wicked White Witch
Liam Neeson: Aslan, leader of the Forces of Good

REVIEW
Set in a magical place, the Kingdom of Narnia, where it is winter year round and no Christmas, this is a story of good and evil, of truth and betrayal, of temptation and moral strength. With state of the art CGI, the mystical characters come to life. The acting for the most part is excellent (except for the one scene with the two girls and Aslan up on the mountain) and the scenery is stunning. What is missing though is some serious editing since it runs almost 2½ hours.

CLASSIFICATION
for battle sequences and frightening moments.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
While Edmund is with the White Witch drinking hot chocolate, several drops remain on the corner of his mouth. Seen from over his shoulder, these drops have disappeared only to reappear when the shot reverts back to viewing him from the front.

P.S.
Despite the absence of any really gory moments, the movie with its scary wolves and other fearsome animals is not suitable for really young children (five and under?) or those prone to having nightmares.

THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

Drama
With English subtitles as necessary

BACKGROUND
The United States occupation of Vietnam from 1965 to 1975 resulted in many children born to Vietnamese mothers and American fathers. The Asian culture does not accept mixed-race children and therefore considers these children as "bui doi”, less than dust. Their American fathers have abandoned many and the children exist only as pariahs in Vietnamese society. The mothers who decided to keep their children were made to feel ashamed by their compatriots, who consider them to be prostitutes and therefore worthless. Forced together by Vietnamese disdain and scorn, these outcasts form a distinctive ethnic group outside, although still within the Vietnamese race. Many of these children, a large part orphaned, drift into street gangs and fall into a life of crime.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Damien Nguyen: Binh, a 17-year old living in a small village with his foster parents
Thi Kim Xuan Chau: his mother, Mai
Dang Quok Thinh Tran: his little half brother, Tam
Thu Anh: Mai's wealthy employer, Mrs. Hoa
Bai Ling: a young Chinese prostitute, Ling
Tim Roth: Captain Oh, commanding officer of a tramp freighter
Nick Nolte: Steve, a ranch hand

REVIEW
This is a moving story about the struggle of a young man having to overcome his circumstances of birth. With so many unprofessional actors involved, the acting is somewhat uneven but what they have to say and what they do is far more believable.

CLASSIFICATION
for a couple scenes of violence, brief sexual contact, profanity and the use of crude sexual slang terms.

SHOPGIRL

Romantic comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Claire Danes: Mirabelle Buttersfield, sales clerk at Saks Fifth Avenue’s glove counter
Jason Schwartzman: Jeremy, an employee of a company that manufactures speakers
Steve Martin: Ray Porter, a wealthy middle-aged millionaire
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras: Lisa, one of Mirabelles’ associates at Saks Fifth Avenue

REVIEW
Like most films advertised as a romantic comedy, it is not that funny. Sure there are moments that might bring a slight smile to your face, but nothing to make you laugh out loud. The movie is really a drama about relationships, the difficulty about finding ones way in life and commitment (or lack thereof).

CLASSIFICATION
for some sexual content and language

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Fantasy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter, student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Rupert Grint: Ron Weasley, Harry’s best friend
Emma Watson: Hermione Granger, another good friend of Harry’s
Tom Felton: Draco Malfoy, not one of Harry’s friends
Michael Gambon: Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Maggie Smith: Professor Minerva McGonagall with her witch’s hat
Robbie Coltrane: Professor Hagrid, the gentle giant
Alan Rickman: Professor Severus Snape
Brendan Gleeson: Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor
Miranda Richardson: Rita Skeeter, columnist for The Daily Prophet
Robert Pattinson: Cedric Diggory, popular good-looking student at Hogwarts
Ralph Fiennes: Lord Voldemort, scary head of the Death Eaters

REVIEW
Like earlier HP films, each one gets darker and more sinister than the ones that preceded it. The movie begins appropriately enough with a nightmare and a slithering snake. That pretty well sets the tone although true to form, there are lighter moments and even a few chuckles later on. Mention must be made of the special effects: they are spectacular and enliven the movie, especially at times when it drags on far too long.

CLASSIFICATION
for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.

P.S.
Dedicated fans of HP cannot get enough of course, but for anyone else, two hours and 37 minutes is a long time to sit and watch any film.

MAURICE RICHARD

Sports drama
In French with English subtitles

BACKGROUND
Maurice Richard was one of the best players in NHL history. Not an outstanding stick-handler nor great skater, he excelled through sheer force of will. Driven by desire so fierce his glare unhinged rival goaltenders, the Montreal Canadians star set numerous records. "The Rocket" thrilled fans everywhere and was regarded as a cultural icon among Quebecois who revered him as "Saint Maurice”.

Born in Saskatchewan and educated at England's Oxford University, NHL President Clarence Campbell is often described as imperious and arrogant. Most French Canadians regarded him as a symbol of the disdained anglophone ruling elite. In March 1955, against the advice of many, he attended a Montreal Canadians home game and the consequences made headlines worldwide.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Roy Dupuis: Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, hockey player
Julie LeBreton: his wife, Lucille
Michel Barrette: her father, Père Norchet
Diane Lavallée: her mother, Alice
Pierre-Francois Legendre: Maurice’s brother-in-law, Georges
Stephen McHattie: Dick Irvin Sr., Montreal Canadians Head Coach
Tony Calabretta: Frank Selke, Montreal Canadians General Manager

REVIEW
An honest depiction of one of the greatest stars of the game and an insight into the internal politics of hockey as practised back in those days. The acting is uniformly excellent, the sports action well done and the story well written. Even for the non-sports fan, it is an entertaining movie because a lot of the story takes place off the ice.

CLASSIFICATION


P.S.
Everything is historically correct even to the salt shakers on the tavern tables which were used to “salt” each draft beer, a practice no longer in vogue.

KINGS AND QUEEN

Drama
Original title: Rois et reine
In French with English subtitles.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Emmanuelle Devos: Nora Cotterelle, a 35-year-old single mother
Mathieu Amalric: her ex-lover Ismaël Vuillard, a talented musician
Nathalie Boutefeu: Chloé Jenssens, Nora’s sister
Valentin Lelong: Elias Cotterelle, Nora’s father

REVIEW
This is one awful movie about grim things like suicide, terminally ill people, mental institutions, broken relations, self-guilt and dishonesty. The acting at best is mediocre and often worse. There are frequent noisy shouting matches and the flashbacks absolutely confusing because no attempt has been made to make the person look any younger in the earlier episodes. So you don’t immediately know if it’s a flashback or the present. By the time you figure it out, it’s back to the other time period.
One other thing: everything moves at a snail’s pace with lots and lots of words. Consequently the movie is more than 2½ hours long.

CLASSIFICATION


P.S.
When I came into the theatre at showtime there was no one there. “Did they know something I didn’t?” I asked myself. I soon found out the answer to that one. When I walked out part way through, the film played on to a completely empty theatre.