Tyson - 3.5 stars

If someone told me that this movie was a documentary of Mike Tyson talking to the camera for an hour and a half, there is no way that I would have watched this. I'm glad that I had no idea what I was getting or I would have missed it. I heard about Tyson while listening to NPR. NPR, by the way, continues to surprise me. You'd think they are just about news and cooking and old guys talking about cars, but they also have great music and entertainment programming. Anyway, they were doing their annual entertainment list of best movies, songs, etc. The top 10 movies of 2009 consists of 13 films (why not?), including Tyson.

These year in review lists are one of my favorite ways to build my Netflix queue, so I added all 13 to the list. Jim & I were looking for something to watch tonight, and it was available on the instant queue, so we started it. I need to pose a question here to the masses of people who read this blog - why does Netflix only allow you to watch certain films/shows instantly? Why not let you watch anything streaming instead of having it mailed to you? Is it so they can charge different rates for different services? Then why not offer an all-online subscription? Let me know if you have any insights.

Back to our topic at hand... Mike Tyson is a fascinating creature. Everyone has an impression of the fighter known for his police rap sheet and for biting Evander Holyfield's ear. He's crazy, right? He went to jail for 3 years for rape, was accused of beating his then-wife Robin Givens, and regularly flew off the handle in front of the media. Then you start watching this very calm and oddly articulated man. He's very complex. I was fascinated by the way he talked, which isn't the language of his generation. Here's my conclusion: (which you may not want to read until you watch the film, but it isn't exactly a spoiler) he doesn't have a personality of his own. His speech is stolen from his mentor, who was 60 years his senior. That's why he keeps getting into trouble even though he's reasonably smart and knows that his actions are frequently crazy. I was also struck by how candid he is. He readily admits weakness and mistake, which is contradictory to so much in his personality. It's like he has no impulse control. Or, maybe he is a new person. You'll have to watch and judge for yourself.

I give it 3.5 stars because it is so revealing and well made, but it was still about 5 minutes too long and I don't expect to watch it again.

Phoebe in Wonderland - 4 stars

Usually the first film element that I notice about and comment on is the acting. In my opinion a good cast typically makes for a good film. It seems to me that the cast is the #1 element that makes or breaks a film. I don't know if that's because good actors have good taste in film or if the acting can cover up a mediocre script.

Phoebe in Wonderland has a fantastic cast filled with some of my favorite lesser-known actors, but its whole is greater than the sum of its parts because of the amazing script and flawless directing.

Let's start with the cast. Bill Pullman -this guy has done some diverse work that doesn't really get him noticed. I absolutely loved him in Malice, one of my favorite psycho-thrillers of all time. It's hard not to be outshone by Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman, but he holds his own in this movie. I've watched it repeatedly and still love it. He can rock comedy just as well, starring in Spaceballs as his second feature film. Second is Patricia Clarkson. I first saw her in the 1998 come-back movie for Ally Sheedy, High Art. Clarkson plays a drug addicted German lesbian. She was so believable that I didn't expect her to be good in other roles, which she continues to be. Felicity Huffman is known best for Desperate Housewives, but I loved her most in TransAmercia, a transsexual road movie. Phenomenal! Finally, Elle Fanning, younger sister to child-star Dakota Fanning, proves to be as good an actress as her sibling.

The synopis on IMDB is actually really good, so I'm going to quote it here:

Felicity Huffman, Elle Fanning, and Patricia Clarkson star in director/screenwriter Daniel Barnz's illuminating tale of parenting and growth concerning an exceptional young girl whose troubling retreat into fantasy draws the concern of both her dejected mother and her unusually perceptive drama teacher. Phoebe (Fanning) is a talented young student who longs to take part in the school production of Alice in Wonderland, but whose bizarre behavior sets her well apart from her carefree classmates. Her mother (Huffman) is an aspiring academic who is beginning to feel like she has not only failed in her professional career, but as a parent as well. Though Phoebe's gifted drama teacher (Clarkson) has no doubts about the young girl's talent and capacity for learning, the frustration of seeing such a promising student slowly slip ever further away from reality soon becomes a growing concern both at home and at school.

It's a coming of age/slice of life film that makes you feel one with the characters, whether or not they are in power or powerless, adult or child, mainstream or eccentric.

The final thing to note is that I watched this movie because Netflix thought that "Jim" would enjoy it. Poor Jim... I keep rating movies on his account and it recommends films that it thinks I'll like. They picked a winner with this one!

All the President's Men - 4 stars

All the President's Men is the story of the Washington Post reporters, Woodward & Bernstein, who uncover the Watergate scandal. I have the hardest time understanding history. It's taught to us in school as names, places, and dates, which I can't memorize to save my life. Ask my friend Sharee and she will tell you that she aced history by studying with me because he had to drill repeatedly and I still barely passed. Movies about history, on the other hand, are something that I can understand. Put it into a story, with characters that relate to each other in a context, and I can get that.

This is a very well told story. Starring Dustin Hoffman, who can do no wrong, and Robert Redford, who is so likable that you will watch him play himself in any film, the two leads have wonderful chemistry together. It's also fun to see a vibrant Jason Robards, who started his acting career in 1946 and died in 2000.

As an aside, Robards was wonderful in his second to last film, Magnolia. Magnolia is 3 hours long, but worth every minute. And, you get to see Tom Cruise ACT in a supporting role. Shocking.

Anyway, All the President's Men does a great job of showing what it was like for the reporters to follow their instincts while under tremendous pressure to back down. It's life affirming and wonderfully nuanced. I especially enjoyed Robards yelling "Woodstein!" when he was angry at Woodward and Bernstein. Another likable moment that repeats throughout the film is watching the 2 actors stand next to each other and play off each other. Redford looks 7 feet tall next to Hoffman.

Babetteflix

My friend Babette has a much better movie review blog than I do, so I better throw her some props. Babette used to work in the film industry and is also a writer, so she is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and articulate in her reviews. The best part about her blog is the frequency of her entries. Babette faithfully goes to the theater every week and has seen more movies than anyone else I know.

Here's something you won't hear me say often: listen to her, not me!

Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil - 3 stars

When I lived in Santa Barbara I got to see author John Berendt speak and he was intriguing. He has a very unassuming way about him that makes you very comfortable. I understand how he could go to a city, hang out for a little while, and then end up in the middle of a murder trial.

Berendt went to Savannah, GA, to cover a society party. If I recall correctly, he described the folks in Savannah as something like crazy, drunk, and all fully armed.

The movie starts off slow, but picks up speed about 20 minutes into it. John Cusack plays Berendt, a different character than his usual down on his luck good guy. Kevin Spacey is the other lead. The real treat is when Lady Chablis is on the screen. She's a transsexual show girl. I was amazed by how well the actor embodied this character. Then I watched the credits and saw that Lady Chablis was played by herself.

Definitely worth the watch, especially if you are a film buff.

Jerry Maguire - 3.5 stars

I've always had lukewarm feelings about Jerry Maguire. Jim got in on our Netflix queue and I kind of smirked when he told me what he got. He asked why I was rolling my eyes (which I wasn't, I was smirking). I told him that I think it's cute how he really likes chick flicks. He responded with "Jerry Maguire isn't a chick flick. Oh, wait. Yeah, I guess it is."

This is probably the 3rd or 4th time that I've seen this movie. It's certainly getting better with age. My age, that is. There is wisdom in how they portray the single mom, his work relationships when he bares his soul (I love how is his co-workers applaud and whisper that hes' going to get fired because he was so honest), and the shared look between his wife and friend when watching the wedding video.

The reason this movie doesn't hold together is Tom Cruise. He has no chemistry with Renee Zellweger because he's all persona. It's the rare film where he comes down to earth to be a human being instead of a leading man/superstar. He's not believable as someone who would marry Dorothy. Sure, he's desperate not to be alone, but this actor playing this character is much more likely going to hit the bars or find a hooker before hitting it with his idealistic assistant.

It's directed by Cameron Crowe, so I'm tempted to go back and watch Almost Famous again. I might just like it more than I did the first time around.

Sunshine Cleaning - 3 stars

I watched Sunshine Cleaning last week. Now I can't remember it. My parents and my husband will tell you that this never happens. I remember movie details and actors better than I remember just about anything else.

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration - forgetting the movie, not the other part.

Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, and Amy Adams star in this family drama/comedyish film about 2 down-on-their-luck sisters who start a company to clean up after bloody crime scenes. It's a slice of life picture that doesn't tie up in a little bow at the end.

I remember liking it, but I can't really articulate why. The acting was good. I think the story was pretty good, just not all that memorable.

Seredipity - 2.5 stars

What happens when John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven, and Eugene Levy act in a movie with a bad script? Serendipity. That is "Serendipity," not serendipity. You learn at the beginning of the movie that serendipity means a happy accident, a pleasant coincidence. Jonathan and Sara meet and leave it to chance to see if they will ever find each other again. However, watching Serendipity is an accident of another kind. The script is trite. Nothing new or original happens in this movie. It's predictable and kind of boring.

There is one really good line in it, of course delivered by Jeremy Piven: "You're such an a$$hole. You're my hero!"

I should also add that Jim noticed that John Cusack performed his trademark move - the crouched on the ground pose that he tends to do in every movie. The defeated, yet about to be victorious, good guy pose.

Take a pass on this one or watch it when you're down with the flu.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV) - 3 stars

I can't decide if this show gets funnier or worse the more that I watch it. I think the answer is that it's funny if you watch it about once a month. It's abrasive and the characters dumb and narcissistic. However, there is something to be said for over-the-top brash comedy.

Danny DiVito plays a familiar character - over-confident weirdo/loser. He co-owns a bar with 2 of his kids and their friend. Part of the joke is that nobody is ever in the bar. They are all just drinking their inventory and coming up with get rich schemes or revenge schemes, or get the girl in bed schemes.

Modern Family (TV) - 3 stars

Modern Family is a new spin on the family sitcom. Ed O'Neill, the father from Married with Children, has a hot young wife and young son, his adult son is gay with an adopted baby, and his daughter has a nuclear family.

The gay couple is delightful. I'd like to see either of them in a straight role, since they are so convincing as a gay couple.

O'Neil is wealthy and smart enough to land a foxy young Columbian. She plays the role to a T while avoiding stereo-types of a foreign trophy wife. Her 10 year old son, Manny, is a riot. He's a miniature adult - overly articulate and thoughtful with a crush on his cute older step-cousin.

Catch episodes on Hulu.