Movie to See Right Now

Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie hammer in J. EDGAR

There are some good choices on the long holiday weekend.    Like Crazy is a romance, pure and not so simple.

J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood’s interesting take on J. Edgar Hoover’s twisted psyche has some fine performances, but draaaaags. In contrast, Margin Call is a taut financial meltdown drama with superb performances by Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany and Stanley Tucci. Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is a beautiful and disturbing thriller – Out There as only Almodovar can do. The Ides of March is a fine political drama with Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and George Clooney. Drive is a stylishly arty and ultraviolent action film, also with Ryan Gosling.

On the lighter side, 50/50 is an engaging cancer comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. The raunchy comedy A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is filled with lots of jokes and hilarious cameos by Neil Patrick Harris and Danny Trejo.

PBS is featuring the top rate British spy drama Page Eight on this week’s Masterpiece Contemporary.

If you can still find it, don’t miss Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols’ brilliant tale of a psychotic breakdown with Oscar-worthy performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. One of the Best Movies of 2011 – So Far.

I haven’t yet seen the The Descendants or Into the Abyss, which open soon. You can see trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD of the Week is a threesome from my Best Movies of 2011 – So Far:  the wonderfully sweet Beginners, with Ewan MacGregor and Christopher Plummer,  Incendies (the year’s best movie so far) and Errol Morris’ gutbustingly funny documentary Tabloid.  Other recent DVD picks have been the Jenna Fischer dramedy A Little Help , the heartwarming documentary Buck, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy (1979).

J. Edgar: an interesting perspective, if you can stay awake

You’ll find director Clint Eastwood’s biopic of J. Edgar Hoover to be an interesting take on Hoover’s twisted psyche, if you can stay awake.

Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent playing Hoover over the course of 50 years.  So is Armie Hammer (who played the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network) as Hoover’s long time companion Clyde Tolson.  Judi Dench nails the role of Hoover’s nightmare mom.

Eastwood and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (who won an Oscar for Milk) see Hoover as a man tortured by the expectations of his scary mother, which keep him from physically completing his lifelong love affair with Tolson.  That’s an interesting take.

Yet the movie drags.  When your protagonist is arresting celebrity gangsters, solving the Crime of the Century, persecuting left-wingers and blackmailing Presidents, your story should pop and sizzle.

The movie also suffers from distractingly bad make-up on the older Clyde Tolson and the Richard Nixon characters.

Movies to See Right Now

Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones being romantic in the romance LIKE CRAZY

As we go deeper into autumn, we’re getting quite the menu of movie choices.  Like Crazy is a romance, pure and not so simple.

PBS is featuring the top rate British spy drama Page Eight on this week’s Masterpiece Contemporary.

J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood’s interesting take on J. Edgar Hoover’s twisted psyche has some fine performances, but draaaaags.  In contrast, Margin Call is a taut financial meltdown drama with superb performances by Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany and Stanley Tucci.  Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is a beautiful and disturbing thriller – Out There as only Almodovar can do. The Ides of March is a fine political drama with Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and George Clooney.  Drive is a stylishly arty and ultraviolent action film, also with Ryan Gosling.

On the lighter side, 50/50 is an engaging cancer comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen.  The raunchy comedy A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas is filled with lots of jokes and hilarious cameos by Neil Patrick Harris and Danny Trejo.

If you can still find it, don’t miss Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols’ brilliant tale of a psychotic breakdown with Oscar-worthy performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. One of the Best Movies of 2011 – So Far.

I haven’t yet seen the psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene. You can see trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD of the Week is the wonderfully sweet Beginners, with Ewan MacGregor and Christopher Plummer.  Other recent DVD picks have been Incendies (the year’s best movie so far), Errol Morris’ gutbustingly funny documentary Tabloid, the Jenna Fischer dramedy A Little Help , the heartwarming documentary Buck,  and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy (1979).

Movies to See Right Now

George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ryan Gosling in THE IDES OF MARCH

50/50 is an engaging cancer comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. Margin Call is a taut financial meltdown drama with superb performances by Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany and Stanley Tucci. Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is a beautiful and disturbing thriller – Out There as only Almodovar can do. The Ides of March is a fine political drama with Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and George Clooney. Drive is a stylishly arty and ultraviolent action film with Ryan Gosling.

If you can still find it, don’t miss Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols’ brilliant tale of a psychotic breakdown with Oscar-worthy performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. One of the Best Movies of 2011 – So Far.

I haven’t yet seen J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood’s biopic of J. Edgar Hoover, or the raunchy comedy A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas or the psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene. You can see trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD of the Week is Errol Morris’ gutbustingly funny documentary Tabloid. Other recent DVD picks have been Incendies (the year’s best movie so far), the romcom Crazy Stupid Love, the Jenna Fischer dramedy A Little Help , the heartwarming documentary Buck, the very original teen misfit movie Terri, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy (1979).

November Movies

It’s time for the really promising movies of November and December.  On November 11, we’ll see J. Edgar,Clint Eastwood’s biopic of J. Edgar Hoover starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.  Armie Hammer, so good as the Winklevoss twins in A Social Network, plays Hoover’s (ahem) close friend Clyde Tolson.

The new version of John LeCarre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy opens on November 18.  Gary Oldman leads an impressive cast.

You can see trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

But first, if you’re looking for a pure romance, there’s Like Crazy.  This long distance love story seems to be unadulterated by the irony and gross-out humor so prevalent.  Just good looking people and a weepy soundtrack.  Got good filmfest buzz at both Sundance and Toronto.  Opens October 28 in a limited release and more widely in November.  Here’s the trailer.