PINA 3D, FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, KID W/A BIKE, THINK LIKE A MAN, THE FAIRY

Finally caught up with PINA 3D, and what a treat. It puts you right into the dance performance as if you had front row seats at McCaw Hall. In this case the 3D was subtle, but possibly still unnecessary, but I did enjoy the way the dancers seemed to float in air at times. As a film, there is no story or narrative, and one doesn't really get any biography of Pina Bausch, a German dancer and choreographer, but we do get excited for the creative process and the dedication she put into her work. A must see for lovers of modern dance. GRADE------A

This years BRIDESMAIDS, in theme, at least, is the warm and hilarious comedy THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, which features a wonderful coupling of two very likable actors--Jason Segel (TV's HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) and Emily Blunt (see the delightful SALMON FISHING IN YEMEN). It is directed by Nicholas Stoller, who made one of my favorite recent comedies GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2010). The opening 20 minutes is a riot, and the final 20 minutes is very sweetly memorable, and in between it is funny, moving, charming, and immensely entertaining. GRADE--------A-

 Film makers Luc and Jean Pierre Dardenne have made a number of memorable films together, many of them featuring children. These include LA PROMESSE (1996), ROSETTA (1999), and L'INFANT (2005). Their new film KID WITH A BIKE also features a young boy who has been abandoned by his birth father and turns to a single hairstylist for attention. Actor Jeremie Renier has appeared in most of their films, ---in L'ENFANT he played the father who tries to sell his baby for money, without the mother knowing. In KID he's the flaky father, and it almost plays like a sequel to that earlier heart breaking film. KID W/ A BIKE is another moving look at struggling children looking for love (see LA PROMESSE and ROSETTA). GRADE-------B

THE FAIRY (LA FEE) is a charming, slapstick, nearly silent French film created by actor/writer/producers Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy, the team responsible for L'ICEBERG (2005) and RUMBA (2008), and the three films are very much in the same style. The sets are whimsical, the actors deadpan and engaging, and the stories are sweet, quirky and at times funny. The humor may not be appreciated by everyone--sometimes, if you do not have the patience to wait for the payoffs in each scene, you may grow weary of watching. But you have to admire the creative world that each film creates. Like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, the pratfalls are everything and the characters are always endearing. You can give me these films any day over the manipulative THE ARTIST. GRADE-------B

Based on the Steve Harvey best seller, THINK LIKE A MAN is a smart, amusing sex comedy where 4 women try to get their men to change by applying the rules in the book to their relationships. When the men learn about this conspiracy, they try to turn the tables. It is a satisfyingly acted and plotted entertainment. Standout is Taraji P. Henson who raised BENJAMIN BUTTON (2008)from "infancy." She plays a sexy, corporate mogul who wouldn't dream of dating a younger man, much less one who is unemployed. It is refreshing to see a film that features a mostly African American cast where there are no gangsters, drug dealers, pimps, ghetto talk or Atlanta housewives. GRADE-------B

Shown last year at SIFF, NATURAL SELECTION had a brief run last week. When a woman realizes that her husband has fathered a child through a sperm bank --the reason he hasn't touched her sexually for many years--she sets out on a road trip to find him and bring him back to meet his biological father. The characters are determinedly "white trash" in language and attitude, and I hated the first hour. But as the characters start to learn about each other, we learn, and start to care, about them. It's a strange mix of humor, pathos and drama, but by the end it becomes moving. GRADE--------B---

   ______________ DVD SELECTIONS OF THE WEEK ______________

One of my favorite actresses stars in HOT MILLIONS (1968). Maggie Smith nearly steals every movie she's in, and this one is no exception. I'm normally no fan of Peter Ustinov, but he was pretty funny in this one, and Karl Malden has his moments. It is amusing to see how they try to steal from a "computer"----a giant boxy machine. Obviously dated, but still sly and sweet. GRADE--------B-

James Cagney stars in "G" MEN (1935)--a no nonsense action film about an FBI agent trying to avenge a friend's death. It was fun to watch, if rather routine. GRADE-----B-

 CITY OF CONQUEST (1940) features James Cagney as a (short) boxer, with a classical musician brother and a faithful girlfriend (Ann Sheridan), but it wasn't very believable. GRADE-------C

The 6th film of Natalie Wood that I've seen this month is INSIDE DAISY CLOVER (1965). In spite of the fact that Alan J. Pakula produced and Robert Mulligan directed, and Robert Redford, Roddy McDowall and Christopher Plummer are in the cast, the film is an odd, trite story of a young (!?) 15 year old woman (a miscast Wood--she was a whopping 27 years old at the time) who makes it to the top in show biz, then back down again, in two years. It is trite, cliched and very nearly a dud. Only the quirky, ornery Ruth Gordon emerges unscathed. GRADE------D

COMING NEXT WEEK---THE FIRST REPORTS FROM THE Seattle International Film Festival 2012!!!