A forty year old man weasels his way into becoming a children's spelling bee contestant in search of some kind of redemption ploy, causing havoc among the other contestants, parents, and spelling bee organizers. That is the unlikely plot of a very funny film, played and directed by Jason Bateman with wicked glee and potty mouth precision. BAD WORDS is a comic fantasy which indulges the lead to say whatever is on his mind, and the result is a refreshingly politically incorrect skewering of spelling bees, over possessive parents, spoiled kids, spoiled adults and small town morals. GRADE----------B+
Not quite as witty as BAD WORDS, but perhaps funnier in a more physical way is THE OTHER WOMAN, a comic story of three scorned women (all by the same man) who eek out some sort of revenge plot to punish him for his philandering and, it turns out, illegal financial activities. The highlight here is Leslie Mann who neurotically and comically plays the betrayed wife. She gets to mug and scene steal in nearly every scene, whether she's crying, drunk, being mauled by a huge dog, or incredibly angry. Cameron Diaz plays the "straight" role--the woman who realizes after two intense months together that her wonderful new boyfriend is actually married. Model turned actress (but she should stay model) Kate Upton is the third girlfriend that sets the revenge plot in motion and all three actresses have some great funny scenes of running, tripping, screaming, pratfalls, etc.......
It many not be much in the long run, but there is enough serious real feeling between the characters that the film carries some sting after the running time. GRADE----------B
It's pretty minor stuff, but the ill named CUBAN FURY features some lively salsa dancing, some subtle comic performances by Chris O'Dowd, Nick Frost and Rashida Jones and others, and enough good hearted good will to last half a year. I don't know why they call it CUBAN FURY since the film is set in a small salsa bar in London, and I'm not sure that any of the characters were Cuban....but Brit Nick Frost decides he wants to get back into salsa dancing ever since he was assaulted by some thugs on the night of his potential big win 20 years earlier and quit in embarrassment. His motivation is his new boss, Rashida Jones, who is also being pursued by a slimy Chris O'Dowd co-worker. We all know how it will end, but this is definitely a case where getting there is all the fun. GRADE---------B-
The new animated RIO 2 is musical, colorful, lively, and at times funny. It was not as clever and charming as the original RIO, but my 5 year old grand daughter was vastly entertained. GRADE------B-
Based on a true story is THE RAILWAY MAN, a subtle, gentle story of a British man who was horribly tortured by the Japanese in WWII and how this affects him later in life (flash forward to 1980) when he marries the kindly woman who tries to heal him. Lovely performances by Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman keep the film watchable, but the real saving grace is the final 20 minutes when he gets a chance to confront his main captor. GRADE---------B-
Technically, the film TRANSCENDENCE is spectacular to watch, and there are dozens of provocative themes and ideas rolling around, but the film seems to take off into the least interesting of these ideas and nearly grounds to a halt by the end. It is a disappointing mishmash. GRADE-------C+
SEEN ON DVD==============
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2012) holds up well in repeated viewings (a friend had never seen it)--in fact, I liked the Maggie Smith character better this time than the previous two. She manages to be very funny while being the most subtle of the characters. The photography is bright and colorful, the music is charming, and the dozen characters are handled with great respect and given equal time. GRADE-------------- B+
Director Michael Apted started his SEVEN UP series 50 years ago. Based on the saying, "Give me a child until the age of 7, and I'll show you the man"---he has interviewed the same dozen children every 7 years since that first film, and this film 56 UP (2013) has these subjects all at age 56 and he flashes back to show what they were saying at various times in their life. It's a fascinating subject with interesting interviews, and the chance to see an individual every seven years throughout their life is INVALUABLE. GRADE-------------B+
Based on a true story, the Australian film THE SAPPHIRES features four struggling Aboriginal girls who try to make it to the big time by forming a girl group and touring Vietnam in the 1960's. Their manager is played by Chris O'Dowd (see CUBAN FURY above, and BRIDESMAIDS 2011) in his liveliest, most heartfelt performance, and the soundtrack is filled with great soul songs and lively characters. This would make a great double bill with BRAN NUE DAE (2009)--another lively Aussie musical. GRADE-----------B
Another based on a true story film, BERNIE (2011) tells the tale of a possessive widow (Shirley MacLaine) who latches onto the assistant funeral director (Jack Black) who acts as the town walker (he unofficially entertains the single older woman by taking them out dancing or dining, etc). When his new widow becomes overwhelming, the scene is set for tragedy, yet the towns people refuse to believe what has happened. It's a strange mix of satire, comedy, drama, and thriller, with Matthew McConoughy playing the lawyer trying what turns into a sensational court case. GRADE-----------B-
One of the first films to use private detective Philip Marlowe as a main character, MURDER MY SWEET (1945) is a mixed bag. The first half hour is intriguing enough, but the characters keep coming and going, and so do the motivations. Things become so convoluted that by the ending, I didn't really care. I've seen this several times, but can never remember from time to time any scenes or resolutions. Dick Powell played Marlowe and gets knocked HARD on the noggin at least four times that I remembered---hard enough to cause any professional football line backer to lapse into a coma for the rest of his life. Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley were suitable femme fatalles. GRADE---------B-
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