F

FACTOTUM: This Independent Film Channel movie is an interesting character study of a man who isn’t very interesting. All he does is get fired from jobs, drink copious amounts, and, when he‘s sober enough, write. It’s a series of vignettes showing various events in the life of Hank Chinaski (Matt Dillon) who is the fictional alter-ego of author Charles Bukowski. (In the 1987 film, Barfly, Mickey Rouke played the author’s alter-ego also named Chinaski) Dillon proves what a fine actor he is, but Gary thought he looked almost too good to be believable as a drunk. Lilly Taylor is a woman Chinaski lives with for a while, and Marisa Tomei is a barfly he spends a few days with. Both women are excellent. The film seemed incredibly slow-moving, and quite depressing. Some of the scenes are a bit humorous, but overall, it’s quite dark. Dillon narrates between scenes, speaking author Bukowski’s words. I’ve never read any of his work, but would be interested in hearing from anyone who has. In an interview, Dillon defined "factotum" as a person who has many jobs. The dictionary says it’s "a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities, or, a general servant." GRADE C+

FAHRENHEIT 9/11: We decided to write our individual reactions to the film.
Barb: I laughed and I cried at Michael Moor's cinematic editorial. It also made me very, very angry with the Bush/Rumsfeld/Chaney gang. Gary and I went at 10:30 on a Saturday morning and were stunned to find a packed theater. When we left, people were already lined up for the next showing. We joined the audience in enthusiastic applause at the end of the film. Most of the facts Moore uses are not particularly new, but he skillfully weaves them into a damning indictment of the Bush administration. Yes, the film is slanted and propagandistic, "but, as the Chicago Reader review said, "…it is transparently so, unlike Fox News or CNBC." I suppose ardent Republicans will avoid the film and that is unfortunate. I agree with the Boston Herald: If you want to be part of the national debate, ``Fahrenheit 9/11 is must-see cinema. GRADE A

Gary: Barbara and I were delighted to see a crowd in the theater and when we exited even more waiting in the lobby to see this Michael Moore "documentary." "Fahrenheit 9/11" received both the first prize and the longest continuous standing ovation in the history of the Cannes Film Festival (25 minutes)--and it wasn't just because of French antipathy to America. This is a compelling and persuasive film. Michael Moore is a skilled filmmaker with a definite point of view. He is the man who targeted General Motors in Roger & Me and the NRA in Bowling for Columbine. Now he takes on an even larger target: the President of the United States. People’s opinions of Fahrenheit will depend on their political affiliation – the left wing will love it; the right will hate it or, more likely, refuse to see it. With my long-standing history as a liberal, I have no trouble awarding this film an "A." GRADE A

FAILURE TO LAUNCH: Several critics have been hard on this film, calling it preposterous and completely unbelievable. Other critics say it’s surprisingly well cast, and fresh and funny throughout. Their grades range from D to A-. While we agree that the film has no connection to reality, we were entertained by it Leaving the theatre, I overheard two young women talking about how adorable Matthew McConaughey is. They’re right. He is adorable as Trip, a 35-year-old man still living at home with his parents. (In his review, Richard Roeper said that McConaughey is so attractive and charming that he’s the kind of guy who moves out of his parent’s house at 15 because he’s dating his teacher.) Trip’s parents, Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw, hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to help them get their son out of the house. She attempts to do this by making him fall in love with her which, she says, will give him the urge to move into a place of his own. Zooey Deschanel is Kit, Paula friend and roommate. She’s terrific, playing what Gary thought was a young version of Eve Arden. In fact, she is the most appealing character in the film. Bates is believable as Trip’s mom, and Bradshaw is surprisingly good as Trip’s dad, in spite of a rather embarrassing nude scene. As a light romantic comedy, we think the film is worth a B. GRADE B

FAMILY MAN: We have a suggestion: Rent the video of Me, Myself, I with Rachel Griffiths. The two movies have the same plot, but the British version has a lot more charm. (Although, if you like Tea Leoni as much as we do, you might want to see the movie just because of her. We did.) Now for the plot: Everyone wonders what their life might be like if they had made different decisions along the way. Family Man invites us into the life of Jack Campbell (Nicholas Cage). In 1987, Jack left his college sweetheart, Kate Reynolds (Leoni) to take a one-year internship at Barclay's Bank in London. He never came back to her. Thirteen years later he is a rich, dynamic executive with what he considers a "perfect" life. That is, until he wakes up one Christmas morning to find himself in New Jersey with a wife and two kids. He suddenly is living the life he might have had if he had never gone to London, and he has great difficulty adjusting to it. It is especially hard for him to accept his job as a tire salesman. Up to this point, we enjoyed the movie, but the ending was unsatisfying. The stock romantic ending seemed too predictable and totally lacking in creativity. We can't short the acting: Cage is good and Leoni is terrific. We also enjoyed Don Cheadle as a street-smart angel and Jeremy Piven as Jack's best New Jersey friend. If I hadn't seen Me, Myself,I first, I might have rated this movie a little bit higher. GRADE: C

THE FAMILY STONE: We both enjoyed this movie. Yes, it is predictable and sentimental, but that’s not always a bad thing. The Stone family is made up of mom (Diane Keaton), dad (Craig T. Nelson) daughters Susannah and Amy (Rachel McAdams) and sons Everett (Dermot Mulroney), Ben (Luke Wilson) and Thad. Everett, the perfect son, brings his fiancée, Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) home for Christmas to introduce her to the family. They are not warm and wonderful to her, and Meredith feels distinctly unwelcome in the Stone home. Based on the trailers we saw, we were afraid that too much of the humor in the movie would rely on slap-stick. There is one scene toward the end of the film that does get a bit silly, but, in the context of the story, we didn’t mind it. There are plenty of laughs, but we appreciated the fact that the story also has some touching and serious moments. Luke Wilson is good at playing the laid-back, stoner son; Parker is believable as an extremely uptight career woman; McAdams is as pretty and interesting as always, and the warmth between Keaton and Nelson is touching. In other words—the ensemble works. Claire Danes is also charming as Meredith’s sister, Julie. The film was directed and written by Thomas Bezucha (Big Eden 2001). The Family Stone makes for an enjoyable Christmas movie. GRADE B+

FAR FROM HEAVEN: Julianne Moore is the perfect June Cleaver in this movie set in 1957 in Hartford Connecticut. Her Cathy Whitaker has bouffant hair and bouffant skirts and an ideal suburban life. Even the setting looks like a picture postcard for upper class affluence. Dennis Quaid is Frank Whitaker, but he is a Ward Cleaver with a big problem. He is fighting homosexual desires, something that surely occurred in the 1950s but was rarely talked about in polite society. Cathy is struggling to keep the family together, but she finds herself attracted to, of all people, her "Negro" gardener, Raymond. (Played by the impressive Dennis Haysbert--The President on TV's 24.) At a party, someone comments that there are no race problems in Hartford because there are no "coloreds" there. This is said in front of several black waiters and maids. They are invisible to white Hartford society, but, when Cathy is seen in friendly conversation with Raymond, people are appalled--it shakes the very foundations of their social mores. Writer/Director Todd Haynes has recreated the picture perfect surface of 1950s life, but has introduced social problems that simmered under that surface. Quaid has a difficult role. Frank is full of self-hatred. He cannot make love to his wife, and he cannot resist "the love that dare not speak its name." Julianne Moore is, as always, splendid. The acting here is uniformly excellent and I was touched by Cathy and Raymond's love story. Gary gives the film a B, but I liked it a bit more and say B+. GRADE B+/B

THE FAST RUNNER: Although Barbara and I liked this film, we find it difficult to recommend to any but avid independent film buffs--or to anyone fascinated by cultural anthropology. It is the first film shot in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit peoples who live above the Arctic Circle. It was made with an Inuit cast, and a 90-percent Inuit crew. It is based on a story that is at least 1,000 years old and it records a way of life that still existed within living memory of many working on the film. It was shot with a high-definition digital video camera, sidestepping the problems that cinematographers have long experienced while using film in temperatures well below zero. Its script, compiled from versions of an Inuit legend told by eight elders, is a classic tale told in many cultures. The actors were so convincing that the film plays like a documentary. It has opened with high praise from many film critics and we give it well deserved GRADE B.

FEMME FATALE: Some reviewers criticize Brian DePalma for favoring style over substance. It's true, as Gary said upon leaving the theater that DePalma never lets plot or plausibility stand in the way of a good scene. And this film is typical DePalma. His camera acts like the eye of a voyeur and is never happier than when clothes are being shed. Which happens a lot in this movie. Rebecca Romjin-Stamos is Laure Ash, a self-described "bad" girl. As the movie opens, she and her colleagues are taking part in a daring diamond heist at the Cannes Film Festival. I won't even try to detail the plot--you'd never believe it. Stamos certainly has the body of a femme fatale, although some criticize her "non-acting." We thought she was credible as a fantastically well-built femme fatale. Antonio Banderas and Peter Coyote also appear. The New York Times critic said: "But Mr. De Palma proves that, in the absence of insight or ideas, some amazing things are possible. It is possible, for instance, to be entranced by a movie without believing it for a second." While "entranced" might be a bit strong to describe our reaction to the film, we thought it was stylish enough to deserve a B. Also, it has an interesting twist at the end. Very Hitchcockian. GRADE B

FEVER PITCH: This movie is a pure delight. It is guaranteed to make you smile from beginning to end. And laugh out loud quite often. Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon are a charming couple—you root for them to work it out. The problem in their romance is Ben’s (Fallon) obsession with the Boston Red Socks. Lindsey (Barrymore) is absorbed in her career, but not to the level of Ben’s addiction. There are many wonderful scenes and all the supporting actors, including the kids (Ben is an elementary school teacher), are terrific. When the Farrelly brothers started this film, they thought it would be about a fan dealing with his team’s loss. But, as fate would have it, the Red Sox, down 3 and 0 to the Yankees in the American League Championship game, miraculously came back to win. They went on to win the World Series. This changed the end of the film, for the better, I think. I imagine the movie will play forever in Boston. We rank it up there with our favorite romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally. This is a departure for the Farrelly Brothers because it is family fare, unlike There’s Something About Mary. The film is based on a novel by Nick Hornby. Other Hornby novels have given us High Fidelity (2000) and About A Boy (2002). Roger Ebert praised Hornby’s books saying, "Their humor all begins in the same place, with truth and close observation. We know these people. We dated these people. We are these people." GRADE A-

FIFTEEN MINUTES: The title of this film is based on Andy Warhol's prediction that everyone in the future can expect to be famous for 15 minutes. It is ironic that a movie, which condemns our fascination with violence and celebrity, uses a great deal of violence to make its point. The filmmaker is also critical of the media's encouraging of that fascination. To demonstrate this, Kelsey Grammer plays the slimy host of a tabloid television "news" show. His character is a blatant caricature. Here's the gist of the story: Two men, one Czech and one Russian, arrive in the U.S. Oleg, the Russian, is movie-crazy and his first act in New York is to steal a video camera. Emil, the Czech, has a violent temper. He commits three brutal murders, and Oleg, who fancies himself a Russian Frank Capra, films each act. It doesn't take Emil long to learn some basic facts about American culture: We love celebrities and people will do anything to get on TV. (If you doubt that, watch the Jerry Springer show.) At one point, after watching a sleazy talk show, Emil says, "I love America. Nobody here is responsible for anything" He decides to kill a celebrity, plead mental incompetence, and then sell his videotaped story to TV for a million dollars. The celebrity he selects is Eddie Flemming (DeNiro) who is a somewhat famous NYPD Detective. Flemming, along with Jordy Warsaw (Ed Burns), a Fire Department arson investigator, are hot on the trail of the visiting killers. The pace is furious and much of the violence is effectively shown through Oleg's video camera. The film has been much criticized, but we thought it was frequently exciting, if somewhat implausible. We particularly liked Burns. GRADE: B-

FINDING FORRESTER: Gus Van Sant has done it again. After Good Will Hunting, he follows it up with Finding Forrester, another student/teacher relationship film that will capture both your mind and your heart. What can I say about Sean Connerythis has to be his best work yet. Connery is more than up to the challenge of playing a vulnerable and frightened man. His performance is filled with subtlety, humor, and warmth and is nothing short of brilliant. Connery is William Forrester, a man who wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning novel when he was 23 and never published another book. Now he is 73, living in a dilapidated building in the Bronx, watching the world from his window because he is afraid to go out. His window overlooks a basketball court and, as he watches the teenagers, they see him watching and wonder about the man behind the window. One curious boy, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) pays a visit to the recluse and an unusual friendship is born. Jamal is a remarkable 16-year-old: He has a superior mind, he is a gifted writer and he is also exceptional at the net. Those skills earn him a scholarship to an exclusive private prep school in Manhattan. Forrester becomes Jamal's mentor, encouraging and inspiring him. There is a moment in the film where I thought, "My Fair Hoop Man." It is a moment when Jamal realizes that he will never again be at home in his own neighborhood. Brown makes a memorable Jamal and he more than holds his own with Connery. What a pair they make! I liked Jamal's relationship with his friends and his family too--No stereotypes here, just living breathing people--people you'd like to know. (And I'll never again worry about starting a sentence with a conjunction. But I must be sure not to overdo it.) Gary agrees that Finding Forrester is an "A" film. Saying this, he now feels that we should have given Good Will Hunting an A+. GRADE: A

FINDING NEVERLAND: Johnny Depp is the playwright J.M. Barrie in this gentle and rather strange but ultimately touching movie. The movie opens in 1903 in a London theater as Barrie watches from behind the curtain as an opening night audience streams in. The play is a flop, much to the chagrin of Barrie and his producer, Charles Frohman (Dustin Hoffman). When Barrie meets the Davies family in the park one day, he is captivated by the four young boys and their widowed mother, Sylvia (Kate Winslet). Barrie always felt that he had grown up too soon, and he enjoys playing with the young boys. Their make-believe becomes the inspiration for his most famous play, Peter Pan. (One of the boys is named Peter, nicely played by Freddie Highmore.) The film frequently expands their make-believe into reality. For example, tied to a tree in the backyard, Barrie and the boys imagine they are on a pirate ship, and we see them on an actual ship. Barrie is married, so his infatuation with Sylvia and her sons is troubling to his wife. It is also troubling to Syvia's mother (Julie Christie). I think Depp may be the best actor living today. He is so versatile that he totally inhabits his characters. He is equally believable as a flamboyant pirate (Pirates of the Caribbean) and a this shy Scottish playwright. The film is based on a play titled The Man Who Was Peter Pan, and the film was directed by Marc Forster. The low volume in our movie theater combined with the accents, made it difficult for Gary to hear much of the dialogue. For that reason, he can't grade the film, but I liked it enough to give it a B+. GRADE B+

(Note: The writer does take some liberties with the facts. In her review, Monahla Dargis (New York Times) tells us that in reality Barrie was homely and barely cleared 5 feet. She writes, He met the five (not four, as in the film) Davies boys long before their father's death. Arthur died in 1907, after ''Peter Pan'' was mounted on the London stage. . . Barrie's devotion to the children was such that he might have altered Sylvia's will so that he could take stewardship of the boys. He did, and the tragedies continued: one son was killed during World War I, another was an apparent suicide. Years after Barrie died, the 63-year-old Peter . . . threw himself under a train, having long hated his connection with his namesake. For this man who did grow up, ''Peter Pan'' was, as he called it, a ''terrible masterpiece."

FIREWALL: There are plenty of holes in the plot of this thriller starring Harrison Ford, but, as Roger Ebert asks, "Need a thriller be plausible in order to be entertaining? I’d say that plausibility is a plus, but not totally necessary. If you care about the people involved, and the if the film does a good job of building tension, you will be entertained—especially if there are explosions and fisticuffs at the end. This one entertained us. Ford and Virginia Madsen play an upscale Seattle couple with two children. Ford is head of computer security for a large bank. Paul Bettany and his crew of thieves hold Ford’s family captive in order to force the security chief to help them rob the bank. They don’t want to put their hands on any actual money, but want Ford’s computer expertise to wire transfer 100 Million dollars into an off-shore account. I think computers are fascinating and even exciting, but they usually don’t make for exciting movies. However, here the director does a fair job of holding our interest through the technical stuff and rewards us with the requisite hand-to-hand combat at the end. Bettany is believable and chilling as a polite sociopath. We also enjoyed seeing Mary Lynn Rajskub playing a character much like her Chloe in TV’s 24. Robert Patrick, Robert Forster and Alan Arkin appear in small roles. In an interview, Ford said he does all his own stunts. I wonder how much longer he can keep doing that. He must have suffered quite a bit of wear and tear on this shoot. Gary says B; I say B-. GRADE B/B-

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS: I remember thinking, when I finished reading James Bradley’s book on which this film is based, that it was one of the most powerful and moving books I ever read. Often such a reading experience is followed by a disappointing film experience. Not so with Flags Of Our Fathers. As Barbara and I left the theater, Barbara commented, "He really knows how to tell a story." She was referring to Academy Award winning director Clint Eastwood. The film deals with one of the bloodiest battles in WWII and arguably the most inspiring photo ever snapped, the flag raising on Iwo Jima. It was a photo that may have changed history dramatically. There are no blockbuster stars in Flags, but many skilled actors who play their roles flawlessly. Ryan Phillippe, playing a Navy corpsman, and Adam Beach, playing a troubled marine struggling with survivor guilt, deserve special praise for their portrayals. The film skillfully cuts back and forth between the horrors of battle on Iwo Jima and a flag waving public relations tour designed to raise desperately needed money for the war. The American people needed heroes. The men chosen to be those heroes felt overwhelming guilt assuming that role. There have been many important war movies coming out of Hollywood. I think we must add Flags Of Our Fathers to that list. GRADE A-

FLIGHTPLAN: In her last movie, Jodie Foster spent most of the time in a Panic Room. In this movie, she spends most of the time in panic mode as she frantically searches a jumbo jet for her missing six-year-old daughter. At one point, she begins to question her own sanity, because everyone insists her daughter was never on the plane. Foster is very good at playing a woman on the edge. She is equally good when she gets tough with the "bad guys." Foster has the help of a sympathetic sky marshal played by Peter Sarsgaard. Sean Bean plays the flight captain who, at first, tries to help her in the search, but eventually comes to believe that Foster is delusional. Foster manages to maintain tension throughout the film, but, unfortunately, there are some major holes in the plot. I didn’t really think about the holes until after the movie, but Gary was bothered by them even as he watched. I won’t explain the plot problems because I don’t want to give anything away, but they were the reason for our grade of C+. However, we think that Foster deserves at least a B+ for her performance. GRADE C+

THE FOG OF WAR: (2003 Release) This 2003 documentary received rave reviews from nearly all the critics. It is an extraordinary film that you may never have an opportunity to see. If you have the opportunity, I implore you not to miss it. The film is condensed from over 20 hours of interviews that director Errol Morris had with Robert McNamara. McNamara was Secretary of Defense during both the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations. But it is beautifully interspersed with historical film footage from the periods being discussed and by supplementary interviews. The New York Times critic writes, "If there's one movie that ought to be studied by military and civilian leaders around the world at this treacherous historical moment, it is The Fog of War." I can only hope you have an opportunity to see this remarkable film. Gary--GRADE A- (Barb enjoyed it a bit less than I did and gives it a B.)

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: We enjoyed this latest film to come from the creative minds of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. However, we think it isn’t as good as their previous efforts, and it’s appeal is more limited. In this film, Guest and Levy satire the movie industry. Actors, Agents, Directors, Producers, Writers, Studio Publicity hacks, Studio Heads and TV Entertainment and movie review shows, all come in for their share of ridicule. All the regulars make an appearance. Catherine O’Hara is particularly effective as an aging actress who is playing the lead in the movie that Guest is directing titled Home For Purim. Harry Shearer (A Mighty Wind) is O’Hara’s husband in Purim, and Parker Posey is her estranged daughter. All three are excellent at portraying earnest actors who efforts are slightly off kilter. When all three learn that there is media buzz about their possible Oscar nominations, they become part of the Oscar frenzy that pervades Hollywood as the Academy Award season approaches. Fred Willard and Jane Lynch play the hosts of a TV Entertainment show and they are terrific. Jennifer Coolidge is a dim-witted producer, and John Michael Higgins is the dim-witted studio publicity guy. Gary thought that Levy’s talent agent was the best characterization of all. If you are a movie buff, you will probably enjoy For Your Consideration. There are some very funny bits and a lot of talented comedians present. GRADE B-.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: If you enjoy romantic comedies that combine raunchy humor with a sweetness of spirit, then you’ll enjoy this movie. Produced by Judd Aptow, it has all the ingredients of his previous hits, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad, so you can expect some adolescent humor and some nudity—in this case, full frontal male nudity. The film’s star, Jason Segel from TV’s How I Met Your Mother, is also the screenwriter, and he has penned a story about how a man recovers from a sorrowful break-up. Segel’s Peter has been with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Kristen Bell from TV’s Veronica Mars) for years, and when she dumps him for a rock star, he is devastated. Convinced to take a vacation to get away from reminders of Sarah, he goes to a luxurious resort in Hawaii, only to find that Sarah and her boyfriend are staying there. (Russell Brand is a Brit TV personality and he is hilarious as Aldous Snow, Sarah’s new love.) Two Aptow favorites, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill play, respectively, a stoner surfing teacher and a waiter who worships Aldous Snow. The gorgeous Mila Kunis (TV’s That 70’s Show) is a hotel hospitality hostess who helps Peter forget Sarah. Especially funny are scenes from Sarah’s CSI-type TV show in which Billy Baldwin appears as her detective partner. We are also treated to bits from the puppet rock opera, Dracula, that Peter has been working on for years. It all adds up to a lot of fun. Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) says that this film is proof that "all raunch is not created equal." Both he and Richard Roeper gave the film favorable reviews. However, if you’re offended by nudity and rather crude humor, you might want to skip this one. We enjoyed it and give it a solid B. GRADE B+

FOUR BROTHERS: This movie teaches a valuable lesson: Don’t visit Detroit in the winter. Our local reviewer compared this film to The Sons of Katie Elder and called it "Katie Elder with a mean streak." The plots are similar: four brothers try to find out the truth behind the death of their mother. In this modern version, the setting is urban, and the mother adopted all four boys: two of the brothers are white and two are black. Mark Walhberg takes the John Wayne role as the oldest brother who has recently been released from prison. When asked if he was going straight, he replies, "straightish." Walhberg is terrific in the role—the shot of him walking across a frozen lake toward the end of the film is perfect. (It’s hard to think of him as Marky Mark posing in his Calvin Kleins.) Andre Benjamin, Tyrese Bibson and Garrett Hedlund are the other three brothers and they are all fine. The urban setting demands a killer who has politicians and police officers on his payroll and Chiwetel Ejiofor fills that bill beautifully. Of course, there is a conspiracy, but the Mercer brothers are determined to get the truth. And they do. Terrance Howard appears as a sympathetic cop and Fionnyula Flanagan is the murdered mother, who we see at the time of her death and in flashbacks. This movie is violent with lots of gunplay and one car chase, but as a revenge flick, it is reasonably satisfying. We both decided on a grade of B. GRADE B

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN: Barbara suggested that I might be better qualified to review this film than she. I will need to ruminate on how to interpret that. Although we certainly give this adult comedy a thumbs up, neither of us felt it quite lived up to the hype and to our high expectations. We love the work of the talented Steve Carell who plays the loveable and sympathetic virgin. He is supported by equally talented actors like Catherine Keener and Paul Rudd. To tell you much about the plot would assume you did not read the title. There are, of course, many funny scenes. In fact one may prove to be as memorable as the tooth-drilling scene in The Marathon Man. The scene involves an incredibly harry chest and a waxing process. If you see it, you should know that it was done in one take because it was for real. The film builds to a touching and creative end and we both give The 40-Year-Old Virgin a "B." GRADE B

FRACTURE: Despite less than glowing reviews, Barbara and I wanted to see this film because of the cast. It is hard for me to ignore a film staring Anthony Hopkins and we both see Ryan Gosling as a talented rising star. And even though his role is small, good old reliable David Strathairn never turns in less than a great performance. The trailer made the screenplay look witty, riviting and maybe a little scary. It isn’t exactly a "whodunit," so much as a "howdidhedunit?" Hopkins plays a genius who plans a perfect crime as revenge against his wife who is having an affair with a hostage negotiator. The screenplay is often cleverly credible, but can quickly move to disappointingly incredible. It is hard to imagine a beautiful house remaining in pristine condition after the police conduct several presumably thorough searches for a murder weapon. It would be criminal to reveal anything more about the plot in case you decide to see this in a theatre or wait for the DVD. I rate this film marginally higher than Barbara. GRADE B-/C+.

FREAKY FRIDAY: This remake of a 1976 movie works because Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan do such an outstanding job. Curtis is Tess Coleman, a psychologist with a private practice. She is a widow with a teenaged daughter, Anna (Lohan), and a young son. Tess and her daughter have those typical mother/daughter conflicts complicated by the fact that Tess is about to get married again. Two mystical fortune cookies (don't ask!) cause mother and daughter to exchange bodies: Tess has to go to high school and live in her daughter's shoes for a day, and Anna has to handle her mother's clients and the wedding plans. Yes, it's another one of those body exchange plots, but this one is very enjoyable. Curtis has a skilled comic touch and we were impressed with how well Lohan (The Parent Trap remake-- 1998) handled her role. Mark Harmon plays Tess's fiancée and Harold Gould is an amusing grandfather. The movie is funny and surprisingly tender and we both think it deserves a B, or maybe even a B+. GRADE B+

FREEDOM WRITERS: This is a true story about a devoted teacher in a "bad" school with "bad" students who resist learning, so you can guess pretty much where the film is heading. But we found the story inspiring and passionate, and the journey well worth the effort. Perhaps it because our own teaching background made us identify more strongly than the professional critics, but we found ourselves thoroughly engrossed in the story. Not that the professional critics didn’t like the film, they did. It is just that Barbara and I liked it even better than the "B" given by most critics. Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank was terrific in the leading role and a first-rate supporting cast was lead by Patrick Dempsey, Imelda Staunton, Scott Glenn, and a host of young actors playing kids who had experienced more life than they should have at their age. Any movie with a serious message about education is bound to be compared with predecessors like Lean on Me (1989), Stand and Deliver (1988), To Sir With Love (1967), and the grandfather of them all, Blackboard Jungle (1955). We think Freedom Writers compares favorably with the best. GRADE A-

FRIDA: Selma Hayek will surely get an Oscar nomination for her stunning portrayal of Frida Kahlo, the brilliant painter who was married to Diego Rivera--twice. This movie tells the story of their love affair: two remarkable people who were destined to be together, but not necessarily faithful to each other. When she was a young girl, Frida was severly injured in a bus accident. She survived her many injuries, but suffered through over 30 operations and a lifetime of pain. Still, she managed to live an extraordinary life. She met Rivera when she was a teenager, and their tumultuous relationship makes a captivating story. The two artists were philosophical communists, and their political affiliations caused many problems. Ed Norton appears in a small role as Nelson Rockefeller. Rockefeller hired Rivera to paint a mural for the Rockefeller Center and then tore it down because the artist put Lenin in the painting. Julie Taymor has directed the film with great flair, using Frida's paintings in a most creative way. (Taymor is famous for bringing The Lion King to the Broadway stage.) The film is a visual delight, and Hayek and Alfred Molina, who plays Diego Rivera, are perfect in their roles. Geoffrey Rush disappears into his role as Leon Trotsky, and Ashley Judd is memorable as Frida's partner in a sensuous tango. We give this film an enthusiastic GRADE A.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: In 1988 Odessa, Texas, high school football isn't the biggest thing in town--it's the only thing. When the team wins, the town loves Coach Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton); when the team loses they put For Sale signs on his front lawn. Thornton is believable and restrained as a coach who cares about his players as much as he cares about winning. Director Peter Berg (TV's Chicago Hope) frequently uses handheld cameras to vividly depict the speed and violence that is the game of football. The scenes on the field are as good as those in Any Given Sunday. Berg is a talented director and I look forward to his next film. Derek Luke is the team's star running back and when he is injured in the first game of the season the town sees it's hopes of a State Championship limp off the field with him. Luke impressed us in Antwone Fisher and continues to impress us here. The centerpiece of this film is football, and we get only rare glimpses into the off-field life of the players and the coach. Tim McGraw plays the father of one of the players--a man whose single accomplishment in life was being on a State Championship team when he was in high school. Now he is a drunk who bullies and humiliates his son both on and off the field. We enjoyed seeing Jay Hernandez (The Rookie) and also thought that Lucas Black, who plays quarterback Mike Winchell, was especially good. I like any movie about sports, but I like football movies the best. While I wouldn't put this gridiron movie at the top of my list, I thought it was very good. Gary and I both give it a B+. GRADE B+

FRIENDS WITH MONEY: This movie is a bit like life. If your expectations are too high, you may be disappointed. It’s another one of those non-linear, episodic movies with no discernible story line. It’s just a series of glimpses into the lives of four friends: Jennifer Anniston, Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener, and Joan Cusack. Cusack and her husband are wealthy, Anniston is poor, and the other two couples are well off. Interestingly, the wealthy couple seems to be the happiest. Maybe money can buy happiness. I did think that Anniston was a bit young to be friends with the other women, and the movie never explains how they all came together. It’s clear that they have been friends for a long time. My favorite character was Jane ( McDormand). She had just turned 43 and was tired of everything. Mostly, she was tired of washing her hair. Plus, she was annoyed by almost everything: the driver who steals her parking place and the people who cut in front of her in line, for example. However, all the characters were interesting to me and I was sorry when the film was over. I would have liked to see more of them. Gary commented afterwards at what a good actress Anniston is. She is believable here as a teacher who left her job and now works as a maid, cleaning other people’s houses. The film was written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, whose two previous features were also studies of women and their relationships: Walking and Talking (1996) and Lovely and Amazing (2001). The wonderful Catherine Keener was in both of those films. Gary liked Friends With Money, although he gives it a B, while I have to say B+. (I think it’s probably a gender thing.) GRADEB+/B