Ed's Review Dot Com

Werc Werk Works, Kasdan Pictures, Likely Story,

Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins, Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, Ayelet Zurer, Sam Shepard, Lindsay Sloane, Jay Ali

Beth (Diane Keaton) is suffering from empty nest syndrome, and her doctor husband Joseph (Kevin Kline) is simply not much interested in her anymore. But driving home in the snow, her daughter notices something in the weeds on the side of the road. It turns out to be an injured dog which they nurse back to health, but after the wedding while daughter is on her honeymoon, the couple and some other friends take a vacation way up in the mountains where Freeway the dog becomes lost. They all set out to search for him, but he’s nowhere to be found, and the wedge between husband and wife is growing bigger. This is a film about a dog, but as you will see the real story is between a husband and wife who seem to have lost each other.

This is a beautiful story. The latter part of the story, up in the wilderness is extremely beautiful, and the scenery is breathtaking. It’s a fairly slow unwinding story, but the characters are fully developed bit by bit, and the lead roles are played perfectly. These are very good actors, and it’s a pleasure to get lost in the story and watch the relationship develop. All in all, this is a really nice movie, and a very well developed story. As I stated, the story is not really about Freeway the dog, but he does steal the show. This dog is also a very good actor.

I think this is a nice film for a rental, and well worth the time to watch. It has the feel of a Lifetime movie, with the budget of a Hollywood film. It’s very well done.

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NGN Productions, Nasser Group, North,

Peter Benson, Michael Shanks, Michelle Creber, Erin Karpluk, Michelle Kim, Michael Patric, Rukiya Bernard

Mary (Erin Karpluk) wants to cheer up her ailing grandfather. Her Dad is about to send him off to a nursing home as he is getting weaker and weaker. On a trip to the country, she finds a little girl who needs help, only to find out that she lives in the “Christmas Lodge” where she and her family spent many wonderful Christmases when she was a child. Finding the lodge in bad shape, basically falling down, she enlists her family who are contractors to help her childhood friend Jack (Michael Shanks) who lives with his daughter in the lodge by doing the repairs to bring the old building back into shape. Her dream is to bring her grandfather here for one last family Christmas together to make memories that will last forever.

This is a beautiful Christian Christmas film. The scenery is spectacular, and the views take your breath away. The little girl and her dog are charming. So what’s wrong with this film?

Well, there are a couple problems. First and foremost, it’s a romance, but the chemistry between the two is really weak. They just don’t seem to really like each other so much. Finally, there is a pretty “in your face” Christian message to this film that will turn off some people. But did I mention the scenery is spectacular?

Essentially this is a typical lifetime type Christmas romance, and it works at that level if you can deal with the weaknesses. I didn’t hate this movie as some reviewers did. I actually enjoyed it, but there are certainly other films that are much better than this. But if you get a chance to see this film, I say go right ahead. It’s a good enough film to bring on the Christmas Spirit. And did I say the scenery is spectacular!

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Joe’s Daughter, Astral Media, The Harold Greenberg Fund,

Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman

While on a flight back from a writing assignment, Margot (Michelle Willams) meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), and immediately takes a liking to him. Surprisingly to both of them, he lives across the street from Margot and her husband Lou (Seth Rogan). The urge to secretly meet up with him is strong, yet she cannot seem to resist him, even though she is supposedly happily married to Lou. So, is the fresh exciting new guy better than the old tired boring relationship that was supposed to last forever? That’s the subject of this film.

This is a very simple story. Filmed in Toronto, there is very little put into the sets and scenes. Likewise the people are simple as well. This is a stark story of a crisis in a marriage. As such, it’s done very, very well. Rated R for a couple sequences, this is a very adult subject. It’s one that gets to the point quite directly, and is sure to be one you’ll think about for a long time to come. Especially for anyone who’s been through a similar dilemma. Often the forbidden looks so sweet, the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes it works out well. Sometimes it doesn’t turn out like you expect. One of the shining stars in this film is Geraldine, played brilliantly by Sarah Silverman, is a very small part, but poignant. I must admit that I’m not much of a Silverman fan. She a crude, rude, loudmouth most of the time, but in this film, she actually played a recovering alcoholic with a message. All in all this is a nice little story that carries a lot of power in the simple way it’s told. There are a lot of ways to hate this film because of the subject matter, but don’t get hooked up on whether you agree or disagree with the premise. Just look at it as a morality play, and enjoy the real life story this film tells. It’s got a number of great moments.

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Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, DiNovi Pictures,

Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, Blythe Danner, Sharon Morris, Jay R. Ferguson, Riley Thomas Stewart, Joe Chrest, Robert Hayes, Jillian Batherson, Adam LeFevre, Russ Comegys

A Marine Veteran Logan (Zac Efron) while involved in a horrible battle, found a photograph of a young lady. He considered the photo a lucky charm and claimed it was what kept him alive. After returning home, he began searching for the lady in the photo and found the woman living with her Mom, in North Carolina, and tried to explain about the photo, but things spiraled out of his control and he ended up working for her. Naturally Mom takes a liking to him, but the town cop, who is her ex-boyfriend does not, and lots of complications and trouble ensue in this romantic comedy/drama about chance, fate, and love.

I once rented a Christmas film from Netflix called “The Christmas Card” [Click here for Ed’s Review]. This 2006 film is nearly the exact same movie as this 2006 Christmas movie. (I don’t know if you’ve been reading long enough to know about Ed’s Christmas Movie on TV project every year, but it’s one of those Christmas films that now ends up on TV every year. The Christmas Card nailed this story. This film pales in comparison. Since Christmas is coming, (I even saw this film is coming on Hallmark already and it’s still October) I’d suggest catching The Christmas Card instead of this inferior copy. They took out all the snow and lights and Christmas music and traditions, and it left an all-seasons film. Zac does his best, and it’s good to see him tackling the adult roles now, and he’s left the High School Musical stuff behind, but he is just not as good by comparison. So if you’re a Zac Efron fan, and I’ll admit he is a good looking guy, and you are a chick who loves chick flicks, then this could do it. It’s not a bad story, and the love story part is pretty good. But after seeing the other film, there’s just no comparison, so I can’t get excited about this movie. It was such a rip off. So that’s where I am on this movie. If I had never seen the other film, then maybe I would be more gung ho about it, but I’m serious. At this time of the year, go check out the other one!

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Informant Media, Forthcoming Productions, Beachfront Films,

Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Pryce, Felicity Jones, Rupert Everett, Ashley Jensen, Sheridan Smith, Gemma Jones

Dr. Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) is a young doctor looking to setup a practice and make a name for himself in the Victorian Era. He meets Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce) who is a respected expert on a female problem thought to be a condition of the uterus. Dr. Dalrymple has developed a special pelvic massage treatment that is very popular with the ladies. But as he turns most of his patients over to young Dr Granville, the poor fellow develops carpal tunnel syndrome from all the manual stimulation required. Meanwhile, Dr. Dalrymple has two daughters, one who is a wild and free spirit who runs a clinic for the poor, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the other a quiet and shy stay at home daughter who is the apple of her father’s eye. Both daughters take a liking to Dr. Granville. To save his poor aching fingers, Dr. Granville and his friend turn a failed experiment into a medical device that certainly changed the world. This film is based upon a true story, but with a lot of poetic license taken.

There are people who loved this film, and those that hated it. I found myself leaning towards the second group. I sometimes enjoy (especially late at night when I’m trying to fall asleep) watching the Science channel’s show “How It’s Made” It’s interesting to see how things are created, whether it’s a Boeing 747 or a paper clip. But this is something I really didn’t care about how it was developed, or why. It is a weird film, and truly the relationship between the early feminist played by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dr. Granville is the most interesting, and perhaps only interesting parts of the film. Maggie nails her role, and is the best thing in the film for sure. But the long lines of elderly ladies waiting in line for their turn to be “treated” is downright disturbing, more than interesting. There are funny moments, and some romance, but mostly the story lacked any real purpose, and it’s like taking a 3 page short story and trying to expand it into a feature film. Occasionally it works (“Polar Express”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, “Where the Wild Things Are”) but most of the time it leaves us wondering “Where’s the beef?” But in this case, I think we’d rather not now. I’d say skip this one unless you have a really morbid curiosity about the subject matter. I doubt you’re going to like this one.

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