Just saw my second showing of this film from Alison Eastwood. The movie is well shot and directed, with superb acting from the leads. The story ties together the tragedies in the lives of 3 people: a childless couple, Tom an Meg(Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden) who are grappling with Meg's metastatic cancer, and a young boy, whose mentally ill mother parked her car on a railroad track with the intention of killing them both. The journey these three take together moves from despair to hope. The emotions feel real and the film moves along evenly and deftly under Eastwood's direction. I hope we see more films from Ms. Eastwood, she made a very watchable film with wonderful acting.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Rails & Ties
(2007)
Remarkable debut directorial debut from Alison Eastwood
29 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Married Life
(2007)
This genre is not for everyone
3 April 2008
If you go to this movie expecting an Adam Sandler kind of comedy, or a straight out drams, you WILL be disappointed.
Melodrama is not for everyone. It is a genre that, in my opinion, requires excellent acting and writing to keep you in the story and vested in the characters. "Married Life" most certainly had those two qualities; and. the overall look of the film and the excellent attention to period detail exuded a kind of innocence that we jaded 21st century folks are not used to.
The acting by all four leads was superb, and Chris Cooper demonstrated that his talent is among the best of his generation. Patricia Clarkson is always excellent in every film, and here, she shone in every scene.
Rachel McAdams is another rising star, and she played this genre perfectly, reminding me of some of Lana Turner's melodramatic roles.
Pierce Brosnan surprised me with his suave, yet sensitive demeanor, and his somewhat ironic narrative.
The slow pace and lack of action will be a turn off for the "typical" movie goer. For me it was heaven.
Melodrama is not for everyone. It is a genre that, in my opinion, requires excellent acting and writing to keep you in the story and vested in the characters. "Married Life" most certainly had those two qualities; and. the overall look of the film and the excellent attention to period detail exuded a kind of innocence that we jaded 21st century folks are not used to.
The acting by all four leads was superb, and Chris Cooper demonstrated that his talent is among the best of his generation. Patricia Clarkson is always excellent in every film, and here, she shone in every scene.
Rachel McAdams is another rising star, and she played this genre perfectly, reminding me of some of Lana Turner's melodramatic roles.
Pierce Brosnan surprised me with his suave, yet sensitive demeanor, and his somewhat ironic narrative.
The slow pace and lack of action will be a turn off for the "typical" movie goer. For me it was heaven.
My Buddy Bill
(2008 TV Movie)
The art of storytelling
11 March 2008
The art of storytelling, in its most humorous form, from a writer for "The West Wing" and "Six Feet Under".
"My Buddy Bill" is a 50 minute stand up routine performed at a live show in New York City by a Hollywood writer, Rick Cleveland.I have seen this a couple of times on Comedy Central; it is well worth the watch. Rick has an innocence and a "gee whiz" kind of manner in telling this funny, yet sweet, tale of his time with Bill Clinton and Buddy. ("Then I realized that was the first time I had ever heard a President use the word "piddling" in a sentence) (Paraphrased from the show) Rick's a great story teller and a gifted comedian, kind of in the manner of the late Spalding Gray's "Swimming to Cambodia" or "Monster in a Box".
Kind of verifies how I always imagined Bill Clinton would be in "real life".
"My Buddy Bill" is a 50 minute stand up routine performed at a live show in New York City by a Hollywood writer, Rick Cleveland.I have seen this a couple of times on Comedy Central; it is well worth the watch. Rick has an innocence and a "gee whiz" kind of manner in telling this funny, yet sweet, tale of his time with Bill Clinton and Buddy. ("Then I realized that was the first time I had ever heard a President use the word "piddling" in a sentence) (Paraphrased from the show) Rick's a great story teller and a gifted comedian, kind of in the manner of the late Spalding Gray's "Swimming to Cambodia" or "Monster in a Box".
Kind of verifies how I always imagined Bill Clinton would be in "real life".
A Life Without Pain
(2005)
An unflinching look at a rare disease
27 February 2006
Documentary filmmaker Melody Gilbert has created a small gem of a film about a rare congenital disease known as congenital analgesia. Only about a hundred people worldwide are known to have this diagnosis. People with this disorder can feel no pain, and are prone to numerous injuries and accidents that can be disfiguring as well as lethal.
The film tells the story of Three-year-old Gabby from Minnesota, 7-year-old Miriam from Norway and 10-year-old Jamilah from Germany. Their stories are told with unflinching truthfulness and a deliberate lack of sentimentality. The courage of the girls and their families in spite of their great difficulties is truly uplifting.
The movie was easy to watch, it seemed to end too soon. It would be nice to see a sequel on how these delightful girls are doing in a few years.
The film tells the story of Three-year-old Gabby from Minnesota, 7-year-old Miriam from Norway and 10-year-old Jamilah from Germany. Their stories are told with unflinching truthfulness and a deliberate lack of sentimentality. The courage of the girls and their families in spite of their great difficulties is truly uplifting.
The movie was easy to watch, it seemed to end too soon. It would be nice to see a sequel on how these delightful girls are doing in a few years.
Shopgirl
(2005)
Allow me to differ from some who have written here
13 October 2005
I saw this gem of a movie at Landmark, and I loved it. Clare Danes gave an incredible performance as Mirabelle, a lonely, sad clerk at a LA Saks glove counter. She's an artist who is having a hard time producing art. Along come two completely different men: Jason Schwartzman's goofy loser and Steve Martin's suave older rich guy. Mirabelle wears her heart on her sleeve, and Ms. Danes really made me feel every emotion (Her best performance in my opinion). The cinematography and music were entrancing. This movie touched me more than most. It's not a movie you can pigeonhole into light comedy or drama. The audience I was with laughed and cried and applauded at the end.
Batman Begins
(2005)
Best Batman Ever
15 June 2005
Christopher Nolan has created another ground breaking, esoteric film. It's not only Batman Begins...it's like an entire new genre. Dark and deadly,fantastic special effects, super cast, and Best Batmobile Ever! I'm not a big fan of comic books on the big screen, but this is certainly the exception. Christian Bale plays Batman almost as a dual personality.. to great effect. My only negative is that Katie Holmes couldn't quite hold up next to the rest of the cast: just too cutesy and Katie-ish. Gary Oldham had me completely fooled: he is one of my favorite actors, and I didn't recognize him. Definitely best Batman movie yet. I hope that there will be a follow up to this one.
100 Centre Street
(2001–2002)
Good writing, gritty style
20 January 2001
I like this gritty, well written drama. Good acting, realistic stories. I just have one complaint: The story line involving the brouhaha over judge Alan Arkin releasing the young kid who subsequently killed a young cop seemed a little disingenuous, since the kid was before the judge for jumping a turnstile in the subway. No mention of any violent crime. No one could have forseen that the kid would have committed a violent crime. Except for that one point, this looks like a terrific show. Hope to see it on A&E
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