Please Give

“Please Give” stars Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet, Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, the film deals with a family in New York City and the various guilts the members experience from the everyday world around them. An interesting concept and idea gone somewhat astray by its two dimensional portrayal of these supposedly complicated characters who we never really get to know or understand. There is a lot of mental activity going on but the audience never seems to be let in on what is really happening and why. I give the film 2 and ½ stars. It is a nice film to watch but not worthy of the very high ratings some of the more reputable and respected critics have given it. I’m sure there are those who will see in this movie much more than I did and I congratulate them on their good luck.

The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo

“The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo” is a Swedish-Denmark venture starring names that are as difficult to pronounce as they are to spell and written and directed by filmmakers and writers US audiences probably never heard of as well. That being said, this foreign film (language is Swedish with English titles) represents a truly positive movie going experience as it takes us through and into plot twists and turns to ultimate positive cinematic resolution. The acting, editing and directing are at such a high level that the 2 hours and 40 minutes it takes to tell this complicated and interesting tale really almost flies by as the members of the audience stay glued to each of their seats. Time flies when you’re having a good time…..also when you are in a suspense-filled thriller that unequivocally holds your interest the entire time.. I give this film 3 ½ stars and recommend it to all, even those who don’t like foreign films with English titles for this “obstacle” will quickly become unnoticeable as the reel unwinds.

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Shutter Island

"Shutter Island" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Max Von Sydow, Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams. Directed by Martin Scorcese, the film is complicated and much too wordy and, indeed, the value to the film occurs well after you leave the theater and piece together the parts of the film that, at the initial viewing, looked so unrelated and discombobulated
A better written and/or directed script might have avoided the discomfort I felt through so much of the movie because, primarily, there was just too much verbage. I must also confess that any mature character Leonardo DiCaprio plays almost always creates a credibility problem for me. Watching him don and wear his fedora consistently reminds me of a little boy trying on his father's hat. As good an actor as he is, and he really is, Leonardo's character never seems to have legitimacy and watching an actor who you know is acting is a difficult obstacle to overcome in any film ……..and especially this one.
Editing and directing could have been improved too. The screenplay was written by Laeta Kalogridis based on a novel by Dennis Lehane. Obviously, director Scorcese and writer Kogridis encountered many difficulties in bringing one form of media to another for the film is a maze of complexities that appear to become clarified only in its last 30 seconds. I rate this film 2 and 1/2 stars knowing that a tighter script and more skillful directing might have earned it a higher grade. Unfortunately, the film, in its present form, did not pass the "no yawning" test.