The wind was blowing, there was a chill in the air, my coffee cup was empty and my Sunday drive viewing the autumn leaves was suddenly getting rather boring, so I decided that I would catch an afternoon showing of Whip It.  I veered my truck down the nearest exit and towards a small theater in the middle of nowhere.  I was completely alone in the theater, which really reiterated what it feels like to grow up in a village, town or city where absolutely nothing ever happens.  And I think that is one reason why the story of Bliss Cavendar (a delightful Ellen Page) resonated with me.  Because as a teen I was always looking for something that was beyond the mundane existence I felt I was living (explains a closet full of sports gear).  And had the roller derby come to a nearby city I, too, would have slapped on my skates.  This is pretty much what happens to Bliss.

Bliss is a misfit living in the small Texas town of Bodeen who is carted around by her mother to beauty pageant upon beauty pageant, which Bliss has no interest in what-so-ever.  During a shopping trip to Austin Bliss happens upon a flyer for a roller derby competition, which is how her story really begins.

Drew Barrymore makes her directing debut with Whip It and, in my opinion, it was a perfect match - quirky humor, blood, brawling, beer, and a good soundtrack (.38 Special, Dolly Parton, Peaches, The Breeders, The Ramones, The Raveonettes…okay, yum…I haven’t been this giddy about a soundtrack since Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist).  Actually, there is more to that story than the above, but if this gets you to purchase a ticket then I’m glad.  This might be a bold statement, but I felt like this is the Rocky for young women, well, perhaps the Adrian.  Bliss is the underdog, the soft spoken, glasses wearing seventeen-year-old who is in search of something more than what’s offered.  And I get the feeling that even Ms. Barrymore understands this and it comes through in her directing.

Whip It is based on the novel, Derby Girl, written by Shauna Cross who also wrote the screenplay.  There are a few weak moments in Cross’ coming-of-age script, but I can forgive them, because the action and the actors kept me entertained.

And of course I do have to mention one issue - I thought Whip It was set in the 70’s, because of the wardrobe choices and production design, but then a cell phone appeared and I was a bit disappointed.  Granted, I like the indie rock look and feel, but there was a clash between modern day appliances and the characters appearances.

This film was littered with talent…seriously, I don’t have enough white space to list them all.  (Okay, maybe I do have a little bit of room: Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Zoe Bell, Ari Graynor and Juliette Lewis.)   And what made this a strong cast was their ability to make it seem effortless.

The budget for Whip It was estimated at 10 million and earned around 4.6 million on opening weekend.  The film was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures (US).

Sure there are critics that might say this was a fluff film, but I’d like to see them slap on a pair of skates and get in the rink and then say the word “cute”.   It’s roller derby, baby.  There’s gonna be blood.

8 stars

As a grad student I still struggle for cash, so because of this I decided to sneak into Funny People just in case it was not worth my time and money.  I’ve been on the fence about Judd Apatow’s writing and haven’t quite fallen as hard for him as Hollywood (Apatow recently inked a three-film deal at Universal to write/direct).  I can appreciate 40-Year Old Virgin, but I didn’t really care for Knocked Up or Walk Hard, which is why I was pleasantly surprised by Funny People.  There seems to be real depth in Funny People - the tone is a bit dark at times, but I credit this as a strength in the film rather than a weakness.  In my opinion, writers, artists for that matter, are allowed and should pursue new venues or genres, but I don’t think Apatow is chasing a new venue as much as he is delivering a film that is a bit more honest.   Funny People may be a turning point for Apatow, which I hope he uses to his advantage, because I would pay to see more of this kind of quality screenwriting from him.

As far as casting goes I can’t say that it was that far of a stretch for Seth Rogen to play Ira, George Simmons (Adam Sandler) lackey.  In every film that I’ve seen Rogen in he pretty much plays some version of himself, which although entertaining is not really showcasing his acting capabilities.  Sandler as a terminal comedian delivers a strong performance, but he seems to be working awful hard, in fact, too hard.  (Sandler’s performance in Spanglish I find much more subtle and lasting over his George Simmons.)

One problem area in the film comes during the middle of the film where it began to drag - a half an hour could have been left on the cutting room floor.  George and Ira staying at Laura and Clarke’s became grating after awhile - all action seemed to cease for the characters.

I say pay to see Funny People (the stand-up alone was hilarious) - 7 stars.

First, the soundtrack (The Smiths, Feist, She & Him, etc.) alone should bring audiences into the theater and coerce viewers into loving this film, but if that does not work then relying on a humorous, yet touching script with a fantastic cast should definitely.

The non-linear (500) Days of Summer works wonders to revive the dull, common love story, of the romantic comedy, which, it pains me to say, is the genre this film happens to fall into (I’m not heartless just tired of the schlock, such as, The Ugly Truth being churned out of Hollywood.).  And what works so well in this film is that it does not fall prey to the common ails of the genre.   Tom falls in love with Summer, but does Summer fall in love with Tom?  Tom is so enamoured with Summer that he fails to see the faults in their relationship until his younger sister, Rachel, gives him advice that snaps him awake.  The taste of reality in the film is what sets this film apart from the other romantic comedies of the summer.  (500) Days of Summer does not rely on prat falls, dick or fart jokes, but relies on the truth of the heart, which is not always picture perfect, but is a much more powerful and lasting experience for this viewer.

Truth be told, I will go see any film where Zooey Deschannel (Summer) sings and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom) dances with animated blue birds.  Together they are enchanting on screen and it’s difficult to not smile pretty much through the whole film even when things happen that aren’t so sunny.

It’s worth your time and money - eight stars.

This is in no way a review about the book.  This is a review about the film.  With this being said the sixth Potter film kinda looks like a Potter film, sounds like one, but yet there is something apparently absent from this film…magic.

In this installment Harry finds a book on potions that belonged to the Half-Blood Prince, which sets Harry in motion to discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince while uncovering more about Lord Voldemort’s past.

This is the second Potter go-round for Director David Yates (first outing was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) who is slated to film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I in 2010 and Part II in 2011.  Yates Order of the Phoenix was constructed in a fashion that was much darker and far less choppy than The Half-Blood Prince.  But the look of the film could be attributed to a change in Cinematographers (Slawomir Idziak was the D.P. on Order of the Phoenix and the D.P. on Half-Blood Prince was Bruno Delbonnel) and seems to be the contributing factor to a more washed out looking Potter.  The monochromatic gray and direct key light flattened the characters causing them to look like they should all be in the infirmary with Ron.

The screenplay, written by Steve Kloves has had plenty of experience with the Potter series (Half-Blood Prince is his fifth time dancing with Potter), which might be why this script seems a bit lackadaisical.  Kloves script seems to rely one too many times on coincidences to fill in the gaps in the story.

The genuinely wonderful element in all of the Potter films is the cast.  Jim Broadbent was brought on board as Professor Horace Slughorn, which was a delight and Helena Bonham Carter returned as Bellatrix Lestrange who seems to ignite the screen with her presence.  In fact one of the most tantilizing scenes seems to take place between her and the enigmatic Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape) - Snape is bound to protect Draco Malfoy in an unbreakable vow.

The Half-Blood Prince seemed to rely mostly on matters of the heart as Hermione lusted after a clueless Ron, which was quickly muddled into a love triangle with the appearance of Lavender Brown.  Meanwhile Harry pined for Ginny.  All of the relationships seemed to overpower the plot of finding the Half-Blood Prince’s identity, Dumbledore’s death and most importantly magic.  But even with less wand waving and spell casting the film was still entertaining and fun.

Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince - seven stars.

My Sister’s Keeper was dripping with Hallmark moments at every turn - the oldest daughter, Kate, is dying from leukemia, the middle child, Jesse, is dyslexic and completely ignored, and the youngest child, Anna, is suing her parents for medical emancipation.  And if that is not enough tragedy - the Judge who is overseeing Anna’s case has a daughter that died unexpectedly and Anna’s attorney, Campbell, is epileptic.  The old adage “less is more” was obviously ignored by Jodi Picoult whose novel Director Nick Cassavetes (Alpha Dog, The Notebook, John Q)and Jeremy Leven (Screenwriter - The Notebook, Alex & Emma, The Legend of Bagger Vance) adapted.  My Sister’s Keeper honestly feels more like a story that should have been made into a movie of the week or created for Lifetime.

Within the first ten minutes of the film the audience is tossed into a story that manages to alienate the viewer instead of inviting the viewer into the lives of the family.  This rushed pace never gives us the chance to get to know their world or relate to the characters, which sets the wrong tone.  Perhaps it was the incessant voice over, which can best be described as domineering, that is at the root of the problem regarding this script - there is no breathing room for the viewer and certainly no subtly.

One of the most pleasantly surprising outcomes from the film was Sofia Vassilieva’s performance as Kate Fitzgerald.  (Vassilieva is perhaps best known for her role as Ariel Dubois on the television series Medium.)  Under Cassavetes direction her performance managed to convey a barrage of emotions and range without the saccharine.  Cameron Diaz’s turn as the snarky and overbearing mother (Sara Fitzgerald) seemed an unusual casting choice for this role, but her performance opposite of Jason Patric (Brian Fitzgerald) seemed to net some finer moments from the actress.

Overall the film is a tearjerker, but playing upon emotions is as easy to do as cracking open a greeting card - My Sister’s Keeper, a four star experience.

Kerry Liethen is a Wisconsin ex-pat who has a background in theatre, stand-up,  radio, tv, and film.

In the fall of 2006 Ms. Liethen moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco to attend graduate school.  Relocating was not new to her, as she has lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado and California over the past several years and enjoy new challenges and scenery.

Her life is not what one would call predictable.  Following her under grad degree Ms. Liethen became a news reporter then shortly thereafter a ski school instructor, a landscape artist, a radio personality, a movie theatre supervisor and the list goes on, but there has always been one thing that was constant in her life, writing.  She wrote her first short story at eight and completed her first screenplay at twenty and soon after a novel.

“The idea behind all of the jobs and the movement across America was to experience life á la Kerouac’s On the Road, well, minus the bordello’s and mambo music…okay, not the bordello’s.”

There is one thing that has always served her well in her writing, her humor.

“While doing stand-up around L.A. - my sets morphed into writing about what I knew or that I have been a part of or witnessed like hitch hiking in a blizzard and realizing that there wasn’t a bathroom nearby…some of it was really kind of closer to drama or tragedy, which was kind of funny.”

Ms. Liethen has written, directed and produced several short films.  She plans to forge on as a screenwriter for independent and studio feature films in hopes that her writing will change perspectives and inspire others to create.