Fall Frenzy

Things are ramping up on the serious side of Hollywood, with the blockbuster season behind us and the awards season on the horizon. So far a couple of films have risen and fallen right out of the golden limelight: Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna’s, and Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies (starring Leo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe) both pretty much failing with critics and tanking at the box office. Oscar doesn’t give a damn about movies that no one wants to see, no matter who stars in them. There are a few things prognosticators are certain of: Anne Hathaway will be nominated for best actress for her performance in Rachel Getting Married; and Heath Ledger will be promoted (not necessarily nominated) for best supporting actor for his turn as the Joker in last summer’s Dark Knight.


This weekend we have four big openings: on the serious sort of front, Oliver Stone’s W. is coming to theaters; rumors suggest that Josh Brolin really nails his role as the lame duck pres. The film is supposed to be a surprisingly gentle take on Bush – did you know he and Oliver Stone were at Yale at the same time? Marky Mark Wahlberg stars in Max Payne, a movie based on a video game that has been slammed by the few critics who have actually seen it. Secret Life of Bees, from the terrific book by Sue Monk Kidd, looks promising, and features some great actresses: Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keyes, Queen Latifah. Finally, teen sex comedy Sex Drive opens: it’s a road trip kind of film, it has Seth Green in it and he is supposed to be funny; the rest of the movie is mostly silly boy gags. Couple of films still in theaters that might be entertaining are Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Bill Maher’s Religulous. On DVD, check out The Visitor, Iron Man, or maybe Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Rehab Princess: Rachel Getting Married

Ann Hathaway does a star turn as a recovering addict jumping directly from rehab into the emotional stress of her sister’s wedding. She gives a terrific performance, really remarkable about face for the former Disney princess. Rumors of Oscar are completely justified. Now, this isn’t a lighthearted film – the Reelfan’s hubby heard complaining in the men’s room after the show, something about “I thought it would be funnier!” but when you have a dysfunctional family hosting a wedding, well, the humor is going to be pretty dark. Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) directs and he chooses to show every unvarnished moment of the weekend – no fast cuts to hurry the plot along. Sometimes that’s wonderful, and sometimes you wish you could slip out to the bar with the other guests. Music is great and mostly performed live during the filming – many of the wedding guests are musicians – and there is an oddly engaging dishwasher filling contest. Not something you often see at the movies. Debra Winger makes a rare big screen appearance as the emotionally disconnected mother of the bride, and she is luminous; Bill Irwin, lately one of Elmo’s friends on Sesame Street, touchingly plays the father who just wants everyone to get along. Pretty cool movie for grownups and older teenaged Hathaway fans.