Ten to See

In Theaters
Hope Springs - Meryl Streep follows up her Oscar-winning turn as Margaret Thatcher with a very different performance.  She plays Kay, a woman who, after more than thirty years of marriage, isn't satisfied with the daily grind and growing distance of her relationship with husband Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones).  Kay convinces Arnold to fly across the country for an intensive week of couple's therapy with a famed counselor, played by an ever-seated Steve Carrell.

The marketing for Hope Springs made it look like a pretty frivolous affair, but the film is actually surprisingly honest, sometimes brutally so.  Instead of devolving into a series of sex jokes and sight gags, all the awkwardness and uncomfortable situations ring with truth, giving the film an underlying melancholy.  There are still plenty of laughs, but they're never forced and rarely silly.  Hope Springs is more interested in peeking into the darkest corners of love and marriage, and it just so happens that some of what there is to be found is pretty funny.

The film benefits from a strong, smart screenplay and solid direction, but it's most worth seeing for the wonderful performances.  Streep is always firing on all burners, and this is no exception.  The swells of hope, the plummets of disappointment, the adoration that Kay feels for Arnold despite his cold indifference - it all shines through beautifully, subtly, truthfully on Streep's face.  And as Arnold, Jones is appropriately gruff, giving the slightest suggestions of possible change before sliding back into the routine of old man-ship.  The chemistry the two achieve, despite their characters being so divided throughout much of the film, is impressive, and perfectly complimented by a very reserved but compassionate Carrell.

The Queen of Versailles - Apparently, the story of David and Jackie Siegel, and their incomplete palace of Versailles, has been all over the news, as everyone I tell about this wonderful documentary responds with, "I just saw that on the news!"  Even if you've seen coverage of the story on TV, The Queen of Versailles is well worth checking out for a more broadly personal look at the effects of the economic collapse than the colder business of other films like Inside Job or Margin Call.

The Queen of Versailles starts as a chronicle of the Siegels' plans to build the largest single-family home in the United States, modeled in part after the French palace-cum-museum of the film's title.  How fortunate that documentarian Lauren Greenfield was following the family, as the story gets much more interesting when the economy crashes, leaving the Siegel's Westgate timeshare company in shambles, and the family's financial welfare in doubt.

Documentaries benefit when they have a charismatic subject (as in Man on Wire), and that is certainly the case here.  Jackie Siegel, despite her air of willful ignorance, her irresponsibility when shopping, her la-di-da approach to her lavish lifestyle, is charming and, surprisingly, pretty normal.  When she visits her modest hometown and compliments her friend's normal-sized home, there's no sarcasm, no condescension.  She means it.  Jackie serves as the viewer's vessel through the mess as the company's future becomes unclear, construction on Versailles screeches to a halt, and David Siegel retreats ever further into his cold cave of business.  It's a poignant film, at times funny, others tragic, sometimes both.  And the story still continues, with some of the questions left unanswered, so keep an eye on the news for a potential conclusion in the months to come.

The Campaign - Will Ferrell's films often fall into a formula of inserting a buffoon into a certain activity or sport, and stopping there.  The formula is at work to a degree in The Campaign, with the world of politics providing the setting, but it's such a perfect setting for Ferrell's broad sense of humor, so ripe for parody and buffoonery, that The Campaign ends up being one of Ferrell's funniest movies to date.

The film serves up some fun political commentary, even if it's not that sharp or surprising.  The way big money wins elections is the main target, though there's also room for lampooning political ads (which provide some of the film's funniest moments), tampering with votes, and appealing to minorities and religious groups.  Nearly every jokes hits its mark, even those that are more a grab bag of toilet humor and vulgarity, as are always peppered throughout a movie like this.

Ferrell plays Cam Brady with a suave negligence and devil-may-care cockiness that perfectly grate against Zach Galifianakis's Marty Huggins, an effeminate goody two-shoes who gets wrangled into opposing Brady and ends up having a surprising knack for the game.  The Campaign unfolds just as you expect it to, with ever more ludicrous tactics and taunts, but when you have two comedy giants facing off with such funny material, it hardly matters that the end is always plainly in sight.  It's too fun of a ride to care.

Monsieur Lazhar - Monsieur Lazhar was Canada's entry (and eventual nominee) for the Oscars this year, and it was a worthy contestant.  The film fits pretty squarely into the familiar teacher genre, with a new teacher arriving at a school rocked by tragedy and providing a more rigorous curriculum that extends outside the classroom.  Despite its generic familiarity, Monsieur Lazhar is notable for defying the sappy inspirational swell of similar films, instead weaving a more even-handed, emotionally controlled tale.  The film is better for it.

The titular Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag) is an Algerien immigrant reeling from the death of his family at the hand of terrorists.  He comes into a classroom still distraught over the suicide of their teacher.  The film beautifully handles the children's reaction to the death, especially through the impressive performances by Sophie Nelisse and Emilien Neron as Alice and Simon, whose friendship is tested in the wake of the tragedy.  The film features emotional highs, to be sure, but never the sort of super-staged, "O Captain, My Captain" stuff one might expect.  However, the film does leave you with a catch in your throat thanks to a moving final shot, one that I won't soon forget.

Ruby Sparks - Zoe Kazan's first screenplay is a brilliant (and hilarious) deconstruction of the manic pixie dream girl, that familiar stock character that is so cool, so unattached, so easy to love, so hard to hold on to, that has won hearts in films ranging from Garden State to (500) Days of Summer.  Here, the falseness of the character, the impossibility, is front and center, with the titular Ruby the actual creation of a writer's imagination, somehow willed into reality by his arduous detail in creating her on the page.

The film plays with the idea of being able to control the person you love, featuring many funny sequences but also tinging the goings-on with an appropriate darkness.  The dissatisfaction of getting everything you want in a woman is clear, and the danger of having such control is frightening in its execution.  Real-life item Paul Dano and Kazan have sizzling chemistry, and the film is filled out by a hilarious supporting cast including Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, and Chris Messina.

Little Miss Sunshine helmers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris balance the comedy, romance, and semi-tragedy with deft attention to detail, with each scene carefully crafted (the cinematography and editing are top-notch).  However, when the darkness really takes over, it's a bit sudden, a bit brash, which is perhaps fitting, but also perhaps too jarring.

The film ends with the sort of cute hopefulness that still makes me swoon at the end of (500) Days, and ensures that, though they're fictitious beings, I'll still spend some happy afternoons daydreaming about the future of Calvin and Ruby.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - I'm a big fan of this franchise.  The first movie came out of nowhere and made me roll with laughter in a theater full of children, with me enjoying the movie far more than any of them.  The second entry, Rodrick Rules, played out in a similar scenario, nearly matching its predecessor in family-friendly lessons and goofy comedy.  With Dog Days, however, the franchise is starting to lose its punch, perhaps because the cast is getting older, or maybe because of a bout of summertime laziness.

That's not to say that Dog Days isn't worth seeing.  On the contrary, it's another fun entry in the series.  Intrepid middle schooler Greg Heffley (an always-great Zachary Gordon) is facing a summer vacation full of video games and romancing his school crush (Peyton List) while trying to keep his dad (Steve Zahn) off his back by pretending to have a job.  Public pools, camping, and an over-the-top Sweet Sixteen party all get the Wimpy Kid treatment, and if the results elicit more chuckles than belly laughs, it's alright.  Quality family fare outside of the animated realm is hard to come by these days, so Dog Days is worth treasuring, and it's a great last cinematic hurrah for kids before heading back to school in the coming weeks.

The Dark Knight Rises - It's a little foolish to even bother recommending The Dark Knight Rises, as everyone and their brother has already seen it, likely multiple times, but in lieu of a proper review (I've yet to see it again), I'll put in my two mostly positive cents.

Christopher Nolan has, since releasing Batman Begins seven years ago, grown into one of the most successful directors in Hollywood, ably balancing smart story-telling with a truly epic scale, especially in his Batman movies.  The Dark Knight Rises continues this tradition, with grand set pieces, awesome special effects, and lots of fun treats for Batman fans.

The cast has ballooned to include a trio of Nolan's Inception stars and Anne Hathaway, who steals the movie as Selina Kyle (never referred to as Catwoman in the film).  She's sexy, edgy, and funny - an impressive mix.  Perhaps more excitingly, Selina serves as an impetus to many of the film's twists and turns, helping to buck Nolan's trend of writing weak female characters.

The Dark Knight Rises works best as a bookend to Batman Begins and a conclusion to the trilogy as a whole, as many themes from the previous films are revived, as well as plot threads.  The film's final minutes are supremely satisfying, giving each character one last moment to shine in some sweet and surprising ways.  However, the film as a whole is a bit messy, unfocused in places, sluggish in others.  If Nolan had tightened the film a bit, trimmed some of the excess, it could've been an equal to the other films.  As it is, The Dark Knight Rises is a stupendous achievement, a satisfying comic book flick, and a film that begs to be watched again.

Also, Bane's voice is way too fun to mimic.  Tom Hardy's awesome vocal work is worth the price of admission alone.

The Intouchables - The most successful French film of all time, The Intouchables is likely to be the best-feeling feel-good movie of the year.  Even for those who gawk at the idea of having to read subtitles (shudder), The Intouchables is a must-see.  Funny to the point of absurdity, and just as sweet, this touching true story is wonderfully acted and is pitch-perfect in its construction.

Francois Cluzet plays Phillipe, a rich quadiplegic looking for a new live-in caregiver.  Most of the applicants are stuffy, clinical types, so the Driss's (Omar Sy) brash, almost brutal delivery is a breath of fresh air that (unintentionally) gets him the job.  Sy and Cluzet have genuine, sparkling chemistry, whether shooting rapid zingers at each other or jamming to music in the car.  The friendship that blooms between them is beautiful, hilarious, and liberating.

It's a shame that being in a foreign language will severely limit The Intouchables' audience, as it's the biggest crowd-pleaser since The King's Speech, but it is managing to gain some box office traction, having already grossed enough to be the year's top foreign film.  With the kind of word-of-mouth the movie is generating (and rightfully so), it should keep on climbing.

Beasts of the Southern Wild - I've already praised this movie at length in my review, but such wonderful films deserve a multitude of acclamations.  Beasts of the Southern Wild thumps with energy, vigor, color, and magic like no other film this year.  It's a joyous explosion, a thrilling journey, a heartfelt reaction to Katrina, and a showcase for a bold new talent in Quvenzhane Wallis, who gives one of the year's best performances (and is now working on Steven McQueen's 12 Years a Slave).

At Home
Casa de mi Padre - While I'm being all sweet on Will Farrell, I'll put in a plug for his ludicrous Spanish-language comedy Casa de me Padre, which recently hit DVD and Blu-ray.  Farrell sounds pretty fluent to an untrained ear like mine, and the film is full of fun nods to a bygone era of film.  Great songs, a supporting cast that includes Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, and one of the funniest sex scenes I've ever seen on film make Casa de mi Padre a winner.  Though it's not often laugh-out-loud funny, it's such a strange movie, and an especially strange project for Farrell, that it's hard not to love.