Up

2009, PG, ***1/2

This is one of the top 10 movies of 2009, so far. I think it has a great message, even though some parts might be dreary. It’s about ups and downs of life, but most of all finishing your goal, no matter what.

Edward Asner is the voice of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen. He looses his wife to old age, and soon after sets out to fulfill their lifelong dream (of their “grape soda” adventure club) to see the wilds of South America, by tying thousands of balloons to his home, before his house is demolished due to eminent domain.

Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell (Jordan Nagai), a wilderness explorer (boy scouts) 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip. Together they have one heck of a journey, site seeing various landscapes along the way, running into interesting animals, talking dogs (watch out for squirrels!) and bumping into Carl’s lifelong hero, Charles Muntz, voice of the great Christopher Plummer.

Make sure you check this one out in theatres, it’s another fantastic Pixar animation. It’s one the whole family can enjoy!

Marley & Me

2008, ***1/2, PG

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in this film about life with the family dog, a rambunctious yellow lab pup, they name Marley. As many of us know mans best friend is really more than a friend, he’s family.

This film is a comedy, and a tearjerker, especially when you know how difficult it can be grow up with an animal, (which feels like forever) and then they are gone in a flash.

The movie covers a lot of ground; a marriage, starting a family, job issues, centered on the growth of the family and hard times, funny and sad, with the family dog.

I believe this movie was well done, but I did find it difficult towards the end. Pet lovers will understand. It is worth a watch.

Reservation Road

2007, ****, Drama

Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, and Mira Sorvino star in this drama about a fatal hit and run accident. Phoenix and Connelly portray husband and wife and Ruffalo is Sorvino's ex-husband. The two sets of parents are connected in more ways than they care to know. After an evening of the Red Sox game, Ruffalo and his son are on their way home, speeding along Reservation Road, through a woods filled area, the inevitable happens when one is speeding in a rush; Ruffalo hits someone, and brushes is off to his son, and tells him he "hit a log."

After 10 years, since "Inventing the Abbotts," Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly join together once again on screen. This time it will be for a drama that will leave you feeling distraught as well as feeling some forgiveness for those in the story that have committed a crime.

Ethan Learner (Phoenix, "Walk the Line," "We Own the Night") and his wife Grace (Connelly, "Dark Water," "Requiem of a Dream") are on their way a back home from their son's outdoor orchestra concert. Both children are in the back seat. They stop at a gas station. Their son goes off into the woods to let some fireflies go he collected. With in a minute or two he is struck by an SUV.

As you can imagine most parents would be extremely distraught, need counseling, and grieve in their own way until the pain subsided a bit. But, in this flick Phoenix takes matters into his own hands, because he believes time is passing and the police have moved on. He is right. He begins to take photos of damaged SUV's in the area. He begins to suspect the one person helping him on the case (Ruffalo).

This film is an excellent drama. It is well acted by all involved in the project. It shows that two wrongs don't make a right. It shows how we all should forgive. And it shows that sooner or later the culprit will come around, and pay their time. Losing a child is an extremely difficult thing.

Awake

2007, **, PG-13
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard

Meredith A. Iager

In this psychological-thriller, Hayden Christensen (“Jumper,” “Factory Girl,” “Life as a House”) plays Clay Beresford, a wealthy young teen, with a heart defect, that has an out of body experience, and what medical science calls “anesthetic awareness.” His father, now deceased, built a financial empire.

His mother, Lilith Beresford, played by Lena Olin (“The Ninth Gate,” “Darkness”) wants Clay to run the company and focus on himself. She also wants him to get operated on by another surgeon that has more credibility. Christensen must get a heart transplant; otherwise there will be a fatal outcome. He has a fiancé, played by Jessica Alba (Sam Lockwood) and Terrance Howard (Dr. Jack Harper) who is his friend and heart surgeon of choice.

“Awake,” uncovers a plot against a 22-year-old billionaire. The plot is, well I can’t tell you, you’ll have to view it yourself, or read some spoilers online. But, you might not want to watch it after you read my review.

The characters in the film aren’t very deep, and we don’t know much about their past. We only really know one thing, that sometimes people are still awake under anesthesia, due to the explanation in the very beginning of them film. This film has a rather unique story that seems to be dismantled on screen. It has a similar eerie feeling along the same proportion as the 80s film, “Flatliners,” but not nearly as good. The film tended to loose my attention, but I wanted to find out what was going to happen to the main character.

Christensen and Alba have had better film performances. Alba has demonstrated her well-liked comedic nature in films such as “Good Luck Chuck,” and “Honey.” Christensen does an exceptionable job in “Shattered Glass,” as a journalist that concocted his stories and of course he was memorable in the latest “Star Wars,” movies.


It seems as though many movies out there today, have this kind of “downer” mode. It’s a helplessness feeling, like in “Arlington Road.” The main character is in serious trouble and you want to jump into the movie and help save them. I think the film has a great, twisted concept, but part of the initial spark of the film was missing. A couple more dramatic elements could have been thrown in to make it more entertaining.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2008, ****, PG-13
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett

By: Meredith A. Iager

Brad Pitt reunites with “Babel,” co-star Cate Blanchett in this new enticing flick, that I call, “Forrest Gump in reverse.” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” was actually written by Eric Roth, who adapted Winston Groom’s novel “Forrest Gump,” for the screen.

‘Button’ is a fantasy film about a person born a very old, not too cute baby, who grows younger and younger to a mature handsome middle age man, however he continues to grow younger and then smaller to the end of his life as an infant. Timing is everything and nothing lasts forever as they say and Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt, “Burn After Reading,” “Seven Years in Tibet,”) follows a path that is full of the human experience, but did it quite a bit differently then the rest of us.

This film is a timeless melodrama about life and a man who entered this world in reverse and made the most of the time. Many may find this film to be a long sit, at 2 hours 45 minutes, but it is one that movie aficionados will find it to be truly outstanding. With its drama, the overall life experience, and its points of humor to balance the film, it brings you a picture that spans an 80 plus year life, which was full and very human. You will enjoy watching the life of Benjamin Button and will likely enjoy watching over again from time to time to remind you we are all just trying to learn and experience what life has to offer and make the most of the time we have and the decisions that we make on the path we find.

While this film has a wide appeal I believe most people will enjoy this film and leave the theater more thoughtful then they were before they came. I also believe “Benjamin Button” is one of the best films of the recent holiday season and should be considered Oscar caliber material under numerous aspects of measure for an excellent film. It is a movie to remember and may very well become a classic.

Ladder 49

2005, ****, Drama
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Robert Patrick, Jacinda Barrett

By: Meredith A. Iager

"Ladder 49," is an intense and very personal look at the firefighter profession unseen in other films of its type in recent years. As most people don't even think of the risks and dangers firefighters face everyday, this film will open your eyes.
From the very beginning, as a rookie firefighter, Jack Morrison, played by Joaquin Phoenix ("Signs," "The Village," "Gladiator") knew what he was getting himself into. He wanted to put out fires and help save lives. He was dedicated to his occupation and ran into burning buildings when everyone else was running out. He has a passion for what he does.

Once he gets married and starts a family, he sees his wife and children becoming worried about him being in too much danger. He contemplates what to do, but his ultimate decision is to continue with his job at the firehouse. Ladder 49, one of the trucks at Engine 33, is not just a place of for firefighters; it is a brotherhood.

From the time Morrison began at Engine 33, Captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) knew he was one of the best he would ever work with. In time they become very close friends. Day and night the crew of Engine 33 is out on the streets of Baltimore (where the movie was actually filmed) rescuing innocent people from heat and roaring flames. As the worst blaze of Morrison's career arises, he becomes trapped in a 20-story building. Essentially, the movie is flashbacks of the most memorable times in his life as a fireman, as he thinks about them while disoriented beneath the rubble of the collapsing building; meanwhile, Kennedy is coordinating his rescue.

At times this film is sad and heartbreaking, but it accurately and movingly portrays the ups and downs in the life of a fireman. It shows how the death of a loved one deeply affects a person and how we never realize how much you care for someone after they are gone. Everyone should sit down and watch this film. It is one of these "real" films about life, love, and passion for one's career.