Please Give (2010)

I really liked the writing in this movie, and I think Catherine Keener is a terrific actress, but my problem with this movie is that there really isn't one likable character to hold my interest.

Kate and Alex (Keener and Oliver Platt) own an upscale furniture resale shop where they get all of their vintage pieces from the family of recently deceased elderly people. They get a pretty penny for them, too. At the same time, they know their aging neighbor is on her way out, life-wise, so they are starting to think of what they are going to do when they buy her place after she dies. Both of those things cause Kate to feel a tremendous amount of guilt and she tries to counteract that by giving money/food to homeless people or volunteering wherever she can. Neither of those things always go so well for her. On top of all that, their daughter is a spoiled brat who doesn't understand that $200 or $30 jeans look the same, Alex begins to have an affair with one of the old neighbor's granddaughters (Amanda Peet), and rival boutiques are starting to poach her shop. You know Kate's breakdown is going to come sooner or later, it's just a matter of how she handles it when it does.

The movie was so well written that I can't say I didn't like it, and the performances were very good in it. My problem was that every character was either a bitch or a complete slave to their lack of self esteem that it was really off-putting at times. The story was well-rounded and there was closure for a lot of the characters at the end, but I'm just curious if they learned anything when it was all said and done. I wanted to like this more than I did, but it's nothing more than just a "good movie." Grade: B-

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

How do you expand on and take liberties with a book that's barely 300 words long? More importantly, how do you do it without ruining the integrity of the book? This is how you do it. This beautiful movie about what it really means to be a child.

Max (Max Records) is a lonely 9-year-old who lives with his mother and older sister. He has a rich imagination though. His mother (Catherine Keener) is the only person who appreciates his mind, but she hardly has any time between work and trying to be in a relationship. His sister doesn't do anything to help him as her friends ruin his igloo. One night, Max throws a fit while his mother is on a date and promptly runs off. Once into the woods, his imagination takes over and goes to where the wild things are (get it?). The "leader" is Carol (James Gandolfini) who is extremely impulsive and bordering on violent. Him and the rest of the wild things take in Max and make him their new king. They go on to build a fort for only the wild things currently in their group. Each of the creatures has a main personality trait that is equal to one of Max's or his family. Before long, they begin to question Max's rules and Max becomes overwhelmed. He wants to stay, but he also wants to return home.

What an extraordinary film. It was unbelievably emotional and completely encapsulated what goes on inside a child's mind. The anger, the happiness, the regret, the wonderment. Kids are not as one dimensional as parents want to think they are. Children watching this movie may not understand that, but the adults will. While being a kids movie, this resonates so much more with the adults in the room who are now able to realize that this is what they went through and this could be what their kids are going through right now. Wonderfully shot, terrifically acted and directed, this movie should be on everyone's must watch list.

Capote (2005)

This movie is great. I did not know much about Truman Capote before I saw this, and now I know as much as I could probably handle. Phillip Seymour Hoffman just transformed into this character and fully enveloped himself. The person who doesn't get enough credit is Clifton Collins, Jr as the killer Perry Smith. His role was so in depth and introverted, that it was easy to get lost in Hoffman's overall performance.

The movie as a whole does not get all the credit it should. The storyline was great, and while it never came out and said he was gay, he wasn't hiding it in the movie. He let himself get really close to Smith and use him to get his book finished. Smith didn't get angry, he knew what was going on and let it happen.

Hoffman deserved everything he got for this role, but I wish the movie got more praise and more awards as a whole.