Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol

Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Anil Kapoor, Lea Seydoux, Josh Holloway, Tom Wilkinson
Running Time: 135 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

The fourth film in the Mission: Impossible series and highest grossing movie of Tom Cruise's career, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, is by far the strongest installment in the franchise. And by a wide margin. Had I seen it in a packed theater on opening weekend with an enthusiastic audience and in all its IMAX glory, it's likely I would have been even more taken with it. Watching an action spectacle like this in the comfort of your home for a lesser, but more relaxing and cheaper experience. It's also a reminder that at the end of the day it's still a Mission: Impossible movie. But boy is it a good one. It's relentless, with non-stop action crisply presented by director Brad Bird in a manner that makes sense and engages you in the fate of all the characters, many of whom are actually interesting this time.

Holding everything together is the underrated Cruise, who pulls out all the stops and should be commended for doing things few actors any age who aren't trained stuntmen would even consider attempting. The media can call him crazy, but they'd a much tougher time arguing he doesn't care about his work or that he's ever phoning it in. After the dreadful Knight and Day, everyone was ready to write him off for about the tenth time in his career. But he keeps coming back. Why? Because he's really good at what he does. Now he's resurrecting a franchise that went on autopilot a while ago with a fourth film where nothing's on autopilot. It's definitely on Cruise control, and the results are surprisingly satisfying this time.

Cruise returns as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, successfully freed from a Moscow prison by agents Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) in an extremely inventive opening prison break sequence. Their assignment is to infiltrate the Kremlin and locate files linking a mysterious Swede code-named "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist) to the intended detonation of a nuclear bomb. But when the Kremlin is attacked and Ethan and his team are suspected, the President activates "Ghost Protocol," which officially disavows the IMF. Unofficially, the mission to stop and find Cobalt continues with the help of seemingly inexperienced intelligence expert William Brandt (Jeremy Renner). The team now must obtain the nuclear activation codes in order to stop an attack on the U.S., assuming the authorities don't get to Ethan first.

Like all M:I movies the plot is rather complicated, but beside the point. For the first time though that seems like a good thing since there are so many impressive action sequences and set pieces there's hardly time to catch your breath and remember there is a plot, mainly because director Brad Bird invisibly advances it with each thrilling scene. Obviously, the big sequence everyone's been talking and the selling point for the entire film is Cruise's scaling of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which due to the camera work, is almost as vertigo-inducing for the audience as it likely was for the actor. It's rare a film stunt is so daring and visually impressive that an entire movie is sold on it, but in this case it's more than justified. It really does look as amazing as you've heard, and that's coming from someone who only saw it on the small screen. What been overlooked are the circumstances that get Hunt up there and the story surrounding it, which doesn't all feel like merely an excuse to include a showy scene. There's a clever reason for it, as could be argued for all the action sequences, which never let up and serve specific functions for the story. A sand storm chase, a hotel room brawl between Patton's character and a deadly French assassin (Lea Seydoux), and a climactic showdown over the launch device in an automated parking garage. Unlike most other mainstream action films, none of this is hard to follow and whatever CGI is used adds rather than distracts from what's happening. Watching, you'd never be able to tell that The Incredibles and Ratatouille director Brad Bird hadn't ever released a live action film prior to this. It turns out he's really great at it . 

They really found the perfect team to support Cruise this time, as I have problems even remembering who Hunt's IMF team members were in the previous two films aside from Ving Rhames (who briefly cameos here). There's no such issue this time around as this group has real chemistry together. Simon Pegg provides the comic relief while Paula Patton is given the most purposeful female role yet in an M:I film, knocking it out of the park as a tough-as-nails agent who isn't relegated to being just arm candy for her co-star. Jeremy Renner has the least challenging role of the four as the intelligence expert who may not be exactly who he seems, but he's excellent in it. A sub-plot with a twist involving he and Cruise's character has a surprising payoff that deepens the backstory considerably without feeling thrown in. Any Lost fans hoping to see a meaty big screen supporting part for Josh Holloway will be disappointed since the role's far smaller than you'd expect, though a (weak) argument could be made that it's important. At least he's on screen a bit longer than Tom Wilkinson, who makes more of a mark with his limited time as the panicked IMF Secretary. Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor delivers an entertainingly sleazy turn as a rich Indian playboy not too far removed from his sleazy game show host in that film, but played for laughs.

Supposedly, upcoming Bourne Legacy star Jeremy Renner is being primed to take over the M:I franchise from Cruise whenever he decides it's time to hang it up but based on the evidence here, no one should be in a hurry to do that. Even pushing fifty there's no reason Cruise can't continue doing this for a little while longer and as strong as Renner was in a supporting role, his character isn't really established enough to be the main draw yet. Cruise's charisma and willingness to go all out is a huge reason why this installment ended up as such a success, even if the public seems unwilling to give him credit for it. Or at least ADMIT that they're giving him credit for it, since box office numbers don't lie.  While I agree he should probably be channeling his energy toward more character-driven, age-appropriate material at this point, if he continues along the action route we can only hope the movies remain as smart and entertaining as this one. This isn't a game-changer or worth frequently revisiting, but the over 2 hour running time felt more like 10 minutes, which is exactly what every mainstream action movie should aim for. If a filmmaker found a way to somehow harness the elements of this, Haywire and X-Men: First Class into one feature they'd have the perfect James Bond movie. Ghost Protocol actually seems like it needed to be seen in theaters to be fully appreciated. And anyone who did probably got their money's worth, which in this day and age, isn't faint praise.

Breaking Bad (Seasons 1-4)

Creator: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks 
Original Airdate: 2008-2011

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

There's a moment that arrives toward the end of Breaking Bad's fourth season when underachieving high school chemistry teacher turned crystal meth cook Walter H. White (Bryan Cranston) receives devastating news. The news is so bad, the person delivering it so clueless, and its ramifications so potentially catastrophic, it almost seems like a cruel joke. Basically every character on the show, including him, could die because of it and we don't hesitate for a second thinking the writers would do that without even blinking to service the story. Wherever rock bottom is he's officially hit way below that. Laying helpless and defeated on the floor in a fetal position, he starts crying. Only he's not crying. He's laughing. And that totally makes sense. There's nothing else left to do. It's the defining moment, and every piece of the puzzle and plot twist and turn the series has taken since the pilot episode aired in 2008 has been leading up to it.

Opening title card

Even the most successful series have creative peaks and valleys. AMC's Breaking Bad is just one huge peak with each season gaining momentum and the stakes growing higher. 46 episodes and not a stinker to be found, or a single minute that feels false or insignificant. We keep hearing we're in a golden age of television with just the past few years bringing us acclaimed dramas such as The Wire, Mad Men, Lost, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Dexter, The Killing, The Walking Dead and Homeland. Going back further to what kick started it all you could include The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The X-Files and Twin Peaks. The list goes on and on. I've seen most, but not all. It's definitely been a fruitful 25 years for television, but this takes its much deserved spot atop that list. Creator Vince Gilligan has really crafted a modern classic here, confirming rumors that TV has indeed surpassed movies. But I didn't believe it until watching this, which pushes the medium to places it's never been. Mind-blowing from start to finish, it's one of the greatest television dramas of all-time.  

Faced with a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, mild-mannered science teacher Walter White tags along with his DEA agent brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris) on a meth lab bust, leading to an encounter with former student and drug addict Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Soon Walt and Jesse team up with Walt realizing that cooking and selling crystal meth will financially provide for his pregnant wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and disabled teenage son Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte) after he's gone. By only description, the thought of a normal, middle-class Albuquerque suburbanite dealing drugs might sound like something from Weeds. Or a man with a dark secret he must hide to avoid capture from a relative in law enforcement could easily recall Dexter. None of it does. And then there's the ticking time bomb of cancer giving the series its sense of urgency early on, but even that (if just temporarily) becomes a non-factor. The show could have easily been defined by all this but that it isn't and amounts to much more than merely the sum of its parts is a testament to its depth. It's when all these factors go away that the narrative truly begins to take shape, transforming into a entirely different series than when it began.

Star Bryan Cranston and creator Vince Gilligan

Far exceeding the point where providing for his family financially works as a valid excuse for doing this, Walt continues to cook anyway as if the cancer has afforded a newer, more exciting life he couldn't have considered before the diagnosis. Operating under the criminal alias of "Heisenberg," Walt cooks the purest meth in the Southwest and attracts the attention of the Mexican cartel.  After a while, it starts to become indefensible to state that Walt is leading a double life at all. Now he is "Heisenberg," accepting all the collateral damage that comes with it and putting everyone close to him in harm's way, especially brother-in-law Hank. Most of Walt's problems stem from the fact that he and Jesse haven't a clue what they're doing. Jesse's a delinquent hothead prone to rash decisions while Walt's expertise lies in the chemistry, but little else. Calling them friends wouldn't exactly be accurate, and at times it's difficult to even consider them business partners. Whether they're trying to kill each other or saving each others lives, there's a strange but gripping dynamic that develops between the two that's at the core of the show, often more closely resembling father-son than teacher-student. But the most intriguing angle of their relationship is how their roles reverse over the course of the four seasons with Jesse becoming more level-head than the out-of-control Walt, who slowly becomes more of an addict than he was, but in a different sense.

In one of television's greatest performances, 3-time Emmy winner Bryan Cranston sells this complicated evolution from wimpy science geek to criminal bad ass like nobody's business. And the beauty of it is how he never forgets that Walt is as much surprised by his own actions as we are until his pride and thrill of accomplishment take over, making him numb to it and nearly as bad and those hunting him. It's scary to think that after Malcolm in the Middle Cranston could have faded into obscurity and we would have never discovered the full range of his talent. Then again, material like this never comes around so matching the right performer with such a rare project is a feat in itself. If this were a movie he'd have 4 Oscars on his shelf already.

Jesse Pinkman and girlfriend Jane Margolis

Emmy winner Aaron Paul's matches Cranston step-for-step in versatility. Jesse is linked to two major tragedies over the course of the series that end up altering the character's entire existence. One involving his meth addicted girlfriend Jane (an unforgettable Krysten Ritter) and another heinous action that at the end of the third season that psychologically eats away at him. There's always this glimmer of hope that Jesse could eventually get his act together only to have another catastrophe occur that prevents it. Laying behind all the character's false bravado is Paul's sympathetic performance of a good kid from middle class family who only wants the approval that been denied to him his entire life. Similarly, it's often denied to him by Walt. Just as as Walt and Jesse can't seem to survive without each other, the same statement could easily be applied to the actors portraying them. Because of their work and some really brilliant writing, it's completely believable they'd go from wanting to kill one another one episode to saving each others lives the next. And as crazy as it sounds, the original plan actually called for the character of Jesse Pinkman to die in the first season.

After a Season 2 finale that feels almost Lost-like in terms of its karmic significance, there's a brief moment at the start of the third to catch your breath before the writers hit the reset button, changing the game completely. It's then when you realize Walt and Jesse's actions from even as far back as the pilot set in motion a domino effect that lands them in the fast food chicken restaurant, "Los Pollos Hermanos," face-to-face with the owner and new employer, Gustavo "Gus" Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). Using his chicken chain as a front for meth distribution and an industrial laundromat as headquarters for a super lab, Gus comes off as a calm, soft spoken cross between Colonel Sanders and Barack Obama. But he's really a psychopath hiding in plain sight, keeping his cool even as he commits the most cold-blooded atrocities to protect his business. 

Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo "Gus" Fring

Esposito's remarkably composed performance makes Gus one of the most terrifying villains to ever appear on the big or small screen. When we finally get a flashback showing how this monster was created, it was more than worth the wait. As feared, he and Walt are more alike than either would be willing to admit. Working for the bone-chilling Gus insures far less safety than going at it alone as the imminent threat that he could off them at any time hangs over them. The seeds of mistrust are planted by this master manipulator who places them in the crosshairs of his bitter feud with the cartel, pitting the duo against each other and culminating in a graphic Season 4 shocker that features the most indelibly horrifying scene in the series.

Breaking Bad has the deepest acting roster on TV but the most under-appreciated is Dean Norris as agent Hank Schrader. Providing comic relief, he plays him as a smart man who's often excellent at his job but always seems to remain one step behind his brother-in-law because his pride gets in the way. When an event occurs that compromises him he's forced to become a better, even more cerebral agent. and the scenes he shares with wife Marie (Betsy Brandt) preceding and following his tragedy are among the most emotionally charged in the series. Anna Gunn has the thankless task is playing the show's most unlikable character in Skyler, but that's not at all a negative. Her relationship with Walt changes drastically over time and she often does things to Walt that make you wish they'd just her kill her off, but I believe that's intentional and speaks to the effectiveness of Gunn's work. Her actions frustrate you, but Gunn makes them understandable and the performance never rings false. That we find ourselves frequently siding with her meth cooking, murderer husband who put her in this position to begin with is not only an interesting statement of how we view female characters on TV, but the an example of just how challenging the show's dynamic is.

Walter White examines the symbolic pink teddy bear

As innocent, breakfast-loving Walt Jr., RJ Mitte acts as the eyes and ears of the audience, articulating exactly what anyone watching must be thinking about his two crazy parents. But you know Walt and Jesse have it bad when the only person they can completely trust is ambulance chasing criminal attorney Saul Goodman, who's played with hilariously sarcastic, over-the-top glee by Saturday Night Live vet Bob Odenkirk. And by "criminal attorney" I mean a criminal who's an attorney. It's a real credit to the show that even he's written smartly, complete with a bag of legal and illegal tricks to capable of navigating them through any treacherous situation. Because Odenkirk's so funny and makes such a likable sleaze it's easy to forget he's saved each of their lives about half a dozen times with his schemes. Character actor Jonathan Banks plays an increasingly important role as the series wears on as brutish hitman and clean-up expert Mike who makes it a point to not let feelings in any way influence the proficiency of his work. And with the ringing of his iconic bell and heavy breathing, the wheelchair-bound patriarch of the Mexican drug cartel, Hector Salamanca, is given a sad and terrifying presence by Mark Margolis.   

It's kind of a shock to find out the brains behind the development of this series was a writer and producer on The X-Files. While that show definitely displayed flashes of brilliance from time to time, you wouldn't think anything in it suggested Vince Gilligan could be responsible for something as wildly different and groundbreaking. There is some overlap in terms of technical approach but this series does some things in that department we've never seen before on TV, specifically the use of its visually stunning Southwest desert photography and crazy POV shots. The polarizing third season single location episode, "Fly" (directed by Brick's Rian Johnson) is emblematic of the latter and indicative of the many tricks this series has up its sleeve. One of the few shows shot on 35 mm film, it takes full advantage of the HD format, making it look and feel more cinematic than most movies. The pre-credits scene before each episode can't be missed, often revealing essential flashback information.

Walt and Jesse cooking in the "super lab"

With only one season left, Gilligan's pitching a perfect game. Four flawless seasons with each one better than the last and the rare opportunity to go out on top. You have to wonder how he's planning to close it out since so much was wrapped up at the end of the fourth season. But there are plenty of loose ends and as anyone following the show knows, the tiniest loose ends often become explosive season-long story arcs. The fourth season finale's closing revelation suggests Walt's been corrupted beyond repair and there's now no turning back.  It seems almost inevitable that the show must end with his death and Jesse's redemption but even that isn't a guarantee. Nothing on this show is. If Gilligan says there's more left then there's more left. The writers are constantly painting themselves into corners and using their ingenuity to find a way out. But nothing I write could possibly do justice to experiencing this show for the first time. Art and entertainment has never converged quite like this. The only drawback to watching Breaking Bad is that anything you watch after it will seem a lot worse.

Footloose (2011)

Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie McDowell, Miles Teller, Patrick Flueger, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens
Running Time: 112 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

When the remake of Footloose was released last year I remember reading an interview with director Craig Brewer about how after initial reservations he was inspired to take on the project after viewing 2010's The Karate Kid remake with a cheering audience of 13-year-olds. He said that reaction put all his doubts aside and thought it would be arrogant for him to tell them the original is better and that they should be watching Ralph Maccio instead. And I can totally see his point.  I would never wish a child to have a bad time at the movies or try to tell him or her what they should or shouldn't be watching. I hope every kid who saw that remake loved it. After all, it was only made for them anyway. But that still won't change the fact I thought it was horrible and a blatant cash grab. So it's strange how his Footloose remake is the exact opposite of that, having more in common with both 1984 originals. It's actually for everyone. Yet they'll still be those who refuse to see it on the grounds that it shouldn't be happening at all and I respect that. Except this is really good, at points equaling (if not flat-out surpassing) the original. Of course it helps I don't hold the original film in such high esteem and could care less that they rebooted it, but a win's a win. Musicals just might be my least favorite genre so what a compliment it is that I never once felt I was watching a musical, but a story powered by the spirit of music its effect on the townspeople's lives.

The central idea around which the movie revolves always seemed kind of silly on paper and should have proven to be even more of a creative hurdle to clear when you set the story in the present day.  After a tragic car accident claims the lives of five youths in Bomont, Georgia following a party, the father of one of the victims and town reverend, Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) convinces the city council to pass an injunction that bans unsupervised public dancing within the city limits. Brewer cleverly sidesteps a flawed premise by actually showing the accident in the prologue. It may seem like a tiny change and it's certainly not depicted in any kind of graphic detail, but putting it onscreen makes the ban seem less ridiculous. Stepping into the iconic Kevin Bacon role, Kenny Wormald is Ren, a Boston teen arriving in the town to live with his aunt and uncle after his mother's death. He befriends the somewhat goofy Willard (Miles Teller, great in this) and is almost immediately attracted to Rev. Moore's daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough), a wild child still acting out after losing her brother in the accident and shacking up with brutish dirt race driver Chuck (Patrick Flueger). As Ren and Ariel grow closer through their love of dancing, the rift between the adults and kids of the town continues to widen because of the ban.

Other than actually showing the inciting accident and replacing tractors with buses in a pivotal race sequence, there isn't much that's different from the original, but in this case, that's fine. There also seems to be a more eclectic mix of music this time around while still managing to squeeze in Kenny Loggins' infamously catchy title song (covered rather lifelessly by Blake Shelton over the closing credits) and Deniece Williams "Let's Hear It for the Boy." What Brewer does really well is flesh out the setting and its small-town characters so that everything looks and feels like it belongs a small southern town in 2011. There's a sense of time and place that never feels like you're watching actors on a sound stage. It won't ever be confused with Brewer's previous feature Black Snake Moan in that no scantily clad actresses get chained up to radiators but I was surprised just how much grit the movie managed with its PG-13. It's not exactly edgy but it isn't High School Musical either. There's also at least some kind of attempt at depicting racial diversity within the cast, which probably isn't an attempt so much as a reflection of reality inexcusably absent in most mainstream films about young people.  If its content qualifies it as mainstream fluff at least it never feels that way, even during the musical numbers which are well-placed and choreographed, rarely overstaying their welcome.

As Ren, Kenny Wormald is no Kevin Bacon but he is Kenny Wormald and that seems to work out. Bacon plays bad and tough better but his modern-day counterpart is likable and charismatic without being too vanilla. But it doesn't really matter since the movie belongs to co-star Julianne Hough in much the same way Bacon owned the original. While it's common knowledge she's an incredible dancer and really easy on the eyes, she goes the extra mile in delivering a surprisingly effective dramatic performance as a grieving daughter torn between the right and wrong side of the tracks, and commanding the screen well enough to launch a career that could easily extend beyond musicals. I keep hearing her being compared to a young Jennifer Aniston which was probably intended as a compliment from those forgetting Aniston wouldn't at any point be able to pull this part off. I'd even go as far as to say the movie succeeds mostly because of Hough, who's so perfectly cast it's almost a joke. Dennis Quaid appears initially to be just collecting another paycheck as the strict preacher but at the story progresses and the character develops he finds his groove, even if one key confrontational scene involving him in the third act seems a bit over-the-top and out of left field. And sure, the courtroom-heavy finale more closely resembles a school production of a mock trial than the fun that precedes it, but that's a small complaint when examining the big picture.

A satisfying explanation for this film's success couldn't possibly be provided by me as it's summed up best by Indiewire's Gabe Toro who wrote upon its release that "it captures exactly what MTV used to represent before the laws of capitalism swallowed the network whole." What a perfect description. Ironically MTV Films produced this, which almost feels like some kind of an accident as it harkens back to an era they've gone out of their way to bury. Embracing its cliches with confidence and sincerely wearing its heart on its sleeve, Footloose is completely honest and fun, reminding us not only of the reasons the original worked, but recreating the feeling of actually watching it. With so much mainstream entertainment dumbed down to the point that they may as well be commercials, here's a rare example of smart mainstream entertainment that's actually entertaining, evoking memories of 80's originals rather than the inferior remakes they continue to spawn.     

Atlas Shrugged: Part I

Director: Paul Johansson
Starring: Taylor Schilling, Grant Bowler, Matthew Marsden, Graham Beckel, Jssu Garcia, Edi Gathegi, Michael Lerner, Rebecca Wisocky
Running Time: 102 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★ (out of ★★★★)

Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachman's favorite film of 2011, Atlas Shrugged: Part I is a stiffly performed, poorly written cliffs notes style exercise cold enough to make The Social Network or Margin Call look like Bambi. In this era of Occupy protesting it's no easy task getting audiences to feel sympathy for greedy CEO's (has the timing of a movie's release ever been worse?), but it's a lot more difficult when the characterizations are this boring and one-dimensional. The biggest offense isn't so much that they seem like robotic cult members (which they do), but that the talky script supplies little in the way of drama or excitement. Much more overtly political and on-the-nose than I expected, director Paul Johannson's (yes, THAT Paul Johansson) take on Ayn Rand's sprawling 1957 novel lays all its cards on the table, and not in a good way. It's heavy-handed propaganda, spelling out its right-wing message in large capital letters with cringe-worthy line readings and snooze-inducing meetings that seem cribbed from dry business journals. I'd call it a "train wreck" but given the subject matter that would probably be too easy.

Likely due to budget constraints on this 40 years in the making project that once had Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attached, Rand's period piece instead takes place in a 2016 dystopian alternaverse where an economic depression and shortage of resources have made railways the primary mode of transportation. Dagny Taggert (Taylor Schilling) is the strong-willed Vice President of Taggert Transcontinental railroad and has entered a deal with Rearden Metal CEO Henry Rearden (Grant Bowler), who's being oppressed by lobbyists and politicians who want to limit his power and halt the the growth of his business. Meanwhile, the country's foremost innovators and industrialists are disappearing one by one after being approached by a mysterious cloaked man named John Galt (Johannson), as the question "Who is John Galt?" buzzes across the nation.      

Setting the story in an alternate near-future actually wasn't a bad idea nor is casting unknowns a deal-breaker, but it's in the execution where things get sloppy. This is a film of extremes and that's a problem, resulting in an effort that's not likely to resonate for anyone unfamiliar with the novel or Rand's belief system If I hadn't known in advance the movie was backed by Tea Party I'd still be able to tell by the results onscreen, which can't be good, regardless of which side of the political fence you fall on. Part of the problem is that the very qualities that make Rand's characters work on the page make for flat, unappealing characters on screen. Instead of acting on capitalistic ideas they talk, talk, talk and then talk some more, giving long-winded speeches about being held down by the government, not helping the poor and praising the virtues of selfishness (sample dialogue: "What's with all these stupid altruistic urges?"). All this takes place in sterile office buildings, on leather couches or in mansions. Perhaps due to the limited budget, there also isn't much done to flesh out the world aside from some impressive shots of vistas and trains. That's a shame because if executed properly this carried some promise as dystopian sc-fi parable with subtle political underpinnings.    

As Dagny, Taylor Schilling is as cold as ice, which is exactly what the script seems to call for. That's not her fault and she definitely has her moments. I'd imagine in a better adaptation she could have really killed it. It's just too bad she's asked to play a character with no emotional entryway at all, which becomes a big issue when it comes to her slow (and I mean slow) burning romance with Grant Bowler's Rearden. Not helping matters is the casting of Bowler who just isn't charismatic enough to be believable as a wealthy, trail blazing industrialist. The insistence on pushing these two as rebels is kind of ridiculous because--let's face it--they're CEO's, not James Dean. In a similar vain, Jsu Garcia isn't any more plausible as a millionaire playboy while Graham Beckel gives it his blustery best as an oil baron forced into business with Taggert railroads. Everything here is black and white to the extreme. The characters are stereotyped one dimensionally as either socialists or right wing fanatics. There's no middle ground here.

The most engaging part of the picture might be the idea of a mysterious, shadowy figure kidnapping the nation's most creative minds to form a kind of free market utopia. That John Galt is played by Johannson, an excellent character actor best known for his TV appearances on One Tree Hill and the original 90210, makes me wonder just how many opportunities were squandered to fully exploit that ability in favor of political posturing.. While he still does seem to be in small screen mode here as a director, should be commended for at least attempting to tackle controversial material no studio has wanted to touch for years. And it''s easy to see why. Whenever a work revolves around specific messages or philosophies it's tricky to find ways of dramatizing that onscreen in a way that not only doesn't preach, but entertains. A moment comes in  the final minutes when a character screams out a Star Wars sized "Noooo!" and I swear it's the first sign of emotion anyone's shown throughout the entire film. Needles to say, it comes too late. And it plays strangely.   
 
After having to sit through a lot of liberal Hollywood stinkers over the years, it isn't unfair to think that conservative audiences should also be afforded some moviegoing options. The problem is when a film's message overtakes and overshadows the story. Initially proposed as a trilogy, Atlas Shrugged: Part II was somehow given the go ahead for release later this year with a new cast and director despite this film's poor reception This wasn't going to be the easiest sell to begin with and now with a complete overhaul, I'm still wondering why they'd bother. With the opening installment the filmmakers unwisely went out of their way to make sure those who do agree with Rand's philosophies love the movie unconditionally and those who don't hate it. It never asks questions or puts the audience in a position where they can consider any of the issues or have intelligent discussions about what's brought up. No matter what you might think of Rand's novel, at least it provided that.

How I Met Your Mother (Seasons 1-6)

Creators: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
Starring: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan
Original Airdate: 2005-2011

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Whenever I catch a movie after everybody else there's always this feeling like I'm the last person to the party and much of the conservation has already passed. There's no such problem with TV. With Netflix and syndication it's easier than ever to catch up on missed shows, which could help explain the sudden surge in popularity for CBS' How I Met Your Mother, which in its seventh season (hardly a creative peak for any sitcom) is currently boasting its strongest ratings since its 2005 debut. It was always one of those shows I'd flip past on Monday nights, but despite feverish recommendations could never really get into enough to make it a weekly viewing priority. Now, after indulging in a 126 episode binge, I get it.  On the surface it seems to only be a conventional multi-camera, laugh-track laden situation comedy that wouldn't seem out of place sandwiched between Growing Pains and Family Ties in the mid '80's. But if CBS justifiably gets flak for stacking their entire primetime lineup with grim, uninspired crime procedurals, they also deserve credit for making room on their schedule for a show that resurrects the traditional sitcom format in a non-traditional way.

Watching all six seasons worth at once creates a different perception than weekly viewing. When everything's condensed it's easier to immerse yourself in the universe that the writers create as flaws tend to be less noticeable jumping from episode-to-episode at a rapid pace than having 7 days to dwell on little things that went wrong. And who would have guessed that HIMYM is a show that actually needs to be watched in chronological order to get the full effect?  It is conventional, but often uses flashbacks and flashforwards and is peppered with callbacks and inside jokes related to the show's mythology that couldn't be easily picked up on unless you're a regular viewer. I wouldn't go as far as to compare it to Arrested Development or Parks and Recreation in that regard, but if you just watched casually every once in a while you'd definitely be missing a lot. A Friends comparison is valid only in the sense that this is about "friends," since that sitcom, despite its popularity, was actually pretty terrible. A better starting point might be Seinfeld with its distinctly New York setting and quirky observations of everyday life, though it's not quite as laugh-out-loud funny in the same way. Its reliance on a future narrator recalls The Wonder Years. But with the unusual framing device it employs to tell its story, it may as well be considered the Lost of situation comedies, in both how it milks the central Mother mystery and how its rabid fanbase obsess over every clue and detail related to it. The show's equally addictive, but saying that's only because of that hook or a resemblance to anything else would be selling short the originality of co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Drawing on their own experiences living in New York City to launch the show seven years ago, they said their main goal was to write about the best friends anyone could have and all the "stupid stuff" they did that brought them closer. Regardless of whatever minor faults are sometimes evident or how the series eventually signs off, there's no debating they've already met that goal ten-fold.

The Gang celebrates "Blitzgiving" in one of the many holiday themed episodes

The series follows the life of lovelorn, soulmate searching Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), an architect in his early thirties living above the Cheers-like MacLaren's bar in New York City and the misadventures he gets into with college friends Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), ex-girlfriend Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) and LEGEN-DARY womanizer Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris). But there's a fun twist. All this is being narrated by future Ted (voiced by Bob Saget) in 2030 as he's telling his future kids (Lyndsey Fonseca and David Henrie) the story of how he met and eventually married their mother. So the present is actually the past, which will probably end up being a foolproof device in preventing the show from aging poorly should viewers revisit it down the line (say in like 2030). Interestingly, all the scenes with the future kids were shot during the first two seasons, including one directly related to the mother's identity that's expected to be aired toward the end of the series' run.

Whether you care greatly about that eventual Mother reveal or not, the writers still face a challenge in making all of Ted's relationships feel important since we already know in advance none of these women will turn out to be the mother, but instead bring him a step closer to meeting her.  Given the insane amount of dates and failed conquests Ted's racked up and the enormous pressure he's put on each to be "the one," he could almost be considered as much a womanizer as Barney at times, if not for the fact his intentions are always unflappably sincere and the final destination is the altar. Consider him the slightly older version of Tom Hansen from (500) Days of Summer, if not even more earnest and hopelessly romantic. Throughout the course of the six seasons he has four relationships crucial to his journey. His on again, off again relationship with future member of the gang Robin, whom he embarrassingly declares his love for on their first date. "Girl next door" Victoria (Ashley Williams), who would have been the best fit for him if his lingering feelings for Robin didn't put a premature end to it. Witty dermatologist Stella (Sarah Chalke) seems to have everything going for her, at least until she shockingly leaves Ted at the altar in Season 4, sending him into an emotional tailspin and humiliatingly providing the inspiration for a fictional feature-length romantic comedy written by her ex-husband. Then there's the scheming, nearly bi-polar Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) who's arguably the worst match of all, as their rocky love-hate battle over his career defining architecture project provides the lengthy story arc for a Ted-centric Season 6.

As an actor, Josh Radnor has drawn comparisons to Zach Braff, which probably stems more from the type of overly sincere and earnest characters they play than any similarities in acting style or appearance. But Radnor (who actually reminds me more of Jimmy Fallon) is warmer and more accessible, so even when the writers seemingly go out of their way to make Ted look like an idiot, his performance makes it impossible to not root for the guy. He'll never get the credit NPH and Segel do for the show's success, but as the straight man to all the hijinx around him, he's done a great job holding it all together with underrated comic timing and the ability to be believably serious when necessary.

Marshall doles out a slap to Barney as "Slap Bet Comissioner" Lily looks on

But if the show's supposed to be about the search for Ted's eventual soulmate, you still wouldn't be wrong assuming the series' beating pulse lies in the relationship between Lily and Marshall and the successes and failures each face, both comically and dramatically. Whether it's Marshall being torn between becoming a cog in the corporate machine at GOLIATH NATIONAL BANK or following his dream to become an environmental lawyer, their attempt to have a baby, or most memorably, the death of his father. Such a rundown almost makes the series sound like a drama when the one constant is how it still manages to be funny through all this, mastering a tone most other comedies lack. A lot of that credit should go to Segel and Hannigan who are effortlessly and endlessly likable together in their roles, radiating the warmest chemistry.

Of all the leads the one that took the longest for me to warm to was Robin, which is kind of understandable considering she isn't your traditional female buddy sitcom character, albeit in a good way. Raised as a boy growing up, the former Canadian teen pop star known as "Robin Sparkles" and current TV news anchor is as afraid of commitment as Ted is obsessed with finding it. Of all the actors, Smulders has probably improved most since the series' start, doing her best work in moments when her character is forced to let her emotional guard down. It's kind of surprising Smulders hasn't blown up as a huge movie star off her work on this show, but less surprising when you consider how better developed a character this is than any she could be asked to play on the big screen.

What's most impressive about the writing is not much the characters have changed and grown over the course of the six seasons, but how little. That's especially true in the case of the show's most valuable asset, Barney, who's played by Neil Patrick Harris in a series-stealing supporting performance that ranks as one of sitcom's greatest. After five seasons you'd figure the character's womanizing schemes (so elaborate it's accompanied by web sites and handbooks) would grow tiresome but NPH never let's it, carrying all of the series' funniest episodes ("Game Night," "Slap Bet," "The Playbook").

Barney executes his legendary "Scuba Diver" pick-up from "The Playbook"

When the time comes for this seemingly unredeemable character to show some semblance of vulnerability and feelings with the arrival of potential love interest Nora (Nazanin Boniadi) and the introduction of his estranged father Jerry (guest star John Lithgow) in Season 5 it feels important because Bays and Thomas waited long enough to pull the trigger. It's here where NPH proves how good he is, deftly handling the more dramatic aspects of the character without losing any of the sarcastic edge or smarminess. Because of him, Barney is never in danger of simply becoming another Ted and hides some of the writers' creatively questionable decisions. There are a lot of reasons to watch the show but he's definitely the biggest.

No discussion of the series would be complete without addressing not only the mystery of the mother, but the wide variety of big-name guest stars who have passed through. Chris Elliot, Wayne Brady, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Enrique Inglesias, Bob Odenkirk, Alan Thicke, Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek, Maury Povich, James Van Der Beek, Bryan Cranston, Danica McKellar, Laura Prepon, Mandy Moore, Katy Perry, Ben Vereen, Rachel Bilson, Kyle MacLachlan, Will Forte, Chris Kattan, Will Sasso, Amanda Peet, Malin Akerman, Stacy Keibler, Alexis Denisof, Nicole Scherzinger and Jorge Garcia have all made appearances in one capacity or another with some obviously faring better than others. The show's always taken heat for its perceived over-reliance on guest stars to pop a rating and while there's no question some have fared better than others, what always impresses me is the producers' ability to cast them accordingly in ways that accentuate their strengths as a performer or hide their weaknesses.

Robin Sparkles' hilariously embarrassing video for "Let's Go To The Mall"

The only complete guest star debacle was the casting Britney Spears at the start of Season 3, as no writing and directing in the world would have been able to cover for a dead-eyed performance so dreadful it justifiably grabbed national entertainment headlines for its stiffness. It's only saving grace is that it likely drew more eyes to the show during a time it was actually on the bubble for cancellation. If her guest shot was merely for shock value, the award for most purposeful should go to Rachel Bilson, who's appearance as The Mother's roommate in the series' landmark 100th episode ("Girls vs. Suits") led to a truckload of information being revealed about The Mother with Ted even being in the same vicinity as her. Besides being privy to the fact that she owns a yellow umbrella (the series' ongoing symbol), that episode and the Emmy-nominated Season 4 finale ("The Leap")  are about as much of her as we get of the mystery, along with an important flash-forward bookending Season 6 that finally gives up the "when" and "where" of their eventual meeting. So while it's tempting to say the show isn't "about" The Mother (and it isn't), it can't be written off as mere coincidence that two of the series' strongest episodes concern her identity.

The show's is at its weakest when the the five core characters aren't together or their lives diverge in such wild directions that the action wanders out of NYC. It's a testament to the chemistry between the actors and how well the city is utilized as a setting that it's even an issue (although in fairness it doesn't start to become an issue until Season 7). And right there is the trap the series has set for itself that Bays and Thomas will have to contend with in the final seasons. These characters who are joined at the hip will eventually have to move on and Ted will eventually have to meet the mother so that means some changes to the show certain to be jarring for longtime viewers. That they're far stronger and more interesting together than apart could make that eventual transition a rocky one as the series heads into the final stretch. There's also the lingering issue of Barney and Robin, which created one of the show's few creative hiccups in its fifth season. Their relationship (if you could even call it that, and I liked that not even the characters could) was mostly a disaster. Whether it was just a case of bad timing or uninspired follow-through the whole plot didn't click, even if the show quickly rebounded from it. Here's hoping it was just bad timing since the writers still seem intent on returning to a storyline that could harm the show's final lap if it's not executed properly. I hope they throw a curveball or two at viewers because it's really this, not the payoff to The Mother mystery, that seems more likely to lead to an unfulfilling result.

The infamous yellow umbrella belonging to The Mother

The first six seasons of this show flow about as smoothly as any modern or classic sitcom could and it's been a while since I've enjoyed one as much. That any network comedy series is still delivering the goods past its fifth season is some kind of a miracle, even if it's too often overlooked by demanding longtime fans complaining about a steep decline. This isn't the kind of the show that's meant to be picked apart and over-analyzed to death. Newer viewers discovering it for the first time via streaming or some other means will likely just lose themselves in the world Bays and Thomas create and wonder what everyone else is complaining about. Granted, that's a lot easier to do when you watch it marathon-style instead of being invested in it on a weekly basis for the past seven years. In this interactive era where showrunners can get immediate interaction and feedback from fans online it may seem awful for me to say that Bays and Thomas shouldn't listen to any of them. Or you. Or me. If there's one thing we know about hardcore TV fans it's that they're never happy, especially if things don't go in their preferred direction. The writers just need to stay the course and make decisions based on what makes most sense for the characters. It's worked so far. Now all that's left is seeing how the rest plays out.

My Week With Marilyn

Director: Simon Curtis
Starring: Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Watson, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Toby Jones, Dougray Scott 
Running Time: 99 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

The role of Marilyn Monroe has to be one of the most intimidating and challenging parts an actress can be asked to play, though not for the reasons you'd assume. As far as legendary pop culture icons and celebrities go, there was always a tendency to believe there had to be more to her than what we saw. She really wasn't a good actress. She wasn't incredibly talented. Yet here she is today as this tragic figure and sometimes it's kind of tricky to determine how. That's why casting her is thankless. Do you you cast a movie star who isn't much of an actress for a sensationalized look at "Marilyn?" Or find a great actress who may not necessarily come off as a big movie star for a deeper look at "Norma Jean?" Simon Curtis' pseudo-biopic My Week With Marilyn answers that question by laying claim to the most intriguing casting choice in years and Michelle Williams' Oscar nominated performance delivers on it, even in moments when the rest of the film has trouble keeping up with her.

Foregoing the more traditional biopic route, writer Adrian Hodges (adapting Colin Clark's memoirs) instead takes the Frost/Nixon approach, capturing a brief, but pivotal moment-in-time snapshot in the life of an iconic figure. The story's told through the eyes of Oxford grad and aspiring filmmaker Colin (Eddie Redmayne) who spent a week with Marilyn Monroe (Williams) as third assistant director on Laurence Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl (then titled The Sleeping Prince). Olivier, the respected thespian and stage actor, sees casting Marilyn opposite him as a chance for to regain his youth and vitality, finally becoming a full-fledged movie star. For Marilyn-- already the biggest star on the planet-- it's the rare chance to be taken seriously as an actress by holding her own onscreen with one of the best. Of course, the result of this promising collaboration ended up laying somewhere in between a complete disaster and a curious footnote in cinematic history. Over-medicated, showing up late and flubbing lines, the Marilyn who shows up on set with acting coach Paula Strasburg (Zoe Wanamaker) glued to her arm more closely resembles a frightened child in need of constant babysitting than her sexy public persona. After Marilyn's husband, playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) skips town in the midst of her meltdowns, it becomes Clark's job to look after the star and a semi-romantic friendship develops, awkwardly placing him in the middle of her feud with Olivier. An infatuated Colin falls fast and hard, ignoring warnings from Olivier and her agent Milton Greene (Dominic Cooper) not to buy into the "little girl lost" act they think she's selling.

Outside of Williams' performance and the fascinating on-set clash with Olivier, there isn't a lot here, but there doesn't need to be because those two elements are more than enough. While played well by Redmayne, Colin is kind of a flat character, functioning only as the eyes through which we can observe Marilyn as he attempts to grasp the magnitude of what's happening to him. Whether she's actually interested in him romantically seems almost beside the point. Instead, he represents for her the opportunity to have a real date, act a little crazy and enjoy the normal romantic pleasures that have proved impossible because of her fame. There's a sense all she wants to do is get rid of Marilyn and is unintentionally using Colin to do it, which can only lead to heartache for him. Then again, there are many moments where we sense she doesn't want to get rid of her at all, or simply can't. Her use of the Marilyn "persona" as a security blanket for coping with her own insecurity comes to the forefront when faced with the daunting task of going one-one with the legendary Olivier on set. She can't rely on that persona this time and without so much as a shred of confidence in her own acting abilities, begins to break. Olivier understandably loses his patience and temper, even as his reasoning behind hiring her reveals just as much about his own lack of confidence.

This is some performance from Michelle Williams, justifiably earning every bit of praise it's gotten. She just nails it. The facial expressions. The walk. The voice. Especially the voice. Everything. There's this moment when she's with Colin and they're suddenly mobbed by fans and photographers. She turns to him and asks, "Should I be her?" before slipping into character and becoming Marilyn. Williams seems to turn it on and off at the flip of a switch, alternating between the superstar we thought we knew and a frazzled train wreck of emotional dependency. The question wasn't whether she could play the latter but how well she could capture the former, which is ironic considering her career start as teen sexpot Jen Lindley on Dawson's Creek. It's a testament to how hard she worked since then to move away from that image that seeing her play this now seems like a huge stretch. There's at least a passable physical resemblance to the icon, but what Williams really brings is the depth, making Marilyn the unlikeliest addition to her growing gallery of emotionally tortured heroines.

In his Oscar nominated supporting performance Branagh subtly avoids turning Olivier into an all-out villain, instead showing a gifted actor past his prime who's grasping at straws to turn Marilyn into something she can't possibly be. Her only supporter is actress and co-star Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dench), who realizes her fragile psyche responds better to encouragement than harsh criticism. The rest of the supporting players aren't as well-developed. Dougray Scott is hilariously miscast (then altogether forgotten about) as Arthur Miller, reimagined here as some kind of enigmatic stud. But the film's most thankless role belongs to Emma Watson as a wardrobe girl Lucy, who Colin strings along while he's off frolicking with Marilyn all week. It's one thing to waste a name actress for a useless, underwritten part, but quite another to insultingly pretend in the last act that the part meant anything. While her purpose is clear, it's just isn't followed through enough to have any kind of impact. There's also a scene early on with Oliver's then-wife Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond) that comes of nowhere, seemingly thrown in only to give Ormond a juicy scene and hammer us too hard with the theme of insecurity.

When Michelle Williams was announced to play Marilyn, Monroe fanatics were predictably up in arms, but the most interesting complaint I heard was that she didn't "deserve" it. She's too short. She's not pretty enough. Not enough charisma. But the real question should have been whether Marilyn "deserves" to be played by Williams. By the end of the film I believed that she did and the choice seems especially inspired when you consider all Marilyn wanted was to be taken seriously as actress. It's likely she would have appreciated the irony. The great thing about biographical dramas is how they bring two figures together from different eras with seemingly nothing in common who must co-exist in a single performance. Using that criteria, it's difficult coming up with a more intriguing pairing than Marilyn Monroe and Michelle Williams. What Norma Jean really wanted was a career like Williams. She got Marilyn Monroe's instead. And it destroyed her. Now with a legitimately great actress playing her, she finally ends up attaining the respectability she never could on her own.             

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Director: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Caldwell
Running Time: 129 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Sometimes you hear so much about a movie it's difficult to approach it with a clean slate. In the case of Stephen Daldry's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, it's practically impossible. Considered by many as one of the weakest Best Picture nominees in years, just the announcement of its shocking inclusion last February elicited a chorus of gasps and groans. Whether its dissenters even actually saw the film or not, you'd have to figure much of that had to do with its 9/11 subject matter. And that's exactly what this comes down to since the picture isn't nearly awful enough on its own terms to provoke such a passionate response. And it certainly isn't controversial. Did it deserve to be nominated for Best Picture? Of course not. There are some problems with it and it's emotionally manipulative to a point. But at the end of the day it's a mildly successful examination of how an eccentric, intelligent young boy with an emotional spectrum disorder deals with death. Featuring some really strong performances and a plot hole big enough to drive a truck through, that's all there is to it. A mixed bag, but 2 hours mostly well spent.

Based on the 2005 novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, it tells the story of Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), son of jeweler Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11, a date Oskar frequently refers to as "the worst day." Through flashbacks we see the special bond between the two up until his father's death with Thomas often sending Oskar on wild scavenger hunts to find hidden objects throughout New York City. Following 9/11 Oskar emotionally withdraws from his mother Linda (Sandra Bullock) with any discussion of that day ending in a shouting match. After working up the courage to explore his father's untouched closet 8 months later, he discovers a small envelope marked "Black" with a mysterious key inside. Assuming his dad left it there for him to find, Oskar looks up everyone with that last name in the the phone book sets out on one last expedition to find the lock it fits. His sole companion on the trip is the The Renter (Max Von Sydow), a mute old man living with his grandmother whom he befriends. With maps in hand and routes planned out, the quest is as much Oskar's way to extend time with his deceased father and make sense of what happened as it is to find the lock. He won't stop until he solves the mystery, but in doing so he may be forced to come to the realization his father's actually gone.

This is a strange film and for all the criticisms leveled against it at least it presents a type of protagonist we've never seen before but whose patterns of behavior will be immediately recognizable to some. During Oskar's voiceover narration in the first hour he states he was tested for Asperger's but the results came back inconclusive. Maybe in an effort to drum up some ambiguity for the character or fear that officially diagnosing him would create a pity party, Academy Award winning screenwriter Eric Roth lets the viewers speculate as to whether something's wrong with him. Well, there clearly is. He's either a really high functioning autistic or suffers from Asperger's. It's more likely the latter and I kind of wish they had just come out and said that as it would have quelled many of the complaints against the film and Horn's performance, which is remarkable if you're able to separate the actor from the character. Oskar's supposed to be annoying, over-emotional and overbearing, so Horn, a child Jeopardy winner with no previous acting experience, often narrates the story as if he were rattling off  facts on that game show. It becomes uncomfortable when he gives extremely detailed descriptions of of every tiny aspect of the "worst day" but it's supposed to be and it's in line with the character. As for the 9/11 scenes themselves all I can say is that they feel terrifying rather than offensive or emotionally manipulative. Nothing seems to come off as disrespectful, even though that doesn't even address the real issue here. Despite a handful of films having already been released handling the topic, the question of whether it's "too soon" will keep coming up and while it's up to each individual viewer to decide that for themselves, those against the idea would still be against it regardless of how this was presented.

The first hour of the film literally lives up to its title as we probably spend about as much one on one time with this kid that is bearable, but luckily the flashbacks with his father work and Tom Hanks is his usual likable self. Bullock, in her first post-Blind Side role, is affecting too, with nearly all the uncomfortable 9/11 scenes falling squarely on her lap. It isn't necessarily a large part, but it's challenging and she delivers a nice, low key performance. Her character won't be winning any "Mother of the Year" awards as the film's biggest flaw is how she'd let a 11-year-old just wander the streets of New York. There's an attempt at an explanation for this later but it's a weak one that does little to erase a huge gap in logic that could have easily been fixed by having him just run away instead.

The arrival of Max Von Sydow's mute unnamed renter into the story may as well mark the start of the film as that's when the narrative starts gaining real momentum. From the minute he appears the 82-year-old's Oscar-nominated supporting turn provides the young actor with someone interesting and more experienced to bounce off of during the journey.What's more impressive than Von Sydow giving an entirely silent performance is that it's so expressive that words would have probably been a distraction. He gets his point across so clearly he doesn't even need them and any scene in the film without him seems weaker because of it. Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright give small but crucial performances as two strangers Oskar meets on his adventure and elevate their material considerably, especially Wright who figures in huge in the third act. And for a movie centering around a mystery that really isn't "about" the mystery, its payoff is surprisingly satisfying. 

Having carried the similarly controversial Holocaust drama The Reader to a detested Best Picture nomination in 2008, director Stephen Daldry has proven he isn't afraid to tackle tumultuous subject matter through a sentimental lens. He goes all out here, but respectfully and with a consistent tone, resulting once again in a mild success. So far there have actually been quite a few movies that in some form or another revolve around the 9/11 tragedy. United 93 and World Trade Center were dramatic interpretations of the actual event with the former employing a docudrama approach that gave the material a frightening sense of immediacy. 25th Hour and Reign Over Me touched on the aftermath, with the latter controversially using it as a plot device. What all these movies have in common is that no one was particularly comfortable with that day or its aftermath being depicted at all, regardless of their quality. In many ways this is the 9/11 film everyone's been dreading and hoped Hollywood wouldn't make because it involves a child coping with the tragedy. But its tough to argue that's not the most honest entry point. Neither exploitive or inspirational, it's a slightly above average, well acted drama that got too much attention for reasons unrelated to what's onscreen.