Movies

REDBELT is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu master who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code.

An accident on a dark, rainy night at Terry's studio between an off-duty officer and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically, introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.

Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) runs a martial-arts studio, always emphasizing the arts' use being rooted in self defense only. He has a reputation as a passivist, but his honor is tested when a series of events back him against a wall. He is played like a fool and has to regain his honor and come up with enough money to pay off his debts.

This was not your typical martial-arts movie -- well, it wasn't really a martial-arts movie at all. Sure Terry is a teacher, and the movie involves a competition, but the movie is more about the web woven by writer and director David Mamet. The plot is mainly about the trouble Terry suddently finds himself in with no feasible way out and the jiu-jitsu is used almost like a prop. I enjoyed how each of the characters became involved, voluntarily or otherwise. Each player was a pawn in the game. I enjoyed this movie only for what it could have been. In execution, it was a weak effort.

And while David Mamet may be known for his obscure plots and confusing endings, this movie left much to be desired by way of substance. It was VERY rushed and moved too quickly. To defend the pace, the ideas were not that complex and required little to set them in motion. But the movie could have easily been given some depth and lengthened. I feel that this story could have been better sold to HBO or someone as a mini-series rather than a stand-alone movie. There were many characters that warranted more attention than they were given, but before you knew it, the movie was over.

Maybe Mamet was trying to capitalize on the popularity surge that mixed martial arts has enjoyed recently. I fall in with the crowd that has made MMA fighting something to watch. I have to admit that I was disappointed in the lack of fight scenes.

| Amazon | Discuss it |

Craig Schwartz: Can I buy you a drink, Maxine? Maxine: Are you married? Craig Schwartz: Yes, but enough about me.

As my fourth week "post-op" (knee surgery. no big deal.) comes to a close, I face an exciting milestone. Tomorrow I get to put weight on my right leg for the first time in a month. I told my physical therapist that I will crutch through the office all day and take my first step(s) under her watch. Though I admitted that it will be something like Steve Martin towards the end of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. (I apologize that the link isn't to the exact scene referenced, but I cannot find it. This is the closest I could come.)

Have you ever done that? Where you slip a movie reference, allbeit maybe an obscure movie reference, into day-to-day conversation and then immediately turn your eyes on your audience, watching intently for any signs of recognition? You don't do it to feel superior by stumping this person, someone may not know at all (though this happens, but under different circumstances). You do it reaching out in the night for someone you may call "brother." Simply someone with whom you may share a moment, however brief.

My reference was lost on my physical therapist. She's never seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I was a man on a lonely island with no one to appreciate my reference. My solution? you ask. You should all get your hands on a copy of this movie.

Harry and Tonto

Art Carney won a Best Actor Oscar for his moving performance in this poignant comedy that proves it's never too late to live. When Harry Golden's New York apartment faces demolition, he and his cat Tonto set out for Los Angeles to live with Harry's three grown children. But Harry quickly discovers he'd be happier just about anywhere else. So once more, Harry and Tonto hit the road -- except this time their only plan is to have an adventure they'll never forget. With its outstanding supporting cast including Ellen Burstyn, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Larry Hagman and Chief Dan George, this classic is one you'll want to watch for years to come.

| Amazon | Discuss it |

Nick Naylor: That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never wrong.

Smart People

From the producer of Sideways -- get to know a lovable yet dysfunctional family everyone can relate to in this lighthearted comedy People calls "smart and enjoyable." When Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) -- a widowed and self-absorbed professor -- falls for his attractive former student (Sex And The City's Sarah Jessica Parker), his all-too-predictable life suddenly turns sunny-side up. That is, until his freeloading brother (Thomas Haden Church) and his sharp-tongued overachieving daughter (Juno's Ellen Page) speak up, making "chaos" the word of the day. Now on DVD, Smart People is even funnier with never-before-seen interviews, deleted scenes and hilarious outtakes.

| Amazon | Discuss it |

Lester Burnham: This isn't life, it's just stuff. And it's become more important to you than living. Well, honey, that's just nuts.

Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog) stars as Charlie Bartlett, who has been kicked out of every private school he ever attended. And now that he's moved on to public school, he's simply getting pummeled. But when Charlie discovers that the kids who surround him -- the outcast and the popular alike -- are secretly in desperate need, his entrepreneurial spirit takes over. Hanging up his shingle in the Boys' restroom, Charlie becomes an underground, not to mention under-aged, shrink who listens to private confessions of his schoolmates, and makes the imprudent decision to hand out the pills he's proffered from his own psychiatric sessions. Meanwhile, at home, Charlie keeps charming his way out of an inevitable confrontation with his adoring but utterly overwhelmed mother Marilyn (Hope Davis).

Then, Charlie Bartlett makes his big mistake: falling in love with the beautiful and bold daughter (Kat Dannings) of the school's increasingly disenchanted Principal (Robert Downey Jr.), who is hot on his trail. As Charlie Bartlett's world and fledgling psychiatric practice unravel, he begins to discover there's a whole lot more to making a difference than handing out pills.

Charlie Bartlett has a difficult time making friends. As he moves from one private school to another, by the time he finally begins to become popular he is expelled. The problem is that his popularity comes from doing something illegal. Charlie, ever the opportunist, has a creative and entrepreneurial mind for providing things that high school students should not have. As is the way (generally) with high school students, what they can't have is what they are willing to pay for. And Charlie will accept that risk to be popular. Now he has been kicked out of every private school and is left with only one option: public school. A series of events lead Charlie to his next big idea: provide a little medication and a lot of opportunity to unburden themselves of their problems. And just like that, Charlie Bartlett began helping fellow students cope with their problems...from the boy's bathroom.

Anton Yelchin stars as the movie's title character. He, if you have seen it, is the kidnapped boy in the movie Alpha Dog. In both movies he plays a charming, though slightly awkward, young man. While I am worried that he wouldn't be as successful in a more mature role, I think he was a great casting choice to be Charlie Bartlett.

The story was a little hokey. The characters were a little cliché. I concede those two points, but still contend that this is a good movie. I enjoyed how the movie did not shy away from those things, but rather embraced them. In fact, without cliché students in a hokey story, Charlie Bartlett would have been unable to effectuate change in so many lives. (I hope it doesn't disappoint you that there is a social message wrapped neatly within this movie.)

| Amazon | Discuss it |

Patricia: Nobody knows anything, Joe. We'll take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and we'll see. That's life, right?

From the makers of Notting Hill and Love Actually comes the charming and irresistibly funny romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe. When Will (Ryan Reynolds) decides to tell his daughter (Abigail Breslin) the story of how he met her mother, he discovers that a second look at the past might also give him a second chance at the future. Co-starring Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher, it's a heartwarming story that makes you realize it's definitely never too late to go back...and maybe find a happy ending.

Will (Ryan Reynolds) picks his daughter up from school and finds that she, like all of the young children, received a very colorful lesson in sex education. The line of questioning he is subject to lasts until finally the daughter, played by Abigail Breslin, asks Will how he met her mother -- the woman whose name appeared next to his on the divorce papers he signed that same day. The story, which he reluctantly launches into, chronicles not only his move from the midwest to New York City, but also the few seemingly near misses he had with love. (And from here we need to assume that this young girl is mature well beyond her years, otherwise the story becomes a little ridiculous.)

I will admit right away that this movie served two secret purposes for me. Beyond my attempt to be entertained by the overall quality of the film, I was checking up on the movie's two stars. I wanted to see if Ryan Reynolds could leave behind the frat-boy comedic antics and enter a...well, a different role. And I wanted to see if Abigail Breslin was as talented as she was tauted to be after her breakthrough success in the Indie sensation Little Miss Sunshine.

Ryan Reynolds has stepped away from comedy before, with movies like Blade Trinity and Smokin' Aces, but I consider those to be transitions, or even Reynolds's metamorphosis, if you will. Neither movie was a comedy, though neither movie, if I may opine, necessarily took itself very seriously. Definitely, Maybe, though a romantic comedy, is intended for a more serious audience. I think Ryan Reynolds has good comedic timing and I'm glad he was able to bring it to this part. I thought he was successful, not only as a single father, but also as the "hopeless romantic with an indominable spirit."

And if we are able to forgive our young starlett for having a more mature understanding of interpersonal relationships than 98% of the people on the planet, I would like to applaud Ms. Breslin as well. Her ability to ask mature questions while she maintains her childhood innocence is impressive. She warms up to the camera and you feel comfortable giving her your attention until the credits roll. She was both cute and funny as she follows her dad on the journey through his quest for love. Little Miss Sunshine introduced Abigail Breslin, but Definitely, Maybe shows her real talent.

My thanks also to Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher and Kevin Kline for what each of them brought to the film.

I thought the casting and acting were very good; I thought everyone played their part perfectly. Yes, it was a little High Fidelity-esque as it recounted relationships-gone-by, but it was new life in an old mold. It is a romantic comedy that focuses more on the romantic than the comedy, but there are plenty of laughs to be had. So after checking up on Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin I can freely admit that I really enjoyed this movie.

| Amazon | Discuss it |