Conversations with Other Women DVD (Short)

director: Hans Camosa
writer: Gabrielle Zevin

A work in split screen makes for unique view of a couple with more to them than it first seems.

Special features include audio commentary, interviews, and technical featurettes.

rating: ***1/2/***** (interesting indie)

recommendations: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Sliding Doors

Sherrybaby DVD (Short)

director: Laurie Collyer
writer: Laurie Collyer

Happy endings are good for films (or at least for box offices).
But sometimes people need to know that things just don't end with people becoming better - sometimes the best we can do is to hope to change because sometimes we can't change at all. Those are just circumstances, that's just life.
People are very flawed - don't expect them to be unflawed by the end.

There are no special features.

rating: ***1/2/***** (an indie find)

recommendations: Secretary, Thirteen, Mysterious Skin, The Station Agent

Lies & Alibis DVD

director: Matt Checkowski, Kurt Mattila
writer: Noah Hawley

Steve Coogan is not your typical leading man. He's what you might call the thinking woman's sex symbol. He's got the accent, the voice, the attitude. And he employs them well for Lies and Alibis.

Coogan plays a former grifter turned "honest" businessman who runs an alibi service for adulterers. As he informs us in voice-over, one in four men cheat while a more respectable one in ten women do; it would be foolish to judge and even more so not to take advantage of this untapped market.

It's an interesting concept. Why risk using your bad liar friends, when you can hire professionals? But lies build on lies and soon our man is dodging cops, Mormon hitmen, and indiscreet philanderers. It's a big ensemble con game with twists and turns that converge at the end. And the cast reads like a guest list at a comic book convention: Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Selma Blair, Sam Elliott, Jaime King, John Leguizamo, Debi Mazar, among others.
But then again,what actor these days isn't associated some way with a comic book?

The story turns predictable, as do many movies of the like. And I would liked to have seen more of the inner and outer workings of the company. The story and characters are not as intricate and charming, as say in Ocean's 11, or dark and serious as in Confidence, but it's still worth a watch for the filmmakers' style and the charms of Steve Coogan.

For some noteworthy Steve Coogan performances, check out Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, 24 Hour Party People, Coffee and Cigarettes, Happy Endings, Around the World in 80 Days.

No special features included.

rating: ***/***** (frilly fun)

recommendations: Nueve Reinas (Nine Queens), Criminal (the American remake of Nine Queens), Confidence, The Usual Suspects, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Sting, Ocean's 11, Catch Me If You Can

Thanksgiving DVDs

The holidays are coming up, and we all know what that means. That means quality time with the family. And here are some movie suggestions that encapsulate those precious moments.

Thanksgiving
Home for the Holidays - My personal Thanksgiving favorite, this Jodie Foster directed Holly Hunter film is underrated and sentimental without being saccharine.
Pieces of April - An indie film starring Katie "Mrs. Cruise" Holmes and Patricia Clarkson.

Christmas
The Family Stone - Some uncomfortable scenarios, but what family doesn't have those?
Elf - Will Ferrell as an elf. Enough said.
About A Boy - No man is an island.
Love Actually - Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. What more could a girl want?
Bridget Jones's Diary - What more could a girl want? Another movie with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.
Bad Santa - Well, "Santa" is an anagram for "Satan."

Family Dysfunction
Flirting with Disaster - This 1996 David O. Russell vehicle represents everything that could go wrong with finding out where you came from in a hilarious way.
Meet the Parents - What family comedies should aspire to.
The Royal Tenenbaums - Wes Anderson's characters live in a world of their own.

Hard Candy DVD

director: David Slade
writer: Brian Nelson

You may know her as Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand, but behind Ellen Page's sweet exterior lies Hard Candy.

Visually, the film looks like candy: bright, vivid colors in the background and stark color contrasts change with the mood and tone and accentuate the angelic face of the young protagonist.

Many will think the word protagonist should be used loosely, even though older, male action hero counterparts who masquerade around in the night and slay "bad" men are considered heroes.

Whether you sympathize with the 14-year-old vigilante and condone her "extreme" actions or not, this is a fascinating look into the psychology of two disturbed people. Controversial to the candy core, the sheer audacity and balls of this film should draw viewers.

Special features include crew and cast commentary, extensive behind-the-scenes featurettes, and extended scenes.

rating: ****/***** (a definite-see)

recommendations: American Psycho, Leon (The Professional), Brick, Sin City

Don't Move (Non ti muovere) DVD

director: Sergio Castellitto
writer: Sergio Castellitto, Margaret Mazzantini (novel)

We want moments of joy to last forever, we want loved ones to stay. If only it was as simple as commanding one to "Don't Move."

A strange and wonderful Italian film starring, adapted, and directed by Sergio Castellitto, Don't Move is about love and passion, and the heartbreaking reality of grasping onto such fleeting ideas.

I didn't know much about this film before delving in, and I'm glad that was the case. This film had me expecting something completely different in the beginning and had me fascinated and consumed in the relationship by the end.

I was quite surprised by the care and attention paid to the film. Another surprise was Penelope Cruz. You'll see what I mean. I think the less you know about Don't Move before viewing, the better.

Special features include behind-the-scenes and author featurettes, Penelope Cruz screen tests, and a trailer that doesn't do the film justice.

rating: ****/***** (a definite-see)

recommendations: The Constant Gardener, Shopgirl

Dot the i DVD

director: Matthew Parkhill
writer: Matthew Parkhill

Dot the i starts one way and ends another. It leads you down one path only to sideswipe you before you hit the exit.

Gael Garcia Bernal stars as a poor but passionate man who woos the saucy Natalia Verbeke, fittingly named Carmen, from the rich and seemingly stable James D'Arcy. But let me tell you, he is no Mr. Darcy.

All is not as it seems in this film about... love? Dot the i begins sweetly enough, mainly because of the charms of the star-crossed lovers, but then veers sharply into kitschy territory. The viewer can sense all is not right and that someone, or perhaps all three parties are keeping secrets. But this secret was ironically unrealistic. The film puts in a twist for the sake of having a twist, and it inevitably feels forced.

Twist endings are fun if done correctly and believably, and the viewer was taken along for the ride instead of being thrown off. They are not so fun if trite and the common viewer is able to predict the outcome, or, as in this case, the viewer is hit from left field and feels cheated because of a lack of plausibility.

I may have completely turned you off to this film or have made you super curious. If you are going to watch this film - viewer beware.

Special features include commentary and deleted scenes.

rating: ***/***** (for Bernal and Verbeke)

recommendations: Read My Lips, Run Lola Run

Friends with Money DVD

director: Nicole Holofcener
writer: Nicole Holofcener

Friends with Money is about that, friends with money. Well, not exactly all the friends. Jennifer Aniston is a single maid and the black sheep of the group .

Can you believe Jennifer Aniston as a maid? Yeah, neither can I. The production people could have at least attempted to make her look a bit homely. Messy hair? Baggy clothes? No? Nothing? Okay. Nevertheless, she does have her moments as an actress. Like, take a look at her expressions as Scott Caan asks for his cuts.

The wonderfully cast friends with money are Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, and Frances McDormand. Of special note is Catherine Keener, a staple of Nicole Holofcener's films, including the indie gem Walking and Talking. Keener is definitely an underrated actress. She can portray messed-up everyday women, as well as the object of affection of the 40-Year-Old Virgin and Being John Malkovich. And it doesn't hurt she has a cute hubby.

Special features include commentary and featurettes.

rating: ***1/2/***** (an indie find)

recommendations: Walking and Talking, Lovely and Amazing

Teen Angst DVDs

In honor of the upcoming school year, these DVD recommendations are teen angst/school themed.

Comedy
Kicking and Screaming (1995 - Not the Will Ferrell/soccer version)
Mean Girls (surprising hit)
She's the Man (surprisingly charming)
Clueless (feel-good flick)
Old School (frat pack classic)
American Pie (set the trend for teen gross-out movies)

Dark Comedy
Election (very smart)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (heartbreaking in its honesty)
Thumbsucker (interesting indie)
Saved (a surprisingly smart and funny indie)

Just Dark/Drama
Good Will Hunting (great writing)
Brick (film noir set in high school)
Elephant (slow but powerful)

Old School/Classics
Say Anything... (what girl does not love Lloyd Dobler?)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (save Ferris)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (an 80's classic)
The Breakfast Club (an 80's classic)
Dazed and Confused (hippies of the world unite)

Honorable Mentions/TV Shows
Undeclared (underrated and cancelled before its time)
Freaks and Geeks (another one that wasn't given a chance)