Movies for Mommies:
Dinner for Schmucks   (2010, USA, 114mins, 14A)

Dir. Jay Roach Starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zac Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Bruce Greenwood

Barry - played by Steve Carell with a nerdy overbite and, well, a mousy mien - is an IRS employee who builds elaborate miniature scenes in his spare time. And since he lives alone and has few friends, there's lots of time to spare.
And then one fateful day, Barry bumps into Tim (Paul Rudd) - or, more accurately, Tim runs into Barry with his Porsche. A mid-level finance exec with designs on a bigger paycheck and a corner office, Tim has just been invited to a dinner party hosted by his boss. It's a dinner with a theme: each guest must bring along someone mockable - a fool, a jerk, a deluded twit. The guest with the biggest buffoon wins. Et voilà, Barry - like a gift from the gods. Rudd, of course, is the straight man in all this: his Tim is smart and likable up to a point, but with the potential to turn into soulless yuppie scum. Steven Rea-Philadelphia Inquirer

dinner for schmucks   (2010, USA, 114mins, 14a)

Dir. Jay Roach Starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zac Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Bruce Greenwood

In 1974 a jaded court investigator (Ricardo Darín of Nine Queens) is shocked out of his bureaucratic stupor by the murder of a lovely young bride in Buenos Aires. He and his partner (Guillermo Francella) hunt for the killer, but as the Argentinean government shifts toward dictatorship, the investigator is forced off the case and into the country’s interior, only to resume his inquiry when he resurfaces in the capital nearly three decades later. Director Juan José Campanella weaves together two love stories—between the victim and her husband, and the investigator and his former boss (Soledad Villamil)—and creates some masterful set pieces; his breathless chase through a packed soccer stadium is a marvel of choreography. Andrea Gronvall-Chicago Reader

babies  (2010, France, 79mins, G)

Dir. Thomas Balmes Starring Ponijao, Bayar, Mari, and Hattie

Really, it’s a nature documentary, except that the topic is human nature and the subjects are the only humans on the planet whose behaviour is unaffected by the camera – yes, infants in those precious early months before consciousness becomes self-conscious, before they start crawling into the life-long prison of Me. Simple title, simple premise: Follow four newborns, from four very different corners of the Earth, through the first year or so of their existence. Observant and funny and thoughtful too. The deliverer is French director Thomas Balmès, who has judiciously picked the four locales to play to our modern prejudices – a crude thatched hut in a Namibian village, a high-rise apartment amid the neon of Tokyo, an unadorned yurt on the Mongolian steppes, an upper middle-class house in downtown San Francisco. Rick Groen-Globe and Mail

babies  (2010, France, 79mins, G)

Dir. Thomas Balmes Starring Ponijao, Bayar, Mari, and Hattie

Really, it’s a nature documentary, except that the topic is human nature and the subjects are the only humans on the planet whose behaviour is unaffected by the camera – yes, infants in those precious early months before consciousness becomes self-conscious, before they start crawling into the life-long prison of Me. Simple title, simple premise: Follow four newborns, from four very different corners of the Earth, through the first year or so of their existence. Observant and funny and thoughtful too. The deliverer is French director Thomas Balmès, who has judiciously picked the four locales to play to our modern prejudices – a crude thatched hut in a Namibian village, a high-rise apartment amid the neon of Tokyo, an unadorned yurt on the Mongolian steppes, an upper middle-class house in downtown San Francisco. Rick Groen-Globe and Mail

dinner for schmucks   (2010, USA, 114mins, 14a)

Dir. Jay Roach Starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zac Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Bruce Greenwood

Barry - played by Steve Carell with a nerdy overbite and, well, a mousy mien - is an IRS employee who builds elaborate miniature scenes in his spare time. And since he lives alone and has few friends, there's lots of time to spare.
And then one fateful day, Barry bumps into Tim (Paul Rudd) - or, more accurately, Tim runs into Barry with his Porsche. A mid-level finance exec with designs on a bigger paycheck and a corner office, Tim has just been invited to a dinner party hosted by his boss. It's a dinner with a theme: each guest must bring along someone mockable - a fool, a jerk, a deluded twit. The guest with the biggest buffoon wins. Et voilà, Barry - like a gift from the gods. Rudd, of course, is the straight man in all this: his Tim is smart and likable up to a point, but with the potential to turn into soulless yuppie scum. Steven Rea-Philadelphia Inquirer

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

scott pilgrim vs. the world   (2010, USA, 112mins, PG)

Dir. Edgar Wright Starring Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the first rock & roll kung fu videogame youth love story. Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), it's based on a comic-book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. At times, it may remind you of other films adapted from graphic novels (notably Ghost World), and even of Wes Anderson, but it's got a madly clever and playful let's-try-it-on prankishness all its own. It also has Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old Toronto slacker who plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and is something of a babe magnet. Cera, with nerdy-verging-on-girly gestures, a voice that sounds like it hasn't broken yet, and his overall turtle-ish vibe, may be the unlikeliest leading man in the history of cinema — but let's be clear that I mean that as a compliment. Geeky as he is, he's so fast, his line readings driven by a hunger that never spills into self-pity, that he gets you on his wavelength by staying one ironically desperate step ahead. The movie, with its charming visual tropes, is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting. Scott starts off by dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a high school student who adores him; he then falls for Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a violet-haired, doe-eyed punk fatale with seven ''evil exes'' he must defeat, as if they were videogame levels, to win her over. Winstead, a born star, is like a kewpie-doll Edie Sedgwick. She makes Ramona a girl worth fighting for, and fight Scott does — I dug the freshness of Scott Pilgrim. It's a true original. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

despicable me   (2010, USA, 95mins, PG )

Dir. Chris Renaud Starring: Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Steve Carell

As if to remind us of what we're otherwise being spared, this superior computer-animated family romp contains just one each of the following: fart jokes, topical references that will sail over kids' heads, and dance numbers in which the characters bust zany moves to a 70s disco hit. The topical reference is pretty funny, actually, and everything else about the movie is wonderful, especially the visual and character design. The main character is a bilious, Bond-style supervillain (Steve Carell, doing Russian-inflected shtick) who's suddenly outclassed by a brash young newcomer (Jason Segel); as part of the old-timer's plan to even the score, he adopts three plucky orphan girls, and darned if they don’t awaken the better angels of his nature. Like the best kids' entertainment, this creates a daffy little world all its own. Cliff Doersken-Chicago Reader

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

scott pilgrim vs. the world   (2010, USA, 112mins, PG)

Dir. Edgar Wright Starring Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the first rock & roll kung fu videogame youth love story. Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), it's based on a comic-book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. At times, it may remind you of other films adapted from graphic novels (notably Ghost World), and even of Wes Anderson, but it's got a madly clever and playful let's-try-it-on prankishness all its own. It also has Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old Toronto slacker who plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and is something of a babe magnet. Cera, with nerdy-verging-on-girly gestures, a voice that sounds like it hasn't broken yet, and his overall turtle-ish vibe, may be the unlikeliest leading man in the history of cinema — but let's be clear that I mean that as a compliment. Geeky as he is, he's so fast, his line readings driven by a hunger that never spills into self-pity, that he gets you on his wavelength by staying one ironically desperate step ahead. The movie, with its charming visual tropes, is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting. Scott starts off by dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a high school student who adores him; he then falls for Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a violet-haired, doe-eyed punk fatale with seven ''evil exes'' he must defeat, as if they were videogame levels, to win her over. Winstead, a born star, is like a kewpie-doll Edie Sedgwick. She makes Ramona a girl worth fighting for, and fight Scott does — I dug the freshness of Scott Pilgrim. It's a true original. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

despicable me   (2010, USA, 110mins, PG)

Dir. Chris Renaud Starring: Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Steve Carell

As if to remind us of what we're otherwise being spared, this superior computer-animated family romp contains just one each of the following: fart jokes, topical references that will sail over kids' heads, and dance numbers in which the characters bust zany moves to a 70s disco hit. The topical reference is pretty funny, actually, and everything else about the movie is wonderful, especially the visual and character design. The main character is a bilious, Bond-style supervillain (Steve Carell, doing Russian-inflected shtick) who's suddenly outclassed by a brash young newcomer (Jason Segel); as part of the old-timer's plan to even the score, he adopts three plucky orphan girls, and darned if they don’t awaken the better angels of his nature. Like the best kids' entertainment, this creates a daffy little world all its own. Cliff Doersken-Chicago Reader

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

scott pilgrim vs. the world   (2010, USA, 112mins, PG)

Dir. Edgar Wright Starring Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the first rock & roll kung fu videogame youth love story. Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), it's based on a comic-book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. At times, it may remind you of other films adapted from graphic novels (notably Ghost World), and even of Wes Anderson, but it's got a madly clever and playful let's-try-it-on prankishness all its own. It also has Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old Toronto slacker who plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and is something of a babe magnet. Cera, with nerdy-verging-on-girly gestures, a voice that sounds like it hasn't broken yet, and his overall turtle-ish vibe, may be the unlikeliest leading man in the history of cinema — but let's be clear that I mean that as a compliment. Geeky as he is, he's so fast, his line readings driven by a hunger that never spills into self-pity, that he gets you on his wavelength by staying one ironically desperate step ahead. The movie, with its charming visual tropes, is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting. Scott starts off by dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a high school student who adores him; he then falls for Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a violet-haired, doe-eyed punk fatale with seven ''evil exes'' he must defeat, as if they were videogame levels, to win her over. Winstead, a born star, is like a kewpie-doll Edie Sedgwick. She makes Ramona a girl worth fighting for, and fight Scott does — I dug the freshness of Scott Pilgrim. It's a true original. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

despicable me   (2010, USA, 95mins, PG )

Dir. Chris Renaud Starring: Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Steve Carell

As if to remind us of what we're otherwise being spared, this superior computer-animated family romp contains just one each of the following: fart jokes, topical references that will sail over kids' heads, and dance numbers in which the characters bust zany moves to a 70s disco hit. The topical reference is pretty funny, actually, and everything else about the movie is wonderful, especially the visual and character design. The main character is a bilious, Bond-style supervillain (Steve Carell, doing Russian-inflected shtick) who's suddenly outclassed by a brash young newcomer (Jason Segel); as part of the old-timer's plan to even the score, he adopts three plucky orphan girls, and darned if they don’t awaken the better angels of his nature. Like the best kids' entertainment, this creates a daffy little world all its own. Cliff Doersken-Chicago Reader

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

scott pilgrim vs. the world   (2010, USA, 112mins, PG)

Dir. Edgar Wright Starring Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the first rock & roll kung fu videogame youth love story. Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), it's based on a comic-book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. At times, it may remind you of other films adapted from graphic novels (notably Ghost World), and even of Wes Anderson, but it's got a madly clever and playful let's-try-it-on prankishness all its own. It also has Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old Toronto slacker who plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and is something of a babe magnet. Cera, with nerdy-verging-on-girly gestures, a voice that sounds like it hasn't broken yet, and his overall turtle-ish vibe, may be the unlikeliest leading man in the history of cinema — but let's be clear that I mean that as a compliment. Geeky as he is, he's so fast, his line readings driven by a hunger that never spills into self-pity, that he gets you on his wavelength by staying one ironically desperate step ahead. The movie, with its charming visual tropes, is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting. Scott starts off by dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a high school student who adores him; he then falls for Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a violet-haired, doe-eyed punk fatale with seven ''evil exes'' he must defeat, as if they were videogame levels, to win her over. Winstead, a born star, is like a kewpie-doll Edie Sedgwick. She makes Ramona a girl worth fighting for, and fight Scott does — I dug the freshness of Scott Pilgrim. It's a true original. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

scott pilgrim vs. the world   (2010, USA, 112mins, PG)

Dir. Edgar Wright Starring Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the first rock & roll kung fu videogame youth love story. Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), it's based on a comic-book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. At times, it may remind you of other films adapted from graphic novels (notably Ghost World), and even of Wes Anderson, but it's got a madly clever and playful let's-try-it-on prankishness all its own. It also has Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old Toronto slacker who plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and is something of a babe magnet. Cera, with nerdy-verging-on-girly gestures, a voice that sounds like it hasn't broken yet, and his overall turtle-ish vibe, may be the unlikeliest leading man in the history of cinema — but let's be clear that I mean that as a compliment. Geeky as he is, he's so fast, his line readings driven by a hunger that never spills into self-pity, that he gets you on his wavelength by staying one ironically desperate step ahead. The movie, with its charming visual tropes, is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting. Scott starts off by dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a high school student who adores him; he then falls for Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a violet-haired, doe-eyed punk fatale with seven ''evil exes'' he must defeat, as if they were videogame levels, to win her over. Winstead, a born star, is like a kewpie-doll Edie Sedgwick. She makes Ramona a girl worth fighting for, and fight Scott does — I dug the freshness of Scott Pilgrim. It's a true original. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

movies for mommies:
the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

hugh hefner: playboy, activist & rebel   (2009, Canada, 124mins, 14a)

Dir. Brigitte Berman

Sorry, folks, but this is a good guy. I know. Everybody wants to hate Hugh Hefner. The right wants to hate him because they think he destroyed Western civilization, and radical feminists hate him because they think that if a woman wears a bunny tail she has been degraded to the status of an animal, or something like that. Then there are lots of guys who hate him because he wears pajamas all day and has seven girlfriends, or three, or one, or as many as he feels like having. Yet as ridiculous as Hefner's life sometimes seems, he has been an exemplary citizen, as this documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brigitte Berman spells out. Even before seeing this movie, I knew of his contributions to film preservation and to documentaries on Hollywood history. He's also been a strong and lifelong advocate for civil rights, most importantly when it made a difference and wasn't popular. He has given breaks to a number of important performers, through his late-night TV shows, and he has given to worthy causes. He has also maintained an upbeat public demeanor for decades, despite lots of attacks and several unfounded investigations - including an attempt to get him on a drug charge, when he didn't do drugs. My business is to tell you that if you want to see an entertaining documentary that shows what Hefner does besides standing around smiling, this is a good bet. Mick LaSalle-San Francisco Gate

hugh hefner: playboy, activist, rebel   (2009, Canada, 124mins, 14a)

Dir. Brigitte Berman

Sorry, folks, but this is a good guy. I know. Everybody wants to hate Hugh Hefner. The right wants to hate him because they think he destroyed Western civilization, and radical feminists hate him because they think that if a woman wears a bunny tail she has been degraded to the status of an animal, or something like that. Then there are lots of guys who hate him because he wears pajamas all day and has seven girlfriends, or three, or one, or as many as he feels like having. Yet as ridiculous as Hefner's life sometimes seems, he has been an exemplary citizen, as this documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brigitte Berman spells out. Even before seeing this movie, I knew of his contributions to film preservation and to documentaries on Hollywood history. He's also been a strong and lifelong advocate for civil rights, most importantly when it made a difference and wasn't popular. He has given breaks to a number of important performers, through his late-night TV shows, and he has given to worthy causes. He has also maintained an upbeat public demeanor for decades, despite lots of attacks and several unfounded investigations - including an attempt to get him on a drug charge, when he didn't do drugs. My business is to tell you that if you want to see an entertaining documentary that shows what Hefner does besides standing around smiling, this is a good bet. Mick LaSalle-San Francisco Gate

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn.
Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

toons 4 toddlers:
Thomas the tank engine   (2010, 60mins, G)

Toons for Toddlers Returns with the exclusive premiere of Thomas & Friends: Misty Island River on September 11th 10:00AM. This program welcomes families with kids between the ages of 18 months -6 years who want to enjoy a cinema experience in a kid-friendly way. Screenings are only 60 minutes in length and run with reduced sound and dim lighting. Admission is $5 for adults and kids and tickets are now on sale For full information visit www.toonsfortoddlers.com

toons 4 toddlers:
Thomas the tank engine   (2010, 60mins, G)

Toons for Toddlers Returns with the exclusive premiere of Thomas & Friends: Misty Island River on September 11th 10:00AM. This program welcomes families with kids between the ages of 18 months -6 years who want to enjoy a cinema experience in a kid-friendly way. Screenings are only 60 minutes in length and run with reduced sound and dim lighting. Admission is $5 for adults and kids and tickets are now on sale For full information visit www.toonsfortoddlers.com

ramona & beezus   (2010, USA, 93mins, G)

Dir. Elizabeth Allen · Starring: Bridget Moynahan, Joey King, Selena Gomez

"Ramona and Beezus" knits together scenes and themes from all eight of Cleary's Ramona Quimby novels into a sweet and funny, portrait of life on a modern-day Klickitat Street. Ramona (the cute, but not-too-cloying, Joey King) is 9 and has a real knack for getting into trouble. She's not trying to; it's just that she's brave and imaginative and sometimes things get a little out of hand and the next thing you know, she's cracked a raw egg on her head on Picture Day. Her sister, Beezus (Gomez, sharing the spotlight well), is in high school, and is therefore exasperated by Ramona's antics, especially when the pest starts a kitchen fire just as a boy calls on the telephone. "Ramona and Beezus," of course, is about how sisters love each other despite all the upsetting things that happen to them. Dan Kois-Washington Post

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

ramona & beezus   (2010, USA, 93mins, G)

Dir. Elizabeth Allen · Starring: Bridget Moynahan, Joey King, Selena Gomez

"Ramona and Beezus" knits together scenes and themes from all eight of Cleary's Ramona Quimby novels into a sweet and funny, portrait of life on a modern-day Klickitat Street. Ramona (the cute, but not-too-cloying, Joey King) is 9 and has a real knack for getting into trouble. She's not trying to; it's just that she's brave and imaginative and sometimes things get a little out of hand and the next thing you know, she's cracked a raw egg on her head on Picture Day. Her sister, Beezus (Gomez, sharing the spotlight well), is in high school, and is therefore exasperated by Ramona's antics, especially when the pest starts a kitchen fire just as a boy calls on the telephone. "Ramona and Beezus," of course, is about how sisters love each other despite all the upsetting things that happen to them. Dan Kois-Washington Post

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Directors, Actors, etc

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

cyrus  (2010, 91mins, USA, 14a)

Dir. Jay & Mark Duplass Starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomeii, Johan Hill, Catherine Keener

If you want to see a vital example of how the indie spirit can interface with Hollywood, check out the spiky and surprising Cyrus. It stars John C. Reilly as John, a big, doofy, slovenly, and lovable middle-aged loser, and Jonah Hill as Cyrus, the blandly hostile and two-faced 21-year-old offspring of John's new girlfriend, Molly (Marisa Tomei) — in other words, the creepy clinging son from hell. The moment they meet, with Cyrus putting on an expert show of bogus politeness, the two men kick off an escalating war of wills. Cyrus cues us to expect it to go over the top, but the film never does. That may be its neatest trick. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

movies for mommies:
salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

solitary man   (2009, USA, 90mins, 14a)

Dir. Brian Koppelman Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon

Michael Douglas surges ahead in Solitary Man with the best work he's done in the decade since Wonder Boys. Douglas portrays Ben Kalmen, a New York player gone to seed and divorced from a good, mature woman (Susan Sarandon, equally revitalized). He's squandering the love of his adult daughter (Jenna Fischer, superb). And he's compulsively chasing inappropriate women — some as young as the college-age daughter (Imogen Poots) of his girlfriend (Mary-Louise Parker). Lisa Schwarzbaum-Entertainment Weekly

mao's last dancer   (2009, Australia, 117mins, PG)

Dir. Bruce Beresford Starring Ci Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle McLauchlan, Joan Chen

Based on a true story, Mao's Last Dancer chronicles the journey of Li and the struggle for his artistic soul from the day as an 11-year-old boy, when he is plucked from a remote provincial town and sent to train in Beijing. It is 1972, towards the end of Mao Zedong's era and the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. Nine years later, after several months in Houston, Li finds himself literally in a tug-of-war between East and West when, with a heavy heart, he decides to defect. Li quickly realizes that all the warnings he receives about life in the West — including the “unimaginable” squalour — are not true. Au contraire, in fact. And in the battle between dancing for love of dance or serving the interests of the socialist revolution, there is really no contest. Bruce DeMara-Toronto Star

mao's last dancer   (2009, Australia, 117mins, PG)

Dir. Bruce Beresford Starring Ci Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle McLauchlan, Joan Chen

Based on a true story, Mao's Last Dancer chronicles the journey of Li and the struggle for his artistic soul from the day as an 11-year-old boy, when he is plucked from a remote provincial town and sent to train in Beijing. It is 1972, towards the end of Mao Zedong's era and the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. Nine years later, after several months in Houston, Li finds himself literally in a tug-of-war between East and West when, with a heavy heart, he decides to defect. Li quickly realizes that all the warnings he receives about life in the West — including the “unimaginable” squalour — are not true. Au contraire, in fact. And in the battle between dancing for love of dance or serving the interests of the socialist revolution, there is really no contest. Bruce DeMara-Toronto Star

solitary man   (2009, USA, 90mins, 14a)

Dir. Brian Koppelman Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon

Michael Douglas surges ahead in Solitary Man with the best work he's done in the decade since Wonder Boys. Douglas portrays Ben Kalmen, a New York player gone to seed and divorced from a good, mature woman (Susan Sarandon, equally revitalized). He's squandering the love of his adult daughter (Jenna Fischer, superb). And he's compulsively chasing inappropriate women — some as young as the college-age daughter (Imogen Poots) of his girlfriend (Mary-Louise Parker). Lisa Schwarzbaum-Entertainment Weekly

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

the girl who played with fire   (2010, SWEDEN/DENMARK/GERMANY, 129mins, 18A )

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian. All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

despicable me   (2010, USA, 95mins, PG)

Dir. Chris Renaud Starring: Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Steve Carell

As if to remind us of what we're otherwise being spared, this superior computer-animated family romp contains just one each of the following: fart jokes, topical references that will sail over kids' heads, and dance numbers in which the characters bust zany moves to a 70s disco hit. The topical reference is pretty funny, actually, and everything else about the movie is wonderful, especially the visual and character design. The main character is a bilious, Bond-style supervillain (Steve Carell, doing Russian-inflected shtick) who's suddenly outclassed by a brash young newcomer (Jason Segel); as part of the old-timer's plan to even the score, he adopts three plucky orphan girls, and darned if they don’t awaken the better angels of his nature. Like the best kids' entertainment, this creates a daffy little world all its own. Cliff Doersken-Chicago Reader

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

the girl who played with fire   (2010, SWEDEN/DENMARK/GERMANY, 129mins, 18A )

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian.
All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

despicable me   (2010, USA, 95mins, PG )

Dir. Chris Renaud Starring: Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Steve Carell

As if to remind us of what we're otherwise being spared, this superior computer-animated family romp contains just one each of the following: fart jokes, topical references that will sail over kids' heads, and dance numbers in which the characters bust zany moves to a 70s disco hit. The topical reference is pretty funny, actually, and everything else about the movie is wonderful, especially the visual and character design. The main character is a bilious, Bond-style supervillain (Steve Carell, doing Russian-inflected shtick) who's suddenly outclassed by a brash young newcomer (Jason Segel); as part of the old-timer's plan to even the score, he adopts three plucky orphan girls, and darned if they don’t awaken the better angels of his nature. Like the best kids' entertainment, this creates a daffy little world all its own. Cliff Doersken-Chicago Reader

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

the girl who played with fire   (2010, SWEDEN/DENMARK/GERMANY, 129mins, 18a)

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian.
All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

the girl who played with fire   (2010, SWEDEN/DENMARK/GERMANY, 129mins, 18a)

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian.
All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

8 1/2   (1963, ITALY, 138mins, R )

Dir. Federico Fellini Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk AimEe, Sandra Milo

Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi, a director whose new project is collapsing around him, along with his life. One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini’s 8½ (Otto e mezzo) turns one man’s artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. An early working title for 8½ was The Beautiful Confusion, and Fellini’s masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act.

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

movies for mommies:
the girl who played with fire   (2010, SWEDEN/DENMARK/GERMANY, 129mins, 18A )

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian.
All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

8 1/2   (1963, ITALY, 138mins, R )

Dir. Federico Fellini Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk AimEe, Sandra Milo

Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi, a director whose new project is collapsing around him, along with his life. One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini’s 8½ (Otto e mezzo) turns one man’s artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. An early working title for 8½ was The Beautiful Confusion, and Fellini’s masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act.

i am love   (2009, Italy, 120mins, 18a)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino Starring: Edoardo Gabbriellini, Flavio Parenti, Tilda Swinton

The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition. Tilda Swinton stars as a Russian immigrant, long married into a filthy-rich clan of Milanese industrialists, who has surrendered not only her cultural but her personal identity. (Asked for her Russian name, she replies, “I no longer know it.”) Pictorial studies of the family’s beautifully ornate mansion eventually give way to simpler images of earth and sky as the repressed woman ventures into the mountains for a steamy, emotionally liberating affair with her grown son’s best friend. The film has been compared to those of Luchino Visconti, which makes sense, though Visconti’s socialist subtext has been replaced here by more contemporary gender concerns. Luca Guadagnino directed; with Marisa Berenson. In Italian with subtitles. J.R. Jones-Chicago Reader

screamfest  (DOORS OPEN AT SEVEN, rated r )

TICKETS CAN ONLY BE PURCHASED ON THE NIGHT, SO GET THERE EARLY!

On September 23rd, 2010 the Toronto Screamfest will be taking over the Fox Theatre for it's second year! Hosted by Actress/Model Veronika London and sponsored by Anchor Bay Entertainment, Film Army and SKG Films, this year is shaping up to be bigger and better than last. Headlining the fest this year is Adam Green's 'Frozen' along with a solid line up of featured shorts and two films from local first-time film makers. "Done Like Dinner" Directed by Tobias Kiel Two would-be robbers stumble upon a house where a lonely man resides. "Case Study" Directed by Torin Langen After witnessing her mother being killed by her father, Stacy spirals into a cycle of self-mutilation and violence. "Expired Poetry" Directed by Chris Lawson A depressed teen discovers the root of his feelings when a device is found inside of him that prevents him from feeling any positive emotion. "Worm" Directed by Zach Green A 20 minute dark drama detailing the fragile and increasingly terrifying mental state of misanthropic High School teacher Geoffry Oswald Dodd. "Until Death" Directed by Mike Klassen Two young film makers embark on a film project with dark intentions and even darker, more disturbing results. "Remote" Directed by Marc Roussel Temporarily connected in time, a man tried to prevent the murder of a young woman, living in his house 30 years in the past. "Victim" Directed by Ryan Barrett The North American premiere of this disturbing, violent short by talented film maker Ryan Barrett. "Frozen" Directed by Adam Green Three skiers are stranded on a chairlift and forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death. Written and Directed by Adam Green (Hatchet 1 and 2)

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

karate kid   (2010, USA/china, 410mins, pg )

dir. harald zwart starring: jackie chan, jaden smith (lil fresh prince)

The ever-likable Chan plays Mr. Han, a maintenance man and former Kung Fu master who becomes a mentor for Dre (Smith), a slight 12-year-old picked on by local thugs, led by the scowling Cheng (Wang Zhenwei). Han intercedes as half a dozen boys descend on Dre, then agrees to instruct him in martial arts. The film is solidly entertaining, mostly because of the endearing performances of Smith and Chan and its atmosphere of cross-cultural celebration. Claudia Puig-USA Today

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

shock and awe: the dusk till dawn grindhouse film experience
  (an all nighter beginning at 11:30pm, rated r )

Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door.

An all night grindhouse homage showcasing an eclectic mix of explotation films: killer tarantulas (Kingdom of the Spiders), awol commie agents (Dolph Lundgren in Red Scorpion), an Osmonds espionage musical (Goin Coconuts) and a mystery film. We end the night with the 80's cult classic GHOULIES. Most of the prints have been unseen on the big screen in Canada for decades, and the evening is padded with lots of tasty themed food at the snack bar. SHOCK AND AWE is not an ordinary film screening, it's an event! 6 films, one night and morning. Sleep when you're dead, and join the celluloid sleepover!

karate kid   (2010, USA/china, 410mins, pg )

dir. harald zwart starring: jackie chan, jaden smith (lil fresh prince)

The ever-likable Chan plays Mr. Han, a maintenance man and former Kung Fu master who becomes a mentor for Dre (Smith), a slight 12-year-old picked on by local thugs, led by the scowling Cheng (Wang Zhenwei). Han intercedes as half a dozen boys descend on Dre, then agrees to instruct him in martial arts. The film is solidly entertaining, mostly because of the endearing performances of Smith and Chan and its atmosphere of cross-cultural celebration. Claudia Puig-USA Today

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

salt  (2010, USA, 100mins, PG)

Dir. Philip Noyce Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Shreiber

Jolie's Evelyn Salt is a U.S. spook first seen being tortured by North Koreans for stealing nuclear secrets. Two years later, having been saved in a spy swap, she's married and working as a CIA analyst in Washington when a mysterious Russian defector names her as a double-agent. He claims she was trained, along with a generation of Red orphans in the '70s, to be a super-sleeper spy who'll start an attack on America planned by Soviet leaders decades ago. Salt insists she's innocent, but goes on the run to keep a visiting diplomat from being assassinated in New York and her own husband from being a pawn. Only her CIA boss (a perfectly sneaky Liev Schreiber) stands between Salt and the counterintelligence officer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to haul her in or kill her before the fail-safe stakes get too high. Joe Neumaier-NY Daily News

the kids are all right   (2010, USA, 106mins, 18a)

Dir. Lisa Cholodenko Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Doctor Nic ( Annette Bening) and her longtime partner, Jules ( Julianne Moore), have two teenagers from the same sperm donor. Daughter Joni ( Mia Wasikowska), heading off to college, is leaving behind a younger brother, Laser ( Josh Hutcherson), who has grown curious about the identity of their father.Contact is made, behind the moms' backs, and in a charmingly awkward scene, Mark Ruffalo's restaurateur Paul — an easygoing SoCal satyr, open to any new experience — says he'd be willing to have some sort of relationship, or friendship, with these two. From there the narrative offers an equal number of satisfying inevitables and gratifying surprises. The Bening character, a hard-drinking, somewhat fearsome control freak, doesn't like the idea of this man entering their lives. Moore's character, a fledgling landscape gardener who's hired to transform Paul's canyon hillside into something more than untended scrub, sees him differently, more forgivingly. She's also intrigued by this boy-man in his 40s who seems to live in a seductive fog of availability. Michael Phillips-Chicago Tribune

lifeforce  (1985, UK, 101mins, 14a)

Dir. Tobe Hooper Starring: Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Mathilda May

Halley's Comet returns to the solar system and the English/American team aboard the shuttle "Churchill", making a close-up survey of the comet, discovers an alien spacecraft in the head of the comet. Inside the spacecraft are some large bat-like creatures and in three cocoons are three "dead" humans - two men and a woman. The "Churchill" takes the humans and a creature back to Earth. There the bosses of the project are amazed to find the shuttle burnt out and all but one of the crew - Carlsen - dead. The humans from the spacecraft suddenly awake and all those who come into contact with them are drained of their "lifeforce" and in time all the victims - including most of the population of London - are turned into zombies all preying on the horrified survivors for their "lifeforce". It's up to Carlsen and Major Caine of the SAS to stop them before the whole world turns into a big blood-hunt...

the girl with the dragon tattoo   (2009, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 152mins, 18a)

Dir. Niels Arden Opley Starring Michael Nyqvis, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Andersson, Ingvar Hirdwall, and Marika Lagercrantz

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," is a mind-bending and mesmerizing thriller based on the first crime novel in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. The bones of the story remain -- the 40-year-old unsolved case of a missing girl, a disgraced financial journalist, and the enigmatic young private investigator with that dragon tattoo. An aging mogul is convinced that Harriet, the missing girl was abducted by a family member and hires investigative magazine reporter Mikael Blomkvist (who's got a knack for connecting the dots.) Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), with her shaved head, nose rings, and a dragon tattoo inked on her back is the unlikely PI sorting through Mikael's dirty laundry. With the players set, the filmmaker dives into Harriet's disappearance, leading us into a web of intrigue that the spider is still spinning. Betsy Sharkey-L.A. Times

the girl who played with fire   (2010, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 129mins, 18a)

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian. All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

movies for mommies:
toy story 3   (2010, USA, 103mins, G)

Dir. Lee Unkrich Voiced by Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Michael Keaton

Even with the bar raised high, Toy Story 3 enchanted and moved me so deeply I was flabbergasted that a digitally animated comedy about plastic playthings could have this effect. Andy, the boy owner of our toy pals, is now all grown up and about to head off to college, which leaves the toys feeling like relics. All they want is to be played with; that's how they're made. Will they now be stowed in the attic — a slightly depressing if still acceptable fate? Or will they (gulp) be thrown out? When Andy's mom mistakes an attic-bound trash bag full of them for, well, garbage, they end up being carted off to a day-care center. Upon arrival, they meet a new batch of playthings, who look like they belong on the Island of Misfit Toys. They also meet the stuffed animal who runs the place, a drawling Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty), who explains that they will now be played with every day by an eager crop of kids. It sounds a little too good to be true — and it is. Besides, they'll no longer be Andy's toys. They know, in their synthetic joints, that they're being put out to pasture, and the awareness that they are not wanted creeps up on them, and us, like a giant swelling teardrop. All of a sudden, a Pixar movie has the poignancy of a Tennessee Williams play, and that sense of fragility — of once-loved, now-outdated toys fighting for dignity and survival — haunts the entire movie. Owen Gleiberman-Entertainment Weekly

the girl with the dragon tattoo   (2009, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 152mins, 18a)

Dir. Niels Arden Opley Starring Michael Nyqvis, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Andersson, Ingvar Hirdwall, and Marika Lagercrantz

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," is a mind-bending and mesmerizing thriller based on the first crime novel in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. The bones of the story remain -- the 40-year-old unsolved case of a missing girl, a disgraced financial journalist, and the enigmatic young private investigator with that dragon tattoo. An aging mogul is convinced that Harriet, the missing girl was abducted by a family member and hires investigative magazine reporter Mikael Blomkvist (who's got a knack for connecting the dots.) Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), with her shaved head, nose rings, and a dragon tattoo inked on her back is the unlikely PI sorting through Mikael's dirty laundry. With the players set, the filmmaker dives into Harriet's disappearance, leading us into a web of intrigue that the spider is still spinning. Betsy Sharkey-L.A. Times

the girl who played with fire   (2010, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 129mins, 18a)

Dir. Daniel Alfredson Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist

On the eve of Millennium magazine’s publication of a provocative article about prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden, its two authors are murdered. And feisty Lisbeth’s fingerprints are found on the gun, which belonged to her vile, abusive guardian. All evidence for the murders point to secretive, chain-smoking Lisbeth, who must elude capture while searching for legal/police records that will prove her innocence. Susan Granger

the big sleep   (2010, USA, 114 mins, 14a )

dir. howard hawks starring humphrey bogart, lauren bacall.

The second film in our Classics From The Vault lineup directed by Howard Hawks, The Big Sleep stars Humphrey Bogart as hard-nosed provate investigator Philip Marlowe. Called on to the mansion of a wealthy client and tasked to investigate his daughter's gambling debts, Marlowe soon realizes that not all is as it seems, leading to a convoluted, shadowy plot courtesy of novelist Raymond Chandler and screenwriter William Faulkner. The film also stars sultry Lauren Bacall who shared intense chemistry with her leading man, who was also her husband off screen. One of the best film noir ever made. Preceded by an assortment of shorts & cartoons from the 1940s and followed by another film noir, The Maltese Falcon, again with Bogart starring.

the maltese falcon   (1941, USA, 101mins, PG)

Dir. John Huston, Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet

The Maltese Falcon is among the most important and influential movies to emerge from the Hollywood system - as significant in some ways as its contemporary, Citizen Kane. In addition to providing the cinema with a new kind of private investigator (move over, Nick and Nora Charles), The Maltese Falcon supplied an entirely new style by which to tell these kinds of stories: film noir. It was the directorial birthplace of John Huston, who would become one of the dozen-or-so most revered American-born filmmakers, as well as the picture that transformed Humphrey Bogart from a B-level supporting villain to an A-level leading man. At the same time, it tells a twisty, compelling story that holds up reasonably well more than 65 years after being committed to film. As the story opens, P.I. Sam Spade (Bogart) is in his office, engaging in banter with his secretary, Effie (Lee Patrick). Enter the femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor). She wants to hire Sam and his partner, Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan). She spins a story about her sister having been led astray by a man and brought to San Francisco against her will. For $200, Spade is to liberate the sister from this man, but it may be dangerous. James Berdanelli-Reelviews