Since many know I love to watch movies, here are a few more I have seen along with my recommendation. I will do my best to avoid spoiler alerts.
Pieces of April, with Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Derek Luke, Oliver Platt, Allison Pill, John Gallagher, Jr. and Sean Hayes is an excellent movie about an older daughter (Holmes) who has invited her family to Thanksgiving dinner at her apartment. Apparently, she wants to show her mother who is dying from breast cancer, she can do this. It is well done and the large cast is aided and abetted by a supporting cast of neighbors. The movie focuses on Holmes’ preparation travails and the travel by the family to visit.
Fall, starring Eric Schaeffer and Amanda de Cadenet is about a New York cab driver who befriends and charms a super-model he keeps bumping into. They movie can get a little racy at times, but not too much, so it is better to avoid watching with children around. The dialogue is crisp, as we learn that both are more learned than their current jobs would require. The movie is aided by the cab driver’s friends who are so interested in his relationship with the supermodel.
Burning Bodhi, which I mentioned for a quote on church going in a recent post, stars an excellent ensemble cast, whose only recognizable names are Kaley Cuoco and Virginia Madsen. Others include Cody Horn, Landon Liboiran, Eli Vargas, Sasha Pieterse, Meghann Fahy. Their good friend Bodhi has passed away from an aneurysm, so his friends have traveled to grieve together to honor his memory. Cuoco and Madsen play excellent roles of women who have made some bad decisions that still haunt them, but they are not the only troubled folks.
The last days of capitalism, starring Sarah Rose Harper and Mike Faiola, is a two person, one scene (hotel room and balcony) movie with a lot of dialogue. In a “Pretty woman” sort of way, a wealthy man hires a prostitute to stay with him for the weekend. The movie would be flat, if it were not for the deep dialogue between the two actors on religion, greed, sex, etc. While there may be some sexual content, it is not overt, so you won’t get too embarrassed if the kids walk through the room.
Ms. Purple, starring Tiffany Chu, Jake Lee, and Octavio Pisano is about an Asian-American woman (Chu) who must prostitute herself to take care of her dying father. She enlists her brother (Lee) who was estranged from his father to help after one of the night caretakers quits. The movie is actually quite good and moving as she has to overcome so many hurdles and maltreatment given her profession.
The vicious kind, is a very good and well-acted movie about a very gray character played by Adam Scott. The movie also stars Brittany Snow, J.K. Simmons and Alex Frost. Scott plays the older brother to Frost’s character, as Frost brings home a woman from college he is dating played by Snow. Not only is Scott estranged from his father played by Simmons, he is having great difficulty dealing with ex-girlfriend who cheated on him. Scott is excellent in the role, but I must confess you will not care for him very much.
Little birds, is a good movie about two teenage girls played by Juno Skinner and Kay Panabaker, living in a small desert town who make less than stellar decisions. As a parent and imperfect person, I found myself talking to the TV saying don’t do that or get out of the room, so it is uncomfortable in that regard. It also stars Kate Bosworth, Leslie Mann and Neil McDonough. Skinner convinces Panabaker to drive with her to LA to visit a boy she falls for when he passed through town. This one will leave you uncomfortable as you think through decisions that led them down a path you see clearly.
Getting to know you, starring Ruper Penry Jones, Natasha Little, and Rachel Blanchard was a surprise at how good it was. It sounds cheesy with Jones coming to a high school reunion in hopes of rekindling a love affair with his girlfriend played by Blanchard. Little plays a British woman who has traveled to settle the affairs of her estranged brother who passed away. We learn early that Blanchard’s character is married with two kids and Jones befriends Little’s character as the hotel is malserved by several workers who are distracted from their jobs. Their building friendship is the focus even, though the married ex-girlfriend has different intentions.
Please enjoy. If I recommended only two, I would say watch “Pieces of April” and “Burning Bodhi.” Let me know what you think and of any others you have seen.