Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Days must have been longer in late 1930s London. Miss Pettigrew certainly has a long one in this story of an out-of-work nanny who sidesteps her way into the screwy world of aspiring American actress, Delysia Lafosse, under the assumption that she's a renowned social secretary.

Frances McDormand plays the title character with demure wisdom that builds over the course of the film. This contrasts a bit with the actual pace of the movie which picks up double time from Delysia's first appearance for a whirlwind ride all the way to the finish.

Amy Adams' Delysia is a slight offshoot from her typical innocent living in her own world; it's difficult not to feel a little bad for her even though her dilemma is entirely her own fault. As Miss Pettigrew skillfully assists her in balancing three boyfriends - a controlling nightclub owner, a pushover play producer, and a lovesick piano player - we're treated to a glitzy view of pre-war London. Much of it comes off like a stage production but there are some good shots that pull the audience into the 4th wall. One of those is the circle of relationships shot during Delysia and Michael's treatment of "If I Didn't Care". Overall this is mainly a fluffy piece with no real underlying message but an enjoyable sprint through what must have been an exhausting day 70 years in the making.

Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: Women and men alike looking for 90 minutes of light laughs

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

What keeps this satire grounded is that there's actually a story. John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox is not just doing comedy but is actually acting the tragic story of his character. And although it has its share of dirty jokes, the film doesn't solely rely on them. This results in a movie that's not laugh-out-loud funny the whole way through but still consistently amusing.

The cast list (although several went uncredited) boasts a veritable cornucopia of today's parodying talent including: Tim Meadows, Kristin Wiig, Ed Helms, Chris Parnell, Craig Robinson, Jane Lynch, and Harold Ramis. There were also a few surprises such as Jack White as Elvis and Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly. Jenna Fischer lets her silly side run wild as Dewey's second wife and backup singer, Darlene. But the hands down best appearance is by The Beatles, or rather Paul Rudd as John, Jack Black as Paul, Justin Long as George and Jason Schwartzman as Ringo. Their delivery of the tongue-in-cheek dialogue peppered with song references is spot on amusement.

This movie is well thought out as it takes us on the journey of Dewey's entire life - from his scaring childhood to his death as a music legend. The attention to makeup and costuming for the different decades (as well as jokes for when nothing can be done about an actor's appearance) deserves a round of applause.

Walk Hard differs from a mockumentary like This is Spinal Tap by more so making fun of Hollywood's treatment of the music industry biopic rather than of the rock and roll scene itself. So if you're looking for This is Spinal Tap, you'll be disappointed. But like another Christopher Guest hit, A Mighty Wind, the songs are well sung and catchy enough to be stuck in your head hours later.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Adults looking for a film to make them smile, are tired of the music biopic, and don't mind a little bit of crude humor

Appaloosa (2008)

Ed Harris wrote, directed, and stared in Appaloosa. With fellow writer Robert Knott, he's really written more of a story that happens to take place in the Old West than a classic western. And what you really have to give Harris credit for, is although he's holding the reins on this movie from three directions, he still stands just off to the side to let Viggio Mortenson shine. It's ironic because that's just what Mortensen's character is trying to do for Harris' in the film.

Harris' character Virgil Cole is clearly flawed. He walks around with with well-founded confidence and swagger and yet still quietly acknowledges his downfalls. Mortensen's Everett Hitch is Cole's partner in a lawman-for-hire operation - the quiet man carrying the giant gun. Their teamwork is inspiring as they work to protect the town of Appaloosa from rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons still channeling Scar from The Lion King).

Their smooth teamwork is interrupted by the arrival of widow Allison French (Renee Zellweger). Ms. French will play anyone to get whatever she needs and the idea of a woman doing that to survive in the old west is intriguing. Unfortunately, Zellweger pours all her focus into the conniving aspect of her character and forgot to also show us why anyone would love her, much less stick their neck out for her, in the first place. We're lucky that Harris and Mortensen are so good they can pretty much hold up that plotline without her.

As far as plot and visuals go, the movie has many of your typical western elements: a scene on a train, plenty of horseback riding, a conflict with native americans, and at least one spectacular shoot out sequence. But this movie is more than just that. It has a heart and mind. So many westerns have larger than life characters, but this one has ones you can actually relate to. Cole and Hitch are real, relatable people. And they sound like it too - the dialogue works wonderfully. It's obvious that this project was a labor of love for Ed Harris.

And it's films like Appaloosa and 3:10 to Yuma that have managed to keep the western genre open to appeal to a wider audience than just those who typically enjoy westerns. Audiences just need to give them a chance.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: The farmer AND the cowhand provided they are over 13.

Sharkwater (2007)

Outside of Shark Week of the Discovery Channel, nowhere else have I seen such intense interest in sharks. This 2007 documentary is directed by and stars Rob Stewart, a Canadian underwater photographer. Some have called this film the "anti-Jaws" and rightly so. Stewart treats the audience to stunning moving images while debunking common shark myths, but his story really picks up with his investigation into illegal shark finning with the crew of an oceanic watchdog group.

Nothing will stop him from exposing the reality of what is happening to the sharks - not threats, charges filled against him, getting banned from a country, or flesh-eating bacteria. Although Stewart's message is powerful - full of looming danger and the balance of life on Earth - there comes a point where the audience could easily feel sorry for him while losing some belief in his credibility. About three quarters of the way in, Stewart walks the fine line of obsession. This is demonstrated not only by his willingness to put his own life at severe risk, but also more simply in his near-constant use of the word "sharks" - at one point about seven times in two minutes.

Luckily his overarching message and imagery are stronger. The end leaves you feeling simultaneously like you need to do something to save the sharks and yet like this shark issue is so huge you can't help but feel a bit helpless. Sharkwater has won 31 international awards (mostly at film festivals) and it's easy to see why.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Everyone (unless you don't want your kids to see people cutting off fins of very much alive sharks)

Extended Review: Despite Stewart's over-self-insertion, I still have to give him props for getting the bigger picture than just the immediate danger to the shark population. He actually gets into what can happen if the food chain is disrupted by the lack of a high-level predator and how that can affect many living organisms all the way down to those that metabolize carbon dioxide into oxygen. This brings the idea of humans hurting sharks all the way back to humans hurting themselves. And isn't it always interesting to learn something about ourselves?

City of Ember (2008)

City of Ember apparently came out in theaters in October 2008 but I can't remember ever seeing it advertised - anywhere. With a cast including Oscar-winners Tim Robbins and Martin Landau, as well as Oscar-nominees Bill Murray and Saoirse Ronan, I'm not sure why. On top of that, the poster uses the tagline "Escape is the only option." This makes it seem like a horror film unless you're sensitive to things like the typical use of a cool color palette on horror film posters (this one is warm) or have heard of/read the 2003 book on which the film is based.

The real travesty in this poor marketing is that this is actually a pretty darn good children's movie that adults will be able to find interesting as well.

The city of Ember itself is a completely underground community, reminiscent of Eastern Germany right before the Wall fell and built to last 200 years by the aptly named Builders. They also left behind a box containing the instructions on what to do when that time is up, but it's been forgotten. The town's generator is failing and the food supplies are running low as we're introduced to Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) who've just graduated school and have been assigned the jobs of Messenger and Pipeworks Apprentice respectively. Doon desperately wants to fix the generator while Lina is determined to find a way outside of the city. The two team up but the corrupt Mayor Cole (Bill Murray) isn't going to make it easy.

Director Gil Kenan puts forth a charming film in only his second wide-release effort. There are plenty of questions on how the city really works, but it's visually stunning and still fun to experience.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Everyone looking for a fun adventure but especially kids ages 5 - 11