Paramount bought the rights to produce a film version of the hit Broadway musical Dreamgirls back in the 80s, but it's taken this long for the project to actually come to fruition. Maybe they were waiting for the right director, maybe they were waiting for the right talent or time, or maybe it was just difficult to convince someone a movie about three black girls pursuing their dreams would sell to the mainstream public. But even if it is many years later, fans of the original show are no less delighted that the legendary production has finally made its way to the big screen.

The movie doesn't actually come out until Christmas day nationwide, but I was lucky enough to catch one of the $25 roadshow screenings in New York city, complete with costume pieces, a program and mini-poster, the works. Being in a room full of people who obviously really wanted to see the movie enhanced the moviegoing experience, especially for a film like this which is built to be an audience pleaser. People clapped, danced, sang along if they knew the words, and cheered on the stars of the movie, who obviously were not there to hear the lavish applause.

It's often difficult going in to view a film that's been so ridiculously hyped, because it's unlikely that the movie will ever meet your expectations, and this case was no exception to the rule. The story revolves around three young black girls in Detroit with aspirations of being a famous singing girl group a la The Supremes. Many people on the record have claimed the film is not based on The Supremes, but it's been made obvious time and time again that it clearly is. Though one of the members of the group recently appeared on Access Hollywood stating the movie does not accurately portray Diana Ross–the real person was much worse. Ouch.

Nonetheless, the film is essentially centered around Effie White, who is clearly the most talented of the three girls as made clear by one of the early numbers where newcomer Jennifer Hudson (think third season of American Idol) sings her face off while the other girls stand behind her singing Oohs and Ahhs. Singing "Oohs and Ahhs" is something Effie later claims she doesn't do once approached by sly as a snake manager Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx), who offers them a chance to sing back-up for a male singer. The girls eventually convince Effie to do it, as it could lead to them hitting it big, and she reluctantly obliges once Curtis butters her up a bit.

The girls eventually end up recording a minor hit, but right before it gets big, a white artist covers their song, and it rockets up the pop charts–making it impossible for the Dreamettes' version to continue climbing. Curtis and Effie develop a relationship along the way, whilst Lorelle, played by Tony winner Anika Noni Rose falls for Eddie Murphy's character James "Thunder" Early–a James Brown-like R&B singer that refuses to water down his soulful and funky music to appeal to white audiences.

The pivotal moment in the film comes half way through, when after Effie has been bumped down from the lead singer and replaced by the prettier but less talented Deena (Beyonce Knowles), she then gets completely knocked out of the group–and also realizes Curtis is sleeping with Deena. This is when Jennifer belts out the most mind-blowing musical number I've seen on the screen since Barbra Stresand's heartbreaking "My Man" in Funny Girl. "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" is surreal.

All the musical numbers in this movie are great, but this one will have your spine tingling, your bones chilling, your hairs raised, and all the wigs flying. Aside from just the incredible vocal performance Hudson gives on the song, the emotional, powerful, and gutwrenching performance she gives on the screen is indescribable. In a theater packed full of hundreds of eager New Yorkers who all paid $25 a ticket, there were people throwing their hands up, clapping and cheering mid-song, and even jumping out of their seats to give Hudson a standing ovation at the end of the number. Throughout the entire movie, Hudson gives a surprisingly riveting performance. She nails Effie in every sense of the word–without even looking like a beginner. Her attitude oozes off the screen and right into your lap, and you love her for it. She might as well clear space on her shelf for her Oscar now.

Hudson and Murphy are clearly the standouts in this film, and should garner many awards and accollades for giving magnetic and scene-stealing performances in a film bigger than both of them. Unfortunately, the same raves cannot be given to the other actors, or the film as a whole. The good screenwriters in Hollywood must be on a strike, because along with The Pursuit of Happyness and Bobby, the biggest flaw in Dreamgirls is the script–and thus the actors are what make the movie. None of the characters are developed well enough, and the only character to have even close the appropriate amount of characterization is Lorelle, which is probably more a testament to the actress' ample abilities than to Bill Condon (Chicago) who wrote and directed the film.

Even the character who is bound to be the audience favorite, Effie White, lacks emotional depth and dimensions. We kind of understand Effie's actions based on the surrounding circumstances, but we don't get to see anything more of her than what is there at face value (the same can be said for all the characters)–and if we had, it would've made "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" that much more poignant.

Eddie Murphy is a complete riot all throughout the film, sans the grim third act which is all but funny. This is honestly the performance of his career. Through his energetic moves, hip thrusts and turns, excellent singing and red-blooded charisma, Murphy is captivating every moment he's on screen. He and Hudson are really rich icing on a cake that's missing many of its key ingredients.

Ironically, the movie's two biggest stars, Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles, are the weak links in the film. Foxx's one-note performance is reminiscent of a made-for-tv movie, and his singing is near embarassing–which is interesting because he is a singer. When Eddie Murphy is outsinging you, the professional musician, you know there's a problem. Given that this is Hudson's first film, it makes no sense that she would give a more committed, nuanced performance than Miss Knowles, who we've seen grace the screen before, and unsuccessfully.

Knowles, like many bad actors, think it's enough to just show up and say your lines. Though her character Deena is supposed to be quite dull, that doesn't excuse being stiff and lost. You look at her face while she's saying her lines and while the other actors are speaking and it's like looking into the eyes of a porcelain doll. It's really pretty, but there's nothing there. Even the one moment in the film when Deena steps up and takes charge–Beyonce cheesily takes a puff of her cigarette and spouts out something that would've been sassy, had she worked a little harder at challenging herself as an actress.

Despite being as mediocre as expected for most of the movie, there is one number newly created for the film called "Listen" in Act II that Beyonce hits out of the park. She completely caught me off guard, and nearly had me shaking with the intensity of her performance. The vocals aside, she truly felt and portrayed the emotion on the track, and for the first time in the entire film got cheers from the audience for nailing the number. If only she had been in the moment like this for the rest of the movie.

The costumes, make-up, lighting, and cinematography are all gorgeous, and some great performers make this film worth going to see the film. The surprisingly sloppy script and directing from mega-talented Condon keep it from being a one-two knockout.

Superman Returns marked the first film to feature mega-Superhero Superman since 1983’s Superman IV with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. Because of how long it had been since this story was touched (aside from the TV show with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher in the 90s), this movie was probably the most anticipated movie of the summer. And I was disappointed to see that the movie did not live up to its hype.

I’m still quite puzzled as to the casting of personality-less Brandon Routh. The man has no charisma, no charm, no appeal whatsoever–other than the fact that he looks like Christopher Reeves‘ younger and buffer yet less attractive brother. Bryan Singer wanted an unknown–maybe because he didn’t want the actor to be bigger than the movie, maybe because they would’ve been less expensive. But when your movie’s budget is 260 million dollars, I’m sure you could’ve spared a few more bucks to buy yourself a more able actor. It’s not that Brandon Routh is a bad actor–it’s just that he’s only a competent actor. He gets the job done, but makes it no fun for the audience or the other actors.

In a movie called Superman Returns, you’d think Superman himself would be the main focus of the film. Silly me. The Man of Steel hardly says anything the entire movie. I don’t know if that’s because that’s what the script calls for (which by the way was ridiculously weak), or if Singer himself realized just how boring Routh is in the editing process, and left much of his screen time on the cutting room floor.

The film’s best asset is it’s leading lady Kate Bosworth whose Lois Lane is a bit different from what we’re used to–she’s less bubbly, a bit more Katharine Hepburn and less Julia Roberts than you’d expect from the hapless reporter–but after getting over the initial shock of the change of character you come to appreciate her take on Lois, and she quickly becomes more interesting than the superhero on which the movie is named. There are interesting things we find out about Lois’ son and their relation to Superman throughout the movie, and the love triangle between Superman, Lois, and her husband Richard (X-Men’s James Marsden) adds layers and drama to the story.

Kevin Spacey (re-teamed with Beyond The Sea star Kate Bosworth) who plays Superman’s most notorious villain Lex Luthor makes an extremely rare misstep in this film. Whether that be because his character was written so weakly, he was having an off-few months, or he simply just wasn’t right for the part I don’t know. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen a movie of his where I was thoroughly unimpressed with his performance. The hilarious Parker Posey who plays Kitty Kowalski, Luthor’s sidekick, steals nearly every scene the two of them have together. I found myself drudging through the boring parts of the movie hoping for another glimpse of Posey–who added spark to an otherwise lackluster movie.

The first half of the film is incredibly flat and boring. A lot of that has to do with the weakness of Routh, and alot of it also has to do with the banality of the supporting characters. Jimmy Olsen and Perry White, played by Sam Huntington and iconic Frank Langella might as well not even be in the movie. Their characters just act as a backdrop for the love affair between Superman, Lois, and Richard (and Clark as he would wish), and never develop, have any purpose, or even say anything funny or interesting throughout the film.

There are a few times when the movie picks up and actually engages you–one of those being a sequence where Superman saves Lois and and a plane full of people from crashing, and a few others in the end that I won’t spoil. But other than that–the movie tries its best to focus on the love story aspect of the film which will probably be to the dismay of male moviegoers who are hoping for an action-packed comic book flick, but pleasing to female audiences who, according to IMDB.com, gave the movie higher ratings than most men did.

I must say, that despite my displeasure with most of the movie, the end was quite emotional, and due to the talents of Kate Bosworth and Tristan Lake Leabu, I was moved–nearly to tears. The very end of the film is a little dissatisfying, but you could say the same about the first X-Men film, which was merely starting the story up–whereas X2 is where the real story began. As it looks now, Bryan Singer made a horrible choice abandoning X-Men: The Last Stand for this film–not only did X-Men do better at the box office (Superman only made 84 million this past week–not even half its budget), but if Bryan had stayed with the film it probably would have been a much better movie too.

I think for now I’m gonna stick with my Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.

Here’s to hoping Singer gets Superman right the second time around.

I can usually tell in the first 10-15 minutes of a movie whether it’ll be great or whether it’ll be horrible. It’s harder to tell when it’s a movie that’s in between. But The Squid and the Whale is one of those cases where the story, the characters, the style is so poignant and detailed in just the first 5 minutes of the film, that I was with no doubt sure this would be a great one.

Noah Baumbach’s honest and often funny screenplay feels so completely natural and pure that throughout the film I had to remind myself I was even watching a movie. There is a special way the writing, directing, and impeccable acting came together in this movie that just made this film something special. Films like this only come around once in a blue moon, and thank God Baumbach picked up just the right performers to bring this semi-autobiographical story to life.

The story revolves around an eccentric family in Brooklyn–Bernard and Joan Berkman, and their sons Walt and Frank. Joan and Bernard are both writers, Joan being more popular fiction and Bernard being a kind of literary snob who is struggling to get his new work published. He claims to be a fantastic writer, yet has settled into a teaching job and agents don’t want his work. Bernard comes to the realization that the two of them aren’t quite clicking anymore as well as the realization that his wife is having an affair. They gently break the news to the kids–Walt is a teenager, and Frank is a young boy.

As kids often do in broken homes, the two boys choose parents to side with. Frank, played by Owen Kline (son of Kevin Kline), has the most trouble dealing with the separation, as he begins weeping as soon as his parents explain what is happening with them, only to be comforted by his mother (the flawless Laura Linney) who he gravitates toward throughout the movie.

Walt (Jesse Eisenberg), the older of the two sons, seems to be more angry than sad, and immediately blames his mother for the end of the relationship–no doubt with a little help from Daddy. Walt idolizes his father in every way–he repeats to his friends his father’s opinions on books without reading them himself, he asks and takes his father’s advice about women and disregards the feelings he has of his own, and even listens to Bernard’s negative comments about Joan without even caring what her side of the story is.

It’s classic parents using their kids to hurt each other–but at the same time it’s not. Even though we’ve seen movies about families dealing with divorce hundreds of times, somehow this one seems to defy them all and come out swinging with a surprisingly fresh take on the heartbreaking ordeal–and it does it all without the melodramtic tearjerking or slapstick humor.

Baumbach really has created a tour de force film that I’d call one of the best I’ve seen in a decade. For 81 minutes my eyes were glued to the screen. I couldn’t have looked away for a second even if I wanted to.

Jeff Daniels delivers what I think is the best performance of his career, and young actors Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline create characters that are so distinct and perspicuous, it feels wrong to even call it acting. Their line delivery feels so authentic, you think the words are their own. And Laura Linney, fantastic as always, is low-key here, in a role that though dowdy, still plays to her strengths.

There are 50,000 ways I can think of that this movie could have gone wrong. There are potential cliches right and left, characters that you think might be stereotypical until the flawlessly written dialogue proves otherwise, and situations you’ve seen done a million times over yet here somehow they seem brand new.

The forever compatible Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett reteam in this inspirational story of an inner-city middle school student Akeelah Anderson played by newcomer Keke Palmer that once encouraged by her teacher, principal, and older brother decides to try to get to the National Spelling Bee.

At first Akeelah is apprehensive, not only because she’s afraid of failing, but also because she doesn’t want her less capable peers to think of her as “braniac”, something other kids at school already label her and ridicule her for. She gets A’s on her tests without even studying and her teachers see a lot of potential in her (she even skipped a grade), but she skips school a lot and sometimes doesn’t even do her homework. In her impoverished “ghetto” neighborhood, being smart doesn’t exactly make you a rock star. Two girls who are obviously on Akeelah’s case a lot, even start bullying her to get her to do their English homework.

Once Akeelah’s principal pretty much blackmails her into entering the school spelling bee as the only alternative to detention for skipping class, they all realize just how incredibly talented she is, as she not only wins the bee against her notoriously dimwitted classmates, but when Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), a former UCLA professor who went to college with the principal, throws a few college level words at Akeelah, the room is shocked when Akeelah spits the words right back at him, spelling all of them perfectly in child prodigy fashion–all except the last.

Akeelah is embarassed and runs off, only to later be convinced by her older brother who tells her that their father (who was shot and killed when Akeelah was six) would want her to do it. Akeelah goes to the regional bee, despite her mother’s (Bassett) wishes that she not do the bee in order to focus on her school studies.

Akeelah has many people that help her along the way, including the people in her downtrodden community–from her brothers and sisters (even her other troubled brother who has been causing their mother grief by hanging out with gangbangers) to her friends (including a Spanish boy she meets at the regional bee played by J.R. Villarreal that provides a comic but tender aspect to the film) to random people in the community, eventually even her mother, and of course, Dr. Larabee.

Fishburne and charming child actor Palmer turn out Oscar worthy performances as we see the relationship between these two grow into one that near the end of the film provides a scene that will have you sobbing on the movie theater floor. The inherent good nature of Akeelah and her ultimate concern for doing what is right over winning is what makes the end to this movie so incredibly satisfying and has you standing up and cheering for not just Akeelah, but the entire community that she got to back her–even inspiring other students to enter spelling bees.

In an age where it seems like every movie that comes out is a remake, sequel or adaptation, it is refreshing to finally see a film–a family film, mind you–that truly inspires you to be a better person–the best person that you can possibly be. And a movie like this is necessary for young people in today’s society–particularly an audience like that of Akeelah’s peers in the film that don’t have many icons or idols other than rappers or drug dealers–sometimes both.

All of the performances in this movie are pitch perfect. Angela Bassett, brilliant as always, turns what could’ve been a flat character into someone three-dimensional and fully fleshed out–bringing life to Akeelah’s still grieving single mother. Laurence Fishburne proves once again why he is one of the best black actors that has ever lived, breathing heart and soul into Dr. Larabee, a character similar to that of the one he played in “Searching For Bobby Fischer“, but different and disctinct enough to be perfect for this film. The performances that will get the closest to your heart though, are that of the child actors Keke Palmer and J.R. Villarreal. Palmer infuses truth and genuineness into what other child actors might have left bland and predictable, and her co-star Villarreal has one of the most lighthearted, endearing performances I’ve ever seen from such a young actor.

Not since Bassett and Fishburne’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” and even earlier Fishburne’s “The Color Purple” have we seen such a well acted and inspirational movie with a black female lead as “Akeelah and the Bee” and a film like this is a perfect antidote to stereotype perpetuating movies like “Hustle & Flow” and “Get Rich or Die Trying” that negatively portray the black community to mainstream audiences.

This truly is a remarkable film. Take your families, take your children, your parents, friends, teachers–anyone.

[Because this movie goes into wider release this weekend, I decided to re-post the review]

In Nicole Holofcener’s “Friends With Money“, Jennifer Aniston plays a former schoolteacher who now is a freelance housekeeper. Her friends, who all are married and have much more money than Olivia does, often talk about Olivia’s single and broke status–one of them describes her as “single, a pothead, and a maid”.

Jane, played by the brilliant Frances McDormand, is a designer with “overpriced” clothes who is often bitter and angry–seemingly for no reason, and her husband Aaron played by Simon McBurney is the object of much speculation–people think he’s gay. Christine, played by Catherine Keener screenwrites with her husband David (Jason Isaacs) and throughout the course of the movie essentially realizes the two of them simply aren’t a match. Joan Cusack’s character, Franny is the richest of them all (assumingly through inheritance as she doesn’t work) and doesn’t really have any problems with her husband (Ally McBeal’s Greg Germann) other than the fact that the two of them disagree about him buying their young daughter 85 dollar shoes from France.

Franny ends up setting up Olivia with her personal trainer Mike (Scott Caan) who follows Olivia to her housekeeping jobs and watches her while she cleans, then asks for a cut of the money when she’s done despite the fact that he makes 65 dollars an hour. We see Jane not be able to deal with growing old, Christine get fed up with her insensitive husband, Olivia struggle with the humility of her poor status and Franny..well..put together a fundraiser for sick people.

The movie’s best asset is it’s stellar cast which knows the slightly underdeveloped characters like their best friends and excellently executes the script’s room temperature wit to make the story colorful enough to entertain us for 88 minutes. Keener and McDormand add a great dramatic depth to the story towards the end, and Jennifer Aniston, though best known for her perkier roles like Rachel on “Friends” and in “Bruce Almighty” and “Along Came Polly“, pulls out yet another great performance with both empathy and honesty like that of her remarkable performance in “The Good Girl“.

But where this film leaves you wanting more is the number of layers to the onion. The actors do a great job of fooling us into thinking the story is more important than it is, but when the end of the movie comes around, you realized that you’ve been entertained, but that none of them have come to any real change or resolution (other than maybe Olivia who ends up with an unemployed slob she cleaned for who at the end of the movie we find out is a little different than we thought or Christine who realizes her and her husband aren’t compatible..but what does that mean to her?) and the movie was essentially pointless without that punctuation to its great early dramatic arc. It was almost like an pilot for a really great television dramedy–Desperate Housewives without the shtick, mysteries, and hot plumbers.

All of that said, I recommend the movie to people who are fans of chick flicks or of the four leads (I qualify for both).

I currently find myself thoroughly disappointed at the state of movies today. I was on the phone with a friend of mine, and a commercial came on for some big budget flick that looked horrible, and I said “Wow. Because that’s not going to suck.” She responded, “Well, what movies don’t nowadays?” And that seems to be how most people feel about movies at the current time, which could explain the recent decline in movie theater attendance and box office receipts.

But when I thought about it, I realized that there actually were decent movies out. I loved Capote, Brokeback Mountain, Transamerica, Shopgirl, Good Night, and Good Luck, In Her Shoes, The Squid and the Whale, Match Point, North Country, and many others that may not have been box office phenomena, but were very well received small films that many people (including my friend) don’t have access to (or didn’t at the time of their theatrical release).

I tried to explain to her that the good movie still existed — just no longer in the big budget, special effects, A-List actor, big-shot director, car chases and gun shooting, murder and violence, sex and drugs kind of film. The good movies existed in simple but brilliant screenplays that at heart were just about people.

This is where I get to Crash. Since I didn’t have access to the film in the theaters when it was first released, I saw it for the first time on a small screen. I found out that the movie really does live up to all the buzz surrounding it. Even on my cheap, blurred, small computer monitor, Crash grabbed me and shook me. It shook me hard.

Yes, all of the characters may not have been completely fleshed out and three-dimensional, yes, much of the film may have been manipulative and slightly contrived, and yes, the portrayals of the events and how they pan out in the film are not all necessarily realistic — but my question is “Who cares?” It was such a brilliantly done film from the first frame to the very last. The completely original, risky, and thought provoking Oscar winning screenplay (which I was shocked white, male writers - Paul Haggis and and Robert Moresco - captured so truthfully), the riveting, emotional, touching and even at times funny acting from an excellent ensemble, the pitch perfect choice of music, the inspired directing by newcomer Paul Haggis (screenwriter of Million Dollar Baby), and even the beautiful Academy Award winning editing all came together to make what was, in my opinion, one of the best movies of all time.

Now I know many people disagree with me about the quality of this movie, which may lead me to think twice about how much I loved it, but frankly, I don’t care. And personally, a few people that I know that have criticized the movie and called it overrated are people who I have observed to be prejudiced themselves, therefore concluding that the movie probably made them uncomfortable (which, by the way, was kind of the point). But before everyone jumps all over me and burns me at the stake, I want to make sure everyone understands that I am in no way saying that if you didn’t like this movie, it is because you are a racist. I’m simply saying for many people that didn’t, I’m sure the fact that it hit too close to home might have been partly to blame.

But the great thing about it is that Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco knew that this movie would make people uncomfortable (not just people who are clearly racist, but everyone — as the movie’s point is that no one can fully escape prejudice, even against their own) and that’s partly what their screenplay sets out to do.

I am reminded of D.W. Griffith when I think of Crash. D.W. Griffith was a pioneer filmmaker who made an early film called The Birth of a Nation in 1915. The Birth of a Nation was extremely popular. The film glorified slavery and provided historical justification for segregation and disfranchisement of African American people. There’s a scene where the Ku Klux Klan gallops in to save the heroine, and a scene where a white woman is forced to consider jumping off the edge of a cliff to escape a black man who is “trying to rape her.”

The film’s controversy lies in its premise that the Ku Klux Klan arose to restore order to the post-war South, as it was “endangered” by “uncontrollable” African American denizens and their allies, abolitionists, mulattos and carpetbagging Republican politicians from the North. Though popular and lucrative, the film drew significant protest upon its release. Premieres of the film were widely protested by the newly founded NAACP. Griffith was surprised by the harsh criticism. He didn’t know that there were people that felt so differently from the socio-political climate of his own environment.

He later made another film that was released that next year called Intolerance. One of the unusual characteristics of the film is that none of the characters have names. Griffith wished them to be emblematic of human types. Thus, the central female character in the modern story is called The Dear One. Her young husband is called The Boy, and the leader of the local mafia is called The Musketeer of the Slums.

All of the stories, spanning several hundreds of years and cultures, are held together by themes of intolerance, man’s inhumanity to man, hypocrisy, bigotry, religious hatred, persecution, discrimination and injustice achieved in all eras by entrenched political, social and religious systems. The film, at the time, was the most expensive film made ever made. And it completely and utterly bombed at the box-office, as its target audience (middle class Americans) hated it. It made them completely uncomfortable and hit entirely too close to home. Yet now, we realize how incredibly great the film was, and many consider it to be one of the best films in history and the greatest film of the silent era.

This is all to say what, exactly? Well two things: one, Crash, like Intolerance, is yet another example of people simply disliking a film because of controversial themes that people don’t want to deal with and thereby disregarding the quality of the film itself; and two, as Paul Haggis tried to explain in his Oscar acceptance speech, art isn’t necessarily a Shakespearian mirror held up to nature, but also a Brechtian hammer to reshape society. And if these so-called “cliche” characters and lines that Haggis and Moresco used as puppets to create this incredible interweaving story of love, corruption, indifference, regret, pain, prejudice, and hypocrisy are not entirely realistic, that’s okay. Art is not something you can truly define. It is not something you can wrap up and put into a box. True art is created when thinking outside of the box. And that’s what makes this screenplay and this film so unforgettable for me.

Terrence Howard, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon (who, by the way, should’ve beaten George Clooney), Don Cheadle, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate, Michael Pena (who should’ve been nominated for an Oscar but probably wasn’t because of how little screen time he had, plus he’s a new face), Thandie Newton, Loretta Devine, Brendan Fraser, Jennifer Esposito, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges all gave wonderful performances and all deliver what I call “un-winning” acting. They’re not trying to be right. They’re just trying to be real. And that is what I love about the way these characters were created. There is a point in time for every major character in this movie when you like them and a point in time where you dislike them, even if only for the shortest amount of time. There is no clear protagonist or antagonist — they’re all just people. Flawed, real people. And that is what allows Crash to make you feel. Whatever it makes each individual person feel — it just makes you feel.

And it does all of this on a budget of 6.5 million dollars. Wow. Maybe the major Hollywood studios can take a lesson from a movie like Crash, that is bark and bang, heart and soul, simply by just having a damn good story to tell.

I will say, that this movie is one of the most personal movies I’ve ever seen, and due to the truthful nature of the writing and the acting, creates some of the most intense moments I have ever seen on the screen (namely one with Michael Pena and his character’s daughter near the end of the movie, which had my heart racing and my eyes wet — I won’t give it away).

The power of Crash is that it can make you think differently about perception and assumptions. And whether you’re black, white, Asian, Spanish, gay, straight, male, or female, this movie can make you realize how making those assumptions about people can cloud your vision as to what is really there in front of you. But of course, that is only if you want to see it.

Many people were extremely pissed when Crash caused possibly the biggest Best Picture upset in Oscar history a few weeks ago. I, personally, was completely shocked–but was in no way upset, as I had always thought that Crash deserved it more than Brokeback Mountain (which was also a very good film–just not as good as Crash). The thing that I don’t understand, is that people are arguing that the Academy is not as liberal as they claim to be–voting for Crash instead of the gay-themed Brokeback, but Crash is just as socially relevant–in fact probably more so considering that Brokeback is simply a love story that doesn’t try in any way to be preachy or change people’s thinking, whereas Crash embraces is socio-political nature, grabbing the issue of racism and prejudice by its horns.

All I have to say, to anyone who took part in this film is simply, “Bravo.” Bravo for making a movie that makes me want to go to the movies again, thank you for making a movie that makes me re-evaluate who I am and what I believe and what perceptions I have of the world and the people in it. And bravo for being socially and culturally relevant without being biased or unfair, but most imporantly, bravo for making me believe in the power of film all over again.

In one word Transamerica is hilarious. In two words Transamerica is hilarious and moving. It’s interesting to see how the media takes certain movies and pigeonholes them, because if you have seen Transamerica and note the category that Felicity Huffman’s performance was put in the for the Golden Globes by the HFPA, you know Transamerica is not a drama. At most a dramedy, but this movie is too funny and lighthearted to be considered a straight drama. But of course, because it’s about a pre-op transsexual it’s gotta be one of those down and dirty gritty dramas, right? Wrong. But hey, at least it got Huffman a Golden Globe she other wise wouldn’t have won up against Reese Witherspoon in the Comedy & Musical category.

What Duncan Tucker does right in Transamerica is where many movies like this go wrong. It doesn’t try to preach or be socially aware. It simply just is. And that is the best kind of social commentary in film.

Transamerica is the story of a transgendered woman named Bree that has yet to have her operation. She is a middle-class conservative woman who is intelligent and intellectual, and seemingly her only friend is her therapist Margaret. Bree needs a doctor and Margaret to sign the consent form to allow her to have her operation. She gets the doctor and now all she needs is Margaret’s signature. But before Bree goes to visit Margaret, she gets a phone call from a New York police station asking for a Stanley Osbourne (Bree’s old name), saying they have his son. Bree goes to Margaret to tell her about it, laughing it off as she thinks it’s ludicrous she could have a son (or at least wants to think so seeing as how operation is very soon). But to Bree’s dismay, Margaret refuses to sign the consent form. She says Bree needs to acknowledge that Stanley is a part of her, and needs to tie up all loose ends with Stanley’s life before she can move on with Bree’s.

Bree must now drive to New York to bail out her “son” who she still thinks is lying and rush back to L.A. so that she can have her surgery. Seems pretty simple and not too funny either, right? When Bree gets to New York and bails out Toby (her son played by the very effective Kevin Zegers), he shows her a picture of his mom and dad. His dad being Stanley and his mom being Stanley’s one night stand.

Bree now knows that Toby really is her son, but poses as a Christian caseworker specializing in converting sex workers to Jesus. Toby agrees to drive back with Bree to L.A. because he wants to go there to pursue a career in film. Bree doesn’t yet know he means the pornographic kind.

This is where the bulk of the movie begins as it becomes an on-the-road film, and the dynamics of Toby’s crack-snorting New York hustler personality fizzes with Bree’s sophisticated conservatism.

Felicity Huffman’s performance in this movie is absolutely phenomenal. For a woman to play a man who is becoming a woman in itself is incredible. She has to completely strip herself of her own mannerisms and even her own voice, to completely re-learn femininity. But beyond showmanship, every line delivery, every quip, every joke, every emotion, every reaction, every facial expression is truly wonderful. She carries this splendid film like Goliath making us laugh and cry all at once.

I went to see this film twice, first at the IFC theatre in Chelsea and then at AMC Empire 25 in Times Square, and both times the entire theater was erupting in laughter from beginning to end. The interesting thing was…the second time I went with a few friends of mine…afterwards my friend asked us on the Subway “Okay…was it just me..or did that actor really look like Lynette? (Huffman’s character on Desperate Housewives)” She didn’t even know Felicity Huffman was playing the lead! How incredible is that?

This is the kind of movie that makes you remember why art is sacred and beautiful. Once this story gets rolling you completely forget that you’re watching a movie about a transgendered person or even that you’re even really watching a movie. The story is so human and so natural that it just transcends the cinematic fourth wall.

Transamerica is a beautiful film with some wonderful comic writing and performances that touches you without being manipulative or contrived. Even if simple road movies aren’t your thing, this movie is worth seeing if for nothing else to see Felicity Huffman’s brilliant Oscar-nominated performance.

The beginning of the movie is great. It begins with refreshing the audience’s memory as to the fact that he’s hiding out and who he’s hiding out with. He’s having trouble sleeping because of the things that he remembers from when he was an assassin, and his love interest encourages him to write it down. This opening scene is great for establishing the relationship between these two, and developing the sentimental part of the story before delving into the action later on. Many mindless, testosterone-drenched, dry action movies start with a gratuitous action scene where in the end nothing is accomplished, no one is dead or injured, and the plot is in no better shape than it was before. However in this movie, it never substitutes shine for substance.

The acting done by Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, and Joan Allen is impeccable. The movie is very suspenseful and action-packed with scenes that have great purpose, and are pulled off with poise and élan… with the exception of one scene where Bourne goes to visit a fellow former assassin to try to obtain information about why he’s being chased, and during their fight sequence, the camera is shaken around Blair Witch style to try to heighten the effect of the scene.

Matt Damon (one of my all-time favorite actors–The Talented Mr. Ripley should really show his friend Ben how a good action movie is SUPPOSED to be made. Paycheck made me want to slit my wrists. I agree with Richard Roeper in that The Bourne Supremacy is one of the best thrillers in recent years, and I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone who loves good acting, good writing, good directing (minus some shaky cameras), and in general, a good suspenseful, engaging film.

She has one of the greatest voices in pop music–competing with the likes of vocal powerhouses such as her contemporaries Joss Stone, and Christina Aguilera, as well as music icons like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

The reason Clarkson is so successful in her craft, unlike her succeeding Idol winners, is because not only does she posess great talent, but she strives for excellence in her music. She wants to be more than just a pop star with a good career. Right now, her music is only good, but over time she will evolve into a full-fledged musician, and she will surprise the likes of everyone.

Her newest album Breakaway shows her evolution since Thankful–vocally, stylistically, and emotionally–and her sales so far show her fan base is as loyal as ever.

The sound on this album, though not completely original, has much evolved from the more commercial (though solid) sound on Thankful. It’s more of a rockier, grittier, harder sound–though still pop. Clarkson finds a great balance between her soulful vocals and the Avril Lavigne-Sheryl Crow-esque songs on this album.

“Since U Been Gone” is one of the best cuts on the album: a high energy, vocally powered, pop/rock jam with a hook that is infectious. Perfect choice for a first single.

My favorites from the album are “Where Is Your Heart“, and “Because of You“, the ballads. Clarkson’s vocal prowess really does not get the acclaim it deserves. She commands these two songs like a seasoned pro and directs herself in her songs the way Steven Spielberg said Barbra Streisand directs herself in her songs as if she’s directing an actor in a movie. Clarkson’s ballads have a beginning, middle, and end, and they take you for a 4 minute emotional ride that is thrilling for anyone 10 to 45. This woman has much better to come.

The $120 million dollar film War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, and Miranda Otto fails to impress. Steven Spielberg does everything technically right with this movie–the aliens are frightening, and the machines are spectacular, but where this movie goes wrong is the story itself. This movie was hyped up to be one of the best movies of the summer–Tom Cruise when asked, described the movie as “Spielberg at his best.” Well if that’s really true, then it’s all downhill from here.

The characters are all one-dimensional: Tom Cruise plays the deadbeat dad; Dakota Fanning at first seems to be playing a precocious youngster, but as soon as the aliens hit, randomly becomes a kind of “Lois Lane” of the film–constantly being picked up, grabbed, pushed out of harm’s way, and frankly at quite the expense of the annoyed audience member; Justin Chatwin plays the rebellious teenager who refuses to accept Tom Cruise as a father figure.

The beginning of this movie actually seems very promising. Relationships began to be established among the characters, and as the audience member, knowing what was about to happen to these characters made it all the more interesting. But it’s obvious when this movie starts going downhill: when the aliens arrive. All the writing goes for a dive into the mud right when it’s needed most: when the action begins. The entire movie quickly becomes a dull, irritating, and redundant game of “duck here,” “jump there,” “grab Dakota here,” “steal a car there.” If you want to see a movie where this is done (and a million times more effectively, might I add), go see Jurassic Park, because War of the Worlds will have you leaving the theater wondering why Tom Cruise gets paid 30 million a film, and why Steven Spielberg is the biggest director in Hollywood. .

Not to give away what happens in the ending (which by the way is jaw-droppingly silly largely due to a random cameo by none other than Mr. Morgan Freeman), but none of the characters change, there is no motive revealed for the aliens, there’s no real explanation for why the aliens have been planning an invasion since the dawn of time, and yet let themselves go out because of a flaw as stupid as not realizing things don’t stand too good on three legs, and we’re not really told how Justin Chatwin’s character somehow miraculously escapes an explosion that not even the tanks survived.

This is one of those mindless action films where we have a lot of spectacle but no substance. The ultimate problem with this movie is that it is completely soulless. Seeing this movie is like watching Hilary Duff try to sing Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman.” It looks pretty, but ultimately there’s nothing there