writers_reign Had this been made in the old days it would have been firmly labelled a 'woman's picture' and possibly rated as a one, two, three or even four handkerchief weepie. Although someone old-fashioned in content it does benefit from excellent performances from the thee leads and whilst it's true that Sigourney Weaver gets the lion's share both emotion and emoting-wise both David Staithairn and Julianne Moore both support and match her. The story has married couple Stathairn and Weaver opting out of urban life for the joys of the country, which tend to sour a little when Weaver, working as a nurse in a local school, ruffles a few feathers and winds up in the slammer on a morals charge. This would be bad enough at any time but it comes right on top of Moore's daughter drowning whilst in the care of Weaver. You can take it from there yourselves so suffice it to say it's a fine example of the genre.

Another_Face This is a tough task. I want to explain why this film is very worthy of a viewing, without giving any spoilers away. It's not the most incredible film ever made, but it's so much better than many films made in 1999. It's beauty is organic, in that from a good story/novel comes a very finely honed and skilled script. A story that manages the odd laugh in some very dark situations. A script that gives us the kitchen sink drama of folk attempting the American dream, the tense drama that sometimes has you wondering whether you like that person you loved a minute ago, and some very normal, human days. Then you take the immensely talented Sigourney Weaver, David Strathairn, and Julianne Moore (along with other mentionables such as Richard McMillan and Aunjanue Ellis) to deliver the dialogue, and we already have something worth watching.I could attempt to interpret it, and tell you what it's all about, what it all 'means' but, in essence it's a story about some people dealing with some extraordinary events in their ordinary lives. What we learn, or take away from it is down to the individual watching.The direction, and photography is flawless, with some subtle colour themes running throughout the movie. Greys and pale blues, set with rust and bright orange as the story progresses; fields and concrete, hope and despair. The story is linear, but very rarely the camera cunningly takes us to different times and places. The soundtrack is just fine, and while it, and the film sometimes verge on being a little saccharine (which it manages to avoid in the main), what we see here are some very talented people making a good solid film.A lot of the time what you think is about to happen next, often does. But be ready for a couple of surprises, and even if what happens next is what you suspected would occur, just watch some people acting their socks off! I only found this film because the DVD was on sale for half a dollar, and bought it purely on the strength of Sigourney Weaver and Julianne Moore, who have never let me down. They are a couple of the best actors of their generation - I only have to point you to Snowcake, The Hours, or Magnolia for solid proof of that. Apart from their obvious acting abilities, I particularly applaud their lack of vanity, and dedication to getting things right.If you think you're into good film, and want to see all of them before you die, then you really should watch this one.

rtbond Here's yet another nod to composer, arranger and musician/performer Pat Metheny (sans the Group, as was incorrectly identified in another review). On this soundtrack, Metheny is accompanied by an unidentified chamber orchestra (percussion, violin, harp, flute, viola, cello, horn, bass, clarinet and the talented Gil Goldstein on organ).Mostly variations on the title track, these melodic interpretations are quite eloquent (as one would come to expect from both Metheny & PMG), but arranged such that they never overtake the scene in which they are scored. Metheny contributes his own brilliant lead acoustic guitars, as well as piano and keyboards, with an overall combined feel of his previous Secret Story and Beyond the Missouri Sky releases.A warm, introspective journey, this set of 28 tunes (6 less than a minute long and another 10 less than 2 minutes) are well-crafted and are worthy for a listen on a Sunday morning with coffee, in front of the fireplace with a nice bottle of wine or a drive in the country, esp. for those in the midwestern US.

Spamlet How incredibly disappointing this movie is! It starts out as a fascinating exploration of the effect an unforseen circumstance has on two friends who are as close as sisters. Julianne Moore gives an absolutely stunning performance (her scene in the woods is one of the most surprising yet truthfully acted scenes you'll ever see) and her character's complexity is the best thing about the film. Unfortunately, about halfway through the focus shifts from this relationship and turns into predictable melodrama filled with every Oscar baiting trick in the book. Sigourney Weaver has always been a good actress but this role is just shameless pandering. She has several memorable scenes but they are all before the plot takes that swan dive into the abyss of paint by numbers Hollywood crap. The whole cast is good but they deserved a better story to tell.