More reviews from the binge.
Starter for Ten is one of those coming of age stories where a boy becomes a man and finds out what kind of person he really is. This time, James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland") stars and the setting is 1985 Bristol University with McAvoy learning about himself as he tries to make it in college, falls in love and enters the college game show. It's pretty typical storywise, but the characters and entertaining and the dialogue is witty. Very fun.
Connie and Carla has two women (Nia Vardalos, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and Toni Collette, "Evening") on the run from the mob who hide out as drag queens. It's not as bad as it sounds. There are several laugh out loud moments, musical numbers and, most importantly, David Duchovny ("Trust the Man"). Worth watching if it's on TV, but don't pay for it.
I had a physical reaction of disgust to
Live Free or Die. There's voiceover which is supposed to make us interested in the main character who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He's a two-bit criminal with the lamest schemes ever. And he's stupid. He suckers a slow-witted guy into being his accomplice. This guy, Paul Schneider ("The Family Stone"), is the only good role in the film. Schneider is consistently entertaining and funny. Zooey Deschanel ("Surf's Up") has a small part and I don't even know how she got involved in this crap. Just avoid it no matter what. Kill if you must.
Shortbus is the newest film by John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch"). When it opened in theaters, I heard a couple of positive reviews, but mostly I heard about the sex. It's real. The actors are unknowns and they are actually having sex on screen. Gay, straight, all kinds. The story is loosely set around a sex therapist who has never had and orgasm. She sets out on a quest to have one and meets other interesting characters with their own troubles along the way. I found these relationships to be fascinating and the stories often sad. And though sometimes shocking, I didn't feel the films set out to be. Just don't watch it with anyone with whom you would be uncomfortable watching porn.
Bobby is another film about multiple characters centered around a larger theme. We spend the day before Robert F. Kennedy's assassination with workers and guests at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, as well as people involved with Senator Kennedy's campaign.Though some stories were better than others, I especially enjoyed the Shia LaBeouf ("Transformers") segment, I found them all to be very interesting glimpses into several lives which were all devastated when RFK's ended. Very moving.