Tribeca Film Festival celebrates independent vision

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 25 April 2013 12:25

Each year, film buffs in our area can enjoy a wealth of quality movies at the Tribeca Film Festival. This week, the Reel Dad takes a look at four special movies to be shown during the 12th annual gathering.

The independent voice thrives at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan through April 28. This year’s event offers a rich collection of narrative and documentary works that surprise and impress with their depth of thought, clarity of view and creativity of expression.

42: Meaningful look at a key American inning

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 18 April 2013 10:28

Each week, the Reel Dad checks the nutritional value of a movie — new or classic — to help you choose what to watch. This week’s pick is a new drama about baseball legend Jackie Robinson, 42.

The movie 42 is like the man it honors, Jackie Robinson. The film reaches beyond how things look to explore how people think, addresses fundamental questions of tolerance and respect, and honors people who stand up for what they believe. And it dares to use all the traditions we expect in a baseball movie to recreate one of the sport’s least-expected chapters.

As the prologue describes, America is a country in love with baseball after World War II. For fans, this is a golden age of afternoon games, intimate parks and iconic players. For a nation reuniting after the turbulence of war, baseball gives people something to cheer about.

But celebrating the sport isn’t enough to move it forward. When baseball executive Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he breaks the tradition to exclude African American players from the game. Rickey is a shrewd businessman; he believes Robinson can sell tickets and propel the Dodgers to victory. He also demonstrates a social conscience that defies the narrow thinking of his time. While some may not be ready for Rickey’s daring step, he knows what he does for baseball will be good for the country.

On film, 42 — named for the number on Robinson’s jersey — is the story of two men who work together to change a world. This is not a bio pic. While we see glimpses into Robinson’s personal life, we primarily observe him on the field and in the locker room. We explore how Rickey and Robinson — from different worlds — join to teach a sport and a nation what people can accomplish when they treat each other with respect.

Independent films shine at Tribeca Film Festival

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 11 April 2013 10:42

Each year, film buffs in our area can enjoy a wealth of quality movies at the Tribeca Film Festival. This week, the Reel Dad takes a look at four special movies to be shown during the 12th annual gathering.

With so much of what we see on screen easy to forget, each year we look to the Tribeca Film Festival to offer a memorable collection of compelling films. This gathering in lower Manhattan celebrates the independent filmmaker’s voice by showcasing a range of narrative and documentary movies that reach beyond the expected. The 10-day schedule for the 12th annual event, starting April 17, offers a distinct view of what independent filmmakers can create.

Emerging as one of the year’s best films is Before Midnight, the new installment of the romantic trilogy from director Richard Linklater. Like the earlier Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, this thoughtful character study studies the lives of Jesse and Celine who, in reel time, age the same nine years since the last film. Again working in a series of long takes, detailed conversations and naked emotions, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke paint realistic portraits of the pressures of parenthood, the fears of aging and the disappointments in families. From the exhaustion that can define raising children, to the distance that can separate parents, Before Midnight rings truth in each moment. See it at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22 and 24.

Mira Nair, who directed the visually stunning Monsoon Wedding, serves The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a daring thriller about life immediately after 9-11. She asks us to consider how we might react when events outside our control redefine our destiny. Changez is a high-achieving student at Princeton who graduates with honors and lands a high profile job with an investment firm. That he is from Pakistan becomes an unforeseen liability when 9/11 begins to define how people react to fear. How he is treated in those first days after the tragedy dramatically changes how he views his world. Will he turn against his adopted homeland? Or try to help his fellow Pakistanis look beyond misunderstanding? Nair reveals truth in how people approach what they do not understand in an outstanding film that shows April 22, 24 and 27.

Another thoughtful film on the slate is At Any Price, a family drama set in the Iowa cornfields. Dennis Quaid delivers a strong performance as a father who carries his expectations for his children into every business transaction and personal interaction. Perhaps he isn’t transparent in his dealings or true to his family or realistic in his expectations. But when it comes to making an ultimate sacrifice, will he willingly expose himself to personal tragedy? Showing on April 19 and 23, At Any Price asks us to consider how far we will go to protect those we love.

Paul Rudd, usually on screen in comedies, shares a different side of his persona in Prince Avalanche, an appealing study of loneliness. Rudd portrays a road worker who hides from life by absorbing himself in the work of returning a burnt countryside to life. Shedding his characteristic mannerisms and comic timing, Rudd reveals how one man copes with change in his life, disappointment in his relationships and failure in his ambitions. After the routine Admission, Rudd reminds us how effective he can be when he reaches inside to create a character who breathes. The film shows at Tribeca on April 23, 26 and 28.

For details about the films at the Tribeca Film Festival, and tickets to screenings, go to www.tribecafilm.com. The 2013 festival includes feature films from 30 different countries, including 53 world premieres, seven international premieres, 15 North American premieres, six U.S. premieres and eight New York premieres. A total of 113 directors present feature works, with 35 of these filmmakers marking their feature directorial debuts and, among these directors, 26 are women. The 2013 film slate was chosen from a total of 6,005 submissions.

Movie Menu

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? 

Choosing what films to offer is a lot like planning what meals to serve. And all the choices on television make it easy to savor something at the same time you nourish the mind and heart. This week, cable offers a range of nutritious movies. Here are a few choices.

As temperatures warm up outside, take a look at what nutritious films you can watch inside this week on cable.

If you enjoy a good romance, re-experience the charms of Notting Hill, showing on USA at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13. This charmer from 1999 stars Hugh Grant as a likable book shop owner in London who accidentally meets a movie superstar played by movie superstar Julia Roberts at her most winning. When they surprise each other by falling in love, the complications of their colliding worlds threatens to disrupt the romance. Will love prevail? Or will the realities of conflicting lives get in the way? No matter how many times you may have seen this film, its charms never cease to work. And Grant and Roberts make a winning couple.

If you prefer a top-notch thriller, take a fresh look at The Fugitive, the film translation of the popular television series of the 1960s. This Best Picture nominee from 1993 offers Harrison Ford at his most convincing as a doctor who is unfairly convicted of murdering his wife. Rather than rely on the judicial system to set him free, the physician takes his life into his own hands, and initiates a game of cat and mouse with an equally determined US Marshal played by Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones. While the film offers a thrill ride of the first order, with an amazing collection of visual sequences, its development of Dr. Richard Kimble as a man, trying to accomplish something that should be simple, justifies the action. The film reminds us that every person should stand up for what they believe to be true. Check out The Fugitive on Reelz at 10 p.m. Saturday.

If your choice is an endearing comedy, laugh at the antics of The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. The delightful adaptation of the French comedy La Cage Aux Folles takes us to South Beach, Miami, where Williams and Lane are a happily settled long-term couple. Only when their son asks to bring his fiancé, and her family, to visit do they begin to see the routines they consider so ordinary may actually surprise some people. And through a series of hysterical situations, director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Elaine May remind us that what makes this world so wonderful is how we can smile at all the different personalities living here. The Birdcage is thoughtful, thought provoking and intensely funny, no matter if you are seeing it for the tenth time. See it on Cinemax at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 14.

And if you are in the mood to revisit the 1960s, take a trip to London with Sidney Poitier for the nostalgic To Sir With Love from 1967. This was a big year for Poitier who also starred in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night. And it was a popular time for teachers with Sandy Dennis appearing in the similar Up the Down Staircase. Poitier is thoughtful as an engineer trainee who tries to bring discipline to a classroom filled with strong personalities, disconnected students and one pop star (Lulu) who sings the title song. While the look and feel of the film seems quite dated in 2013, Poitier’s charisma as an actor never goes out of style. Take a fresh look on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Serving nutritious movies can be as easy as turning on the television. And be sure, as you watch together, to share what you observe, question and consider. Watching movies together can prompt valuable family discussions.

Second Look

Each month, the Reel Dad invites an emerging film critic in our area to take a “second look” at a current topic or film. This month, he is again joined by Charles Khosla, a Greenwich resident and a junior at Rye Country Day School, to remember the contributions of the late Roger Ebert. Charlies is an avid movie critic who writes a movie/tv blog, CinematicFilmBog.com and runs a film company with his twin brother Grant called GCG Images that makes non-profit documentaries.

Why Roger Ebert made a difference

by Charles Khosla

Age 17

If I could name three major factors that started my interest in movies, they would be the movie Patton, director Stanley Kubrick, and film critic Roger Ebert. I’ve been reading Ebert’s reviews as long as I can remember. So I was pained and saddened to hear that Ebert, just after celebrating his 46th year as film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, had passed away. It had been only a day prior when Ebert announced he had cancer again, and that he planned to create a new website and discuss only a limited amount of films after writing a record 306 reviews in 2012.

Ebert is undoubtedly the most famous film critic of his generation and possibly of all time. Throughout his career, he has always taken more risks than anyone else. Unlike other major critics at the time, Ebert had no formal background in movies but he possessed eloquent writing and superb knowledge that made him a legend. Ebert has always been ahead of his time when writing reviews. In his first year, back in 1967, he praised Bonnie and Clyde, a movie reviled at its opening but later became known as a classic. Similarly the following year, he championed 2001: A Space Odyssey, which also initially received mixed reviews but eventually became touted as one of the greatest films of all time. Even as recently as 2011 has Ebert stood up for misunderstood movies. He anointed The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s highly polarizing picture, to his top ten list of all time, next to the likes of Citizen Kane and La Dolce Vita.

But what made Ebert a celebrity was At The Movies, which he cohosted with Gene Siskel. With their thumbs up and down system, Siskel and Ebert reviewed many major films as well as some of the smaller pictures often pushed aside. Without them, Hoop Dreams would have never become as major of a force as it did (Ebert later named it the best film of the 90s). But what remained iconic about the show were their arguments over movies like Blue Velvet, Full Metal Jacket, The Silence of the Lambs, and, most infamously, Cop and a Half.

What I always admired about Ebert was his style of writing. Ebert treated every release with equal respect, be it large or small. He was a genius writer who gave his reviews wit and humor and never was elitist. While I have disagreed with him a number of times, such as his two-star review of A Clockwork Orange, Ebert has always remained my favorite critic. He was tough, and even after he lost his jaw to cancer, no one adapted to the social media better than he did as he continued to spread his wise words. No other critic has had the impact on the film world as Roger and I doubt anyone ever will. We’ll miss you, Roger.

What Roger Ebert leaves us

by Mark Schumann

More Than Age 17

When Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel started broadcasting Sneak Previews in the 1970s, film criticism was primarily a spectator sport for the few who chose to discuss “the cinema” as an art form. But Siskel and Ebert, as the partnership became known, gave real people a voice in the movie conversation. With their classic “thumbs up” indicator, they made all of us feel that our opinions could actually matter.

Ebert did not arrive at the Chicago Sun Times with a lengthy resume in film study. He would later laugh, actually, that he learned how to write movie reviews by reading Mad magazine. He did write a screenplay for film (the miserable Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in 1970) and taught a class on film (at the University of Chicago). So when he was named the newspaper’s film critic in 1967, and started on local television with Siskel in 1975, he brought a passionate curiosity for movies to the work of the critic. All of a sudden, studying film became exciting, relevant and real. Ebert made everyone who read and watched his words feel they could become as expert as he and Siskel. He opened the theater to anyone who wanted to join the conversation.

What made Ebert so good at his work, and why his reviews still matter, is because he knew more about film than any other writer about movies. He could quickly describe a scene or performance in a language incorporating references to every work he had seen. Who else would so carefully explain the action sequences in Lawrence of Arabia by referencing the work of John Ford in The Searchers or dare to dislike, as Charles mentions, a classic like A Clockwork Orange by carefully explaining what Stanley Kubrick failed to accomplish. Ebert gave every movie a chance to succeed and openly expressed his pain when a film would disappoint. And he simply loved movies.

As he led the parade to support film preservation, and the presentation of films in their widescreen formats, he educated a generation about how the subtleties of cinema contribute to excellence. He was, forever, a student of the movies who loved the opportunity to discuss. And he believed that any movie could work if it authentically created its world and developed its story within this reality.

Years ago, when Ebert joined Siskel on If We Picked the Oscars, film followers flamed when the pair dared to choose the year’s least deserving Oscar nomination. But offering such a practical view is what made Ebert essential to our movie experience. If he didn’t like what he saw, or didn’t see why it should appear on screen, he said so. He didn’t want waste anyone’s time on a film without merit. But when he discovered something meaningful, he wanted us to drop everything to get to the theater. And if we heard his “thumbs up” recommendation, that’s what we did.

“Thumbs Up” to you, Roger Ebert. You helped us discover how much fun we can have when we learn about movies. You made us feel we can share what we think about what we see. 

Interested in writing a Second Look column with the Reel Dad? Drop Mark a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A Royal Affair: Costume drama with depth

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 04 April 2013 12:52

As we look ahead to the spring movie season — when new, big films begin to appear — the Reel Dad checks out the nutritional value of some smaller films that are coming out on DVD. This week’s pick is A Royal Affair, a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.

A young lady says goodbye to her mother, uncertain of what may be ahead in her life, unaware of the complexities she will soon experience. The princess realizes what people in her homeland of England expect of her as she prepares to travel to a Copenhagen to marry into Danish royalty. Little does she know how her inclination to help others, and her insecurities about herself, will ultimately make a difference to many and complicate her life.

Admission: Mild visit to a college campus

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 28 March 2013 12:38

As we look ahead to the spring movie season — when new, big films begin to appear — the Reel Dad checks out the nutritional value of one of the new season’s first comedies, Admission. 

Any student or parent who has survived the college application process — or anticipates starting the experience — will find moments to chuckle, cringe and perhaps cry in the new comedy Admission. Whether or not the film offers any new insight into this rite of passage is beside the point. Thanks to Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and the other comedians on deck, we enjoy visiting a life event that can choke up anyone. If only the other subplots didn’t get in the way.

With her patented timing and humility, Fey portrays an ambitious admissions counselor at Princeton who has her job all figured out. She knows how to avoid making contact with prospective students on campus tours or what points to emphasize at information sessions for would-be Tigers. She knows her territory well, makes choices for her life and plots her career advancement with the precision of a clean desk. And she recognizes the competitive realities when colleagues vie for jobs, applicants hope for admission and colleges fight for spots on the “best of” lists.

As long as Admission stays on campus, and explores the pitfalls of the application experience, the writing is sharp and the point of view entertaining. Writer Karen Croner, working from a novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz, examines how silly this important chapter in life can become when parents, students and educators lose sight of what actually matters. She indicts the process without assigning blame and, supported by director Paul Weitz, captures the feel of the campus experience in a steady, comfortable rhythm. 

But Admission goes off campus too many times to sustain this edge and, ultimately, lets the subplots derail the narrative. While the film works best when focusing on college admissions, Croner and Weitz choose to depart from this storyline to develop a standard-issue romance between Fey and Rudd. To further dilute the content, they burden the romance with subplots involving Fey’s current boyfriend (the reliable Michael Sheen) and her free spirited mother (the forever young Lily Tomlin). We know these various narratives will ultimately collide as soon as we hear Fey’s voice over. Such a device can be a sure sign that disconnected plot points need help coming together.

The performers are delightful. Fey delivers her patented rendition of the self-deprecating woman and Rudd is, as always, accessible and spontaneous as a high school educator. With performers this likable, we are willing to look away when the events confuse. Fey’s magical timing and personality, so winning on television, easily transfers to the big screen no matter how familiar her mannerisms and approach may be. While Rudd doesn’t have a lot to do, his sincerity makes him an ideal foil. And Tomlin, remarkable at age 73, brings warmth and appeal to what starts as an underwritten role. 

No film can truly capture the anticipation, exhilaration and disappointment that the college process can produce. Perhaps, one day, this experience will be dramatized in a serious look at the experience. Until then we can savor the moments in Admission that any applicant or parent may easily recognize.

Film Nutritional Value

Admission

* Content: Medium. While the film pokes fun at the college admissions process, it dilutes the fun by juggling too many subplots and characters.

* Entertainment: Medium. As long as the film stays on campus, the comedy is strong. But what happens off campus is less interesting.

* Message: Medium. Anyone who experiences the college admissions process, as a parent or student, will find moments in the film they recognize.

* Relevance: High. Any opportunity to talk with older children about this experience can be helpful as they navigate the admissions game.

* Opportunity for Dialogue: High. You and your older children can use sharing this film as an opportunity to discuss their future plans.

(Admission is rated PG-13 for “language and some sexual material.” The film runs 117 minutes.)

3-1/2 Popcorn Buckets

This Week’s Movie Menu

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? 

Choosing what films to offer is a lot like planning what meals to serve. And all the choices on television make it easy to savor something at the same time you nourish the mind and heart. 

This week, cable offers a range of nutritious movies. Here are a few choices.

As we prepare for a holiday weekend, take a look at these nutritious films available this week on cable.

For the Meryl Streep fans in your family, check out her masterful comic turn as a megalomaniac magazine publisher in The Devil Wears Prada. This sharp comedy from 2006, based on the book by Lauren Weisberger, follows the adventures of a young writer who grows up on the job in New York City. While Anne Hathaway may have more screen time, Streep steals the film with every nuance, gesture and inflection. As with all her performances, she seizes the soul of the character from her first moments. Look for Prada at 10:30 p.m., Friday, March 29, on Oxygen.

An Easter egg hunt creates a fitting finale for Steel Magnolias, showing Friday evening at 8:30 p.m. on ABC Family. This popular film from 1989, based on the stage play by Robert Harling, invites us to a small town in Louisiana to spend time with a lovely group of friends. With a young Julia Roberts at her most appealing, Sally Field at her most reliable, and Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis at their most humorous, Steel Magnolias reminds us that films that make us laugh can also touch us with their sincerity. They make Truvy’s beauty parlor a place you want to visit over and over.

What would this holiday be without an annual visit to the Easter Parade in New York City? This grand musical from the M-G-M heyday features Judy Garland and Fred Astaire as musical performers who experience the ups and downs of show business. While the script is slight, the songs are lovely (including the classic A Couple of Swells) and the performances delightful. Garland, at her best, is beyond compare as a musical star. If this role doesn’t demand anything new from the legend, the performance reminds us how she makes the magic so easy to create. Look for Easter Parade at 6 p.m., Sunday, March 31, on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

If you like a little ham for your Easter, check out Faye Dunaway’s over-the-top rendition of the great Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. This adaptation of Christina Crawford’s book about her mother promises to tell a true story of life with this great star. But if the real Joan Crawford was as exaggerated as the reel lady on screen, it’s a wonder she ever made it to the studio to make a movie. Dunaway’s performance, however, is so overdone that it’s a lot of fun. She makes the movie too ridiculous to seriously consider and too much fun to resist. Check it out Sunday at 4:45 p.m. on the Sundance channel.

And, for a fun automobile trip across several countries, check out the epic comedy The Great Race on Saturday, March 30, at 5:15 p.m. on TCM. Okay, the film is too long and too silly for its own good, and Tony Curtis as the hero never quite matches the comic lunacy that Jack Lemmon brings to the villain of the piece. But the whole thing is so much fun, and Blake Edwards directs with such comic flair, that its length and inconsistency can be overlooked. Any chance to see Lemmon at work, even in an overdone performance, is well worth the time. And the classic pie fight sequence is a riot.

Serving nutritious movies can be as easy as turning on the television. And be sure, as you watch together, to share what you observe, question and consider. Watching movies together can prompt valuable family discussions.

Ginger and Rosa: Touching look at teenage years

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 21 March 2013 13:29

As we look ahead to the spring movie season — when new, big films begin to appear — the Reel Dad checks out the nutritional value of some smaller films that are soon to play in local theaters. This week’s pick is Ginger and Rosa.

How easy it can be to look back at our youth through a lens of maturity that can connect dots that, at the time, were in disarray. What we may overlook as we remember is how crucial we found each moment as well as how we reacted to the little challenges that threatened our big pictures. No matter how we see our lives today we could never have guessed, when we were teenagers, what we would eventually experience in our lives. Acquiring a longer view takes time.

Of the many films that explore how teenagers think, Ginger and Rosa makes us believe we actually experience the lives of real teenagers. Without exaggerating the situations the characters face, or blurring their development with artificial interactions, the film dissects how young people struggle to balance the big issues with the day-to-day questions that capture their attention. By focusing on a specific time in the characters’ lives, without feeling compelled to tell a larger story, the film uses a close-up lens to examine how young people learn to process what happens in their worlds.

Sally Potter, the thoughtful filmmaker behind Orlando in the 1990s, creates an appealing environment for her teenager characters. Best friends since childhood, Ginger and Rosa do everything together; they skip school, hitchhike to adventures and process the questions that come to mind. Most pressing in their view, in 1962 when the story takes place, is the impending sense of doom created by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Adding complications to their fears are their parents’ failures to sustain meaningful relationships.

These young girls come to life on screen because Potter focuses her lens on the small moments they share. We feel, from the opening, that we are simply eavesdropping on their lives. Much as George Roy Hill did in the magical World of Henry Orient and George Lucas accomplished with American Graffiti, we become observers of people rather than viewers of a film. Potter creates this magic by not trying to be magical. Instead of making a movie she creates a sense of life and happens to know just the right moment to call “action.”

The performances help. Elle Fanning, a magical young actress who brings truth to every moment, makes Ginger a vibrant young woman who dares to ask questions that few of her peers may be willing to articulate. Whether or not the character brings much common sense to her life can be debated just as the choices she makes in her relationships. But no one can doubt the sincerity of Fanning’s performance. This actress has the ability to fill every moment with authentic expression and energy. The other wondrous work in the film comes from Annette Bening who, in a small role, creates such a sense of calm that enables Fanning to thrive. Someday soon I hope someone creates the role that brings Bening the raves she deserves.

Ginger and Rosa manages to tell its touching story in an efficient 90 minutes, without excessive profanity, unnecessary violence or nudity. That Potter shows such restraint in this cinema era of bathroom humor is a credit to her artistic view. For her what matters on screen is what occurs inside her characters rather than the excessive behavior they could demonstrate. And she reminds us the big things that a small film can accomplish.

Film Nutritional Value

Ginger and Rosa

* Content: High. The lives of teenage girls come to life in a sensitive and entertaining treatment of the challenges, choices and conversations they experience.

* Entertainment: High. By carefully developing the characters, and revealing authentic moments, filmmaker Sally Potter entertains as she explores.

* Message: High. No matter what challenges we face when we are teenagers, our memories of those years follow us as we continue to grow.

* Relevance: High. Any opportunity to talk with our older children about how to address issues large and small can be meaningful.

* Opportunity for Dialogue: High. You and your older children can use sharing this film as an opportunity to discuss how to approach significant moments in our lives.

(Ginger and Rosa is rated PG-13 for “thematic material involving teen choices — sexuality, drinking, smoking, and for language.” The film runs 90 minutes.)

4 Popcorn Buckets

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? Read about the nutritious movies available on cable. Check out This Week’s Movie Menu in the online edition of The Reel Dad.

This Week's Movie Menu

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? 

Choosing what films to offer is a lot like planning what meals to serve. And all the choices on television make it easy to savor something at the same time you nourish the mind and heart. 

This week, cable offers a range of nutritious movies. Here are a few choices:

As we hope that the cold weather will soon end, take a look at these nutritious films available this week on cable.

For the musical buffs in your family, check the film version of the Broadway hit Gypsy from 1962. While no movie could fully capture the excitement of a stage production of this show, this adaptation deserves more credit than it receives. Rosalind Russell may be too old for the role as the outrageous stage mother, and may rely on Lisa Kirk to sing her songs, but effectively captures the emotional essence of the part and improves as the character ages. Natalie Wood brings an appealing vulnerability to her portrayal of a reluctant performer and, best of all, the score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim survives the trip to Hollywood with the only casualty, the second act opener “Together.” Check out Gypsy at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

If you prefer a “guilty pleasure” on the menu — a film with minimal nutritional value but a lot of fun — look for The First Wives Club at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 24, on Oxygen. This uneven but addictive comedy from 1996 features Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton as three women who navigate the world of divorce and revenge. While the film relies on voiceover to connect its plot points, and makes an awkward transition from pointed humor to social commentary, the performers shine. Watching the film today makes us wish Hawn could find a role to showcase her unique approach to exaggerated comedy, look forward to Midler’s upcoming appearance on Broadway, and savor that Keaton still works as much as she does. Together, they are wonderful.

The thrill this movie week is Alfred Hitchcock’s rendition of Dial M for Murder showing at 6 p.m. Sunday at TCM. At the time, the master director made news with his experimental use of 3-D technology. Even in two dimensions, the director’s pace and rhythm captivate our imaginations. Hitchcock wisely casts Grace Kelly as a young woman who fears she is the target of a murder plot. Rather than assume she is truthful, the director embeds just enough doubt to hold our interest from the opening moments. And few actresses are so made for the camera.

If you are in the mood for more Hitchcock, check out the classic Notorious showing at 4 p.m. Sunday on TCM. Ingrid Bergman is at her most captivating as a young woman of mystery who finds herself much too involved with questionable people in the underworld of Rio de Janeiro. With Cary Grant as her would-be protector, Bergman reminds us why her love affair with movie audiences spanned more than four decades. And Hitchcock’s camera work shines in glorious black and white.

And to return to the glory days of the 1950s when movie romance was clean, simple and predictable, take a fresh look at Three Coins in the Fountain from 1954. This sudsy romance follows the adventures of three young women when they travel to Rome. Within moments they begin to discover the fantasies of romance set against the beautifully photographed sights of this magical city. When first released, the film was best known for its sappy title song (that won the year’s Best Song Oscar) and its color photography. No one, at the time, paid much attention to its script, and there’s no reason to start today. Just enjoy the trip. Coins broadcasts at 2 p.m. Sunday on TCM.

Serving nutritious movies can be as easy as turning on the television. And be sure, as you watch together, to share what you observe, question and consider. Watching movies together can prompt valuable family discussions.

NO: Fascinating look at the power of media; new feature: Second Look

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 14 March 2013 13:33

As we look back at Oscar season — and some of the best films of the year continue to appear in our area — the Reel Dad checks out the nutritional value of nominees that were overlooked for awards. This week’s pick is NO, opening soon at the Bethel Cinema.

We live in a world where the blare of advertising messages fills natural silence. Every day, no matter where we may look or listen, we subject ourselves to the endless refrain of product pitches created to inspire us how to act, purchase and think. Ultimately this endless marketing parade paints a picture of how we should live, care for each other, furnish our homes, clothe our children, pamper our pets and consider which leaders we follow.

NO — a striking film from Chile — explores the power of the advertising that surrounds us today by recreating a stunning episode from the history of persuasive media. This nominee for Best Foreign Language Film takes us back to 1988 when, in Chile, a dictator’s rule overpowered the people. Under public pressure, Chilean President August Pinochet agrees to a national vote to stay in power. If the people vote “yes,” he stays; if they vote “no,” he exits to open the door to free elections. While his supporters may consider the vote a formality, the opposition sees this electoral opportunity as a moment to define the country’s evolution.

Leave it to a brash, creative and unconventional advertising man, Rene Saavedra, to devise a campaign to inspire people to vote “No” on the unprecedented proposition. The film explores how Saavedra works through the possible advertising approaches before settling on an unconventional message; rather than use the government-allotted television broadcast time to focus on facts, he adopts a retail marketing strategy to pitch how people can feel when they experience electoral freedom. As if promoting soda pop or candy bars, Saavedra uses emotional gimmicks to sell a way of life that a “No” vote can welcome. As he leads his side to the election, he reminds us of the role that advertising plays in any political process.

Perks of Being a Wallflower: Meaningful return to high school

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 07 March 2013 13:22

As we look back at Oscar season — and the best films of the year begin to appear on DVD — the Reel Dad checks out the nutritional value of some that were overlooked for nominations and awards. This week’s pick is The Perks of Being a Wallflower, now available on DVD.

Life of Pi: Visually meaningful and moving

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 28 February 2013 13:30

As we look back at Oscar season — and the best films of the year begin to appear on DVD — the Reel Dad checks out the nutritional value of the nominees. This week’s pick is Life of Pi, the winner of four Academy Awards.

Of the nominees for this year’s Oscar for Best Picture, the victorious Argo may be the most thrilling, Django Unchained the most outrageous and Zero Dark Thirty the most lasting. Ang Lee’s Life of Pi brings the year’s most advanced visual work to the most challenging story of the season. The result is an outstanding technical achievement that just misses being as emotionally satisfying as it is visually thrilling.

On screen, the film adaptation of the book by Yann Martel looks sensational. Director Lee, always a most imaginative moviemaker, feels as much at home on the Pacific Ocean as in our neighboring town of New Canaan (in The Ice Storm), the English countryside (in Sense and Sensibility) or the American West (in Brokeback Mountain). He deserves his Oscar for seamlessly using the 3-D camera and computer technology to create a total world that rarely reveals its artificial origins. And he breaks new ground in adding a third visual dimension to enhance the film experience.

This exploration of faith, family and miracle is not a natural candidate for memorable movie making. While the book uses words to explore a young man’s thoughts as he faces the challenges of life, a movie requires a visual language to describe such a journey. For the screen adaptation, Lee creates a stylistic look that could suggest many explanations for what we see. He purposely delivers an environment that, while less than totally realistic in its appearance, contains just enough exaggerated imagery to suggest the young man’s emotional journey.

Movies also talk and, for all the visual excitement in Life of Pi, the script does not develop the characters as effectively as the director stages its sequences. Screenwriter David Magee, best known for Finding Neverland, spends a good deal of early screen time establishing the backstory of a family operating a zoo in India. He carefully reveals how, as the sons in the family age, the parents face increasing pressures that force them to arrange a move to Canada by ship, taking many zoo animals with them. But he has less to stay when the going gets tough on the high seas and the young man begins a life-changing struggle to stay alive.

While Magee’s conventional dialogue limits how the characters develop, the Oscar-winning Lee refuses to let any gaps in the script restrict his vision. We sense the director imagining every possible way to tell the story no matter what the script may say or what technology may be available. From one sequence to another, Lee astonishes our senses with visual delights that reach beyond our expectations. His approach to filming the story is so strong he really doesn’t need the characters to speak. If only Magee had taken as many creative risks as Lee, an ambitious film could have been extraordinary. 

Still, Life of Pi delivers a meaningful visit to the movies. Its impact reminds us that film is, essentially, a director’s medium. And, when the creator behind the screen brings the creative power of Ang Lee, the results can thrill.

Film Nutritional Value

Life of Pi

* Content: High. The essence of Yann Martel’s book transfers to the screen in the visually creative hands of director Ang Lee.

* Entertainment: High. The striking visual approach creates a sense of awe as Lee dares to use the camera in ways other directors could only imagine.

* Message: High. No matter what challenge we may face in life, we can endure when we embrace and learn from each moment.

* Relevance: High. Any opportunity to talk with children handling the realities of life can be absorbing and meaningful

* Opportunity for Dialogue: High. You and your children can use the film as an opportunity to discuss how we approach situations we cannot control.

(Life of Pi is rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril. The film runs 127 minutes.)

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? Check the nutritious movies available on television, DVD and online. Go to This Week’s Movie Menu in the online edition of The Reel Dad.

4-1/2 Popcorn Buckets

This Week’s Movie Menu

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? 

Choosing what films to offer is a lot like planning what meals to serve. And all the choices on television make it easy to savor something at the same time you nourish the mind and heart. 

This week, broadcast, cable and instant on-line video offer a range of nutritious movies. Here are a few choices.

With the Oscars over for another year, and movie theaters waiting for the spring releases, this is a good week to rediscover some Hollywood classics available on cable.

What history calls the “Scopes Monkey Trial” is a fundamental moment in the history of free speech. A high school science teacher in a small town dares to teach the Charles Darwin theory of evolution, a concept that explains how man descends from apes. This is not, in this town, a popular position, especially among those who profess the explanation from the Bible in their local religious congregations. And when the religious zealots put the teacher on trial, the court becomes a platform for two leading attorneys of the day to argue points of view that reach beyond the details of the local situation.

When playwright Arthur Miller used this real incident as inspiration for his stage play Inherit the Wind in the early 1950s, he equated the challenge of the “Monkey Trial” to the efforts by conservative voices of the period to censor those who dared to profess socialist views. Produced at the height of the “Red Scare” in the United States — as officials searched for signs of Communist leanings in all corners — the play became a plea for free speech regardless of the reactions those words may create.

When filmed in 1960, director Stanley Kramer expanded the scope of Inherit the Wind to also comment on the current Cold War tensions. As the film follows the trial, Kramer explores how public opinion can be manipulated, emotions can be swayed and anger can be stimulated. Clearly, the suggestion that the biblical interpretation of life is scientifically impossible is potentially controversial. But in a nation that professes free speech all opinions should be welcome. Inherit the Wind reminds us that, even when free, we aren’t always invited to speak what’s on our minds. The comfort zone for free speech can be narrow and limited. This nutritious film will broadcast on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on Saturday, March 2, at 11 a.m.

One of the great musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, airs on TCM at 5 p.m., Sunday, March 3. This screen version of the Broadway hit was a big success in 1971 when it was a nominee for Best Picture. Beyond the magic of its musical numbers, what makes the film so meaningful is how it portrays a father’s love for his daughters. While their beliefs and priorities may test his view of the world, the strength of the relationships they share enable them to endure significant change, from how they live to how they choose their life partners. 

In adapting the show to the screen, director Norman Jewison replaces the stylistic staging of the original to a more realistic interpretation. Rather than insert the musical numbers as show pieces, he uses the songs to advance the story and character. And he takes his time in the dialogue sequences to make sure we get to know the characters. While the film boasts a lovely score and some vibrant dancing, we remember the quieter moments that reveal how this family deals with all the change they experience.

In Some Like It Hot — for which Jack Lemmon lost the Best Actor Oscar in 1959 to Charlton Heston — our favorite actor Jack scores a comic triumph as a man who dresses as a woman to escape the mob. This outrageous comedy will keep your family laughing for hours. Leave it to the great Billy Wilder to imagine what can happen when two male musicians dress up as women to join an all female band. The pretend life is never simple especially when one of faux female musicals falls in love with the band’s lead singer and, in order to pursue the relationship, pretends to be an eccentric millionaire. Sound confusing? 

Actually it’s easy to follow and very tame. Even though the content may sound suggestive — and, perhaps, would be if the film had been made today — it’s all innocent. What makes Some Like It Hot so fun is how the farce develops without abandoning the characters. Lemmon’s Daphne, one of the classic comic performances of all time, is a fascinating “woman” who truly does lose sight of the fact that she is actually a man hiding his real identity. Some Like It Hot broadcasts on TCM at 1:15 p.m. Saturday, March 2.

Serving nutritious movies can be as easy as turning on the television. And be sure, as you watch together, to share what you observe, question and consider. Watching movies together can prompt valuable family discussions.

Here are the 2013 Oscar predictions — Agree?

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 21 February 2013 11:59

Each year, predicting the Oscar winners is a balancing act of who should and who could win. This week, the Reel Dad shares his choices for the Academy Awards on Feb. 24. How do his favorites compare to yours?

Best Picture

Should Win: Argo

Could Win: Lincoln

When Ben Affleck was overlooked for a Best Director nomination, movie pundits predicted that Argo could not win the top Oscar. But the buzz over the snub shines a spotlight on this thriller’s strengths. With a strong sense of period and location, Affleck recreates the tension in Tehran in 1979 when citizens stormed the American Embassy to take 52 workers hostage. The specificity of the director’s vision is extraordinary; he leaves nothing to chance as he recreates the look and feel of the moment. Just as effectively, he pivots the film to broad comedy when a CIA operative suggests an inventive way to rescue six Americans. While Lincoln may be a safe choice, and Zero Dark Thirty will be remembered as the year’s most daring film, Argo should triumph on Oscar night.

Best Actor

Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Could Win: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

No matter how Lincoln performs in other categories, Day-Lewis should win a third Best Actor award for his masterful performance as the 16th president. This incredible chameleon dares to reveal the weaknesses of the leader while helping us discover his surprising strengths. What’s magical about the portrayal is how the actor never resorts to the theatrical. He uses small gestures and expressions to make the character so likable that we want to spend as much time with him as we can. Only Bradley Cooper could upset for his brave work in Silver Linings Playbook.

Best Actress

Should Win: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Could Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

That she would be the oldest Best Actress winner in Academy history illustrates the power of her inventive portrayal of aging. Emmanuelle Riva dares to explore every dimension of how a woman tries to cope with the inevitable decline that time and illness can bring. With minimal dialogue and maximum expression, Riva makes us believe every step this woman takes in what may be her final days. While Jennifer Lawrence enchants in a supporting role in Silver Linings Playbook and Jessica Chastain thrills in Zero Dark Thirty, Riva should be the surprise winner.

Best Supporting Actor

Should Win: Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Could Win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

For the first time in Oscar history, each actor in this category already has an Oscar. While Tommy Lee Jones has been considered the likely winner, look for De Niro to make a surprise leap to the lead. As the emotionally complex father in Silver Linings Playbook, this actor reminds us how great he can be when he isn’t meeting the Fockers. Of the five nominated performances, his is the most surprising.

Best Supporting Actress

Should Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Could Win: Sally Field, Lincoln

Hathaway’s road to an Oscar has been the buzz since advertisements for the film started to appear. Her role may be small, and she may play more of a symbol than a character, but her live-on-set performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” haunts. She so beautifully articulates the humiliation life can deliver that we do not feel we are watching a singer deliver a number as much as we are savoring a journey into a character’s soul.

Best Director

Should Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Could Win: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Because Ben Affleck is not a nominee, the Oscar will go home with Steven Spielberg for his vision and restraint with Lincoln. Spielberg brilliantly creates a small film to tell a big story about a larger-than-life hero. The director, who can deliver big movies that fill the wide screen, chooses to make this film as small as possible. By showing such restraint in the film’s scope he strengthens the ultimate power of the movie’s moral.

This Week’s Movie Menu

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? 

Choosing what films to offer is a lot like planning what meals to serve. And all the choices on television make it easy to savor something at the same time you nourish the mind and heart. This week, broadcast, cable and instant on-line video offer a range of nutritious movies. Here are a few choices.

Get ready for Oscar with the many choices available this weekend on television.

Topping the list of award-winning entries is Lawrence of Arabia showing Sunday on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) at 12:30 p.m. In this Best Picture of 1962, director David Lean, who proved himself a master creator of the film epic with The Bridge on the River Kwai, challenges himself to make film sense of T.E. Lawrence, a most controversial man at the center of some of the most meaningful moments in the history of what we now call the Middle East. In perhaps the most complex epic created for the screen, Lean puts us in the middle of a fascinating part of the world at its most defining time, as the British were losing their hold on the future of the land and the destiny of its people. And he teaches us, more than he could have imagined, the fundamentals that continue to define conflicts in this part of the world.

Lean’s earlier Oscar-winning film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, the Best Picture of 1957, shows Sunday on TCM at 9:30 a.m. When we talk about movies we often describe the narrative “arc” of change that a character may experience. Among all the films your family may share, you may never see an “arc” as dramatic as what we observe in Colonel Nicholson in this film. The film takes you to the middle of a jungle in Asia where, during World War II, American and British soldiers are held captive in a Japanese prison camp. At the start, Nicholson is an outspoken man who dares to defy the order of the Japanese prison camp where he finds himself. He rebels and rejects — in his stoic manner — suggestions of how he could make his life at the camp easier. And he openly objects to the prison leadership and willingly suffers the consequences.

A change of a different nature comes to life in The Shawshank Redemption, broadcast Saturday on American Movie Classics (AMC) at 6 p.m. This nominee for Best Picture of 1994 is unique among prison films because it avoids portraying the prison as a world removed from the world. Instead we believe in this community as a living place where people reside. They just happen to be there for specific reasons, and determined lengths of time, during which they do particular tasks they are assigned. This movie is less about the environment that could define them as it is about the world they create within those walls and the hope they bring to each day to find a way to get out and live free.

Schindler’s List, the Best Picture of 1993, takes us into the extravagant life of a self-absorbed German businessman who dines at lovely restaurants, drinks fine champagne and enjoys the company of beautiful people. He would be, actually, the last person anyone might consider likely to save others. At first, he tries to capitalize on the business opportunities the Germans create when they begin to oust Jewish people from their homes in the late 1930s. But when he learns about the horrific atrocities being committed by the Germans against the Jews during World War II, he realizes he can’t stand idly by. He begins to use his position as a businessman to try to help hundreds of Jews who, otherwise, might face death. Look for this Oscar-winner from Steven Spielberg on USA at 8 p.m., Saturday.

Acting legend Katherine Hepburn won her second of four Oscars in 1967 for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, showing Saturday on TCM at 6 p.m. What may feel, at first, like a comfortable look at the predictable life of a mother, father and daughter in San Francisco surprisingly becomes a daring and insightful exploration of racial prejudice. Telling its story about one day in this family’s life, the Oscar-winning screenplay by William Rose encourages each of us look in the mirror to examine how we might react to choices outside the expected. Without over-articulating its point of view, the film helps us realize how even the best-intentioned opinions may require adjustment and patience. 

Serving nutritious movies can be as easy as turning on the television. And be sure, as you watch together, to share what you observe, question and consider. Watching movies together can prompt valuable family discussions.