INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, ***/5

***/5

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by David Koepp

Harrison Ford
Cate Blanchett
Karen Allen
Shia LaBeouf
Ray Winstone
John Hurt

124 Minutes

The Indiana Jones franchise is a lucrative one so it should be of no surprise that The Last Crusade was ever never gonna be the end of the story. It has been 18 years since the last adventure and to be honest with you I haven't thought about these films since the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). I never saw the two other films that followed- Temple of Doom (1984) or Last Crusade (1989) until last week and that's only because I felt I needed to, to prepare for the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I enjoyed Raiders when it came out 27 years ago- I was a teenager at the time and when the sequels started rolling out after that I was kind of more interested in other things quite frankly. It's even more so now but it's hard to deny the quintessential movie of the summer especially being a film critic.

The previous three films of Indiana Jones have grossed over $1 billion dollars worldwide- chances are with the pending success of this film the chances of yet another chapter down the road seem even more likely even though the films hero, played by Harrison Ford is nearing the rip old age of 70. If there is a part five in the near future maybe they'll put him in a pimped out wheelchair with a secret compartment for his whip. Hey, if John McCain thinks he can be President at his age than Indiana Jones can go on forever I guess. The funny thing is, Harrison Ford was the second choice for this character- originally Tom Selleck was supposed to be the man but could not get out of his Magnum P.I. contract- think there might be any regrets going on with that decision in hindsight?
But enough of the behind-the-scenes stuff regarding this series- let's move on to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (you'd think after 18 years they could have come up with a catchier title). This time around it is 1957 and archaeologist Jones (Ford) is a professor at Marshall College until he meets a young adventurer named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) who needs Jones help finding his mother and the mysterious Crystal Skull of Akator. Apparently, it was stolen years ago from the City of Gold in the Amazon and it possesses special powers to anyone who has it, so off to Peru they go. Needless to say, they are not the only people in search for this skull- Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) also wants to possess the skull to help dominate and control the Cold War, I guess we can all be grateful that the filmmakers didn't modernize the film and write in a Middle East senario involving Bin Laden, etc. We instead get to relive our old school hatred of Russians and communism.

There are quite a few surprises in store with part four with some new characters thrown in but a steady stream of old school Indiana Jones stuff for the die hard fans to lather over. We once again get Spielberg in the directing chair for this one along with a the usual Lucas Production and also an A-list cast and crew all the way around. David Koepp wrote the screenplay, he is most well known for writing Carlito’s Way, Jurassic Park and Spider-Man. Recent Oscar winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is behind the camera and photographing a pretty decent cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Jim Broadbent and John Hurt just to name a few and let’s not forget the usual John Williams “Da-Da-Daa” score that is nearly as famous has Indiana Jones is himself. Seems like a winning combination doesn’t is? Well, kinda…

Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is dare I say ho-hum- rather boring and predictable and at times amazingly illogical. There is plenty of flash and awe in it’s over 2-hour running time but none of it feels new or interesting. It just kind of sits there through most of the film, there is no spark. It relies heavily on it’s past with cute one-liners and smirks but it feels just like it did when it left us 18 years ago, it feels like an 80’s movie trying to recreate a 50’s adventure film with 21st century budget. I’d complain more but then I’d be giving away secrets… for rabid fans this will be paradise but for the rest of us it just feels like déjà vu all over again.

HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMER, ***/5

***/5

Written and Directed by Georgina Riedel

Elizabeth Pena
America Ferrara
Lucy Gallardo
Steven Bauer
Jorge Cervera

128 Minutes

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer is a small gem of a film about the season in the lives of three family members. The matriarch of the family is Genoveva (Lucy Gallardo) who lives alone and has decided, as the film begins, to buy a car and finally learn how to drive. This doesn't sit well with her daughter, Lolita (Elizabeth Pena), who thinks she's much too old to drive and should instead start acting her age. Lolita is divorced and runs the local meat market in town. She herself seems lost and lonely. The youngest member of the Garcia clan is Bianca (America Ferrara), Lolita's daughter and the granddaughter of Genoveva. She is a teenager and has little to do in her life except walk around town with her friends, all desperate for some sort of excitement in their small town lives.

The Garcia Girls may be the main characters in this comedy but it is the small Arizona town that drives this story. It is the type found in every corner of America--small, desolate, and painfully boring--where everybody knows everybody and secrets cease to exist. Needless to say, Genoveva's restlessness, Lolita's loneliness, and Bianca's pubescence are all wide-open issues in this small desert town. But they have each other as family. They are, at heart, three amigas and are determined to stick together.

Sex also dominates not only the Garcia Girls but the story of their summer as well. Genoveva begins to take driving lessons from Don Pedro (Jorge Cevera, Jr.), a neighborhood man who also does her yard work. She is not only gaining driving knowledge from him but also bestowed flirtations, which turn this old woman into a lustful teenager again. Lolita is also dealing with her neighbor Victor (Steven Bauer). Lolita likes Victor despite the fact the he is already married, but that doesn't deter her as long as his wife doesn't find out about it. Lastly, there is Bianca, who is struggling with the idea of still being a virgin. She is desperate to meet a boy and fall in love. Enter the new boy in town, who is much older than she but just as desperate and lonely.

What’s great about these three separate lives and relationships is just how identical they all end up being. The desire for affection and attention has no age limit. We are all the same in our desires and it shows nicely in this film. Relationships don’t exist as solely a male/female thing. There’s a higher emotion we all need to feel in order to survive. It is the air we breathe and the water we drink and the itch that rules us all.

Garcia Girls is the feature film debut of writer/director Georgina Riedel and she does a fine job telling her story on screen. Her direction is minimal and her script, filled with loneliness, desire, and independence, is fun and lighthearted. The first half of the film is very well done with its set-up and characterizations but it veers off that path toward the end when it unfortunately begins to feel more like a "Sisterhood Ya-Ya" thing. It also runs a little longer than it should, clocking in at a little over two hours. This seems too long to tell this story. I think this film could have been better with 30 minutes chopped off.

The performances by all three women are terrific, especially by Gallardo and Ferrara. It is Ferrara, though, who stuck with me the most in the end. She is really good in these smaller films, as she was earlier in Real Women Have Curves. Most well known for being TV’s Ugly Betty, I prefer her in her cinema roles instead. Always great in everything she does is Pena who has been playing this type of character now for years in indie films. Despite its familiarity she still seems to keep it fresh and real.

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer is a sweet film about real people and something that feels foreign right during the summer blockbuster season. But, if you feel the need for a break from super heroes and speed racers, I recommend visiting the Garcia's

SPEED RACER, zero stars

zero stars/5

Written and Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski

Emile Hirsch
Christina Ricci
John Goodman
Susan Sarandon
Matthew Fox
Roger Allam

129 Minutes

Just the other day some friends and I were sitting talking about the state of pop music, actually it was more about the business of music and the slow painful death that's happening to it. Just in the last month there have been three major releases all by pop princesses and queens- Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey and Madonna. Lewis is trying to be Carey, Mariah is once again being Mariah and Madonna is just desperate to hold on to her crown. All three albums surprisingly, are tolerable but only to the point of not wanting to kill yourself immediately. This supposed cream of the crop for pop music is so bland with it's manufactured beats and meaningless lyrics that it simply goes in one ear and out the other. It is simply without heart, it feels phoned in more than performed. There is nothing there- it's like eating cotton candy and Red Bull for dinner. It is nothing but sugar with no substance and in the end you are doubled over with stomach pains.

If Mariah and Madonna are nothing more than mass produced bile for the masses than they finally have a cinematic version of the apocalypse with the new movie Speed Racer. I can tolerate bad movies- in fact I relish them from time to time, they have always been good to keep my blood pumping when it comes to reviewing them. But I have finally come across a film that has my blood pressure peaking to dangerous levels. I have never seen a more ridiculous and heartless film about absolutely nothing than I have now with Speed Racer. This doesn't just go in one ear and out the other it literally sucks out your brain and rips the head off your shoulders. If the key demographic for this movie is kids under 10 years old- I am even more frightened for the future. Will kids be mesmerized by this movie? Yes, but only in the same way boys are when they're in a strip club. Speed Racer is nothing more than kiddie porn- a steady diet of cotton candy and Red Bull for kids.

I can sum up this garbage for you in less than a paragraph- here we go... There's a kid named Speed (Emile Hirsch) whose a member of the famed racing company family owned by Pops Racer (John Goodman). His mom is Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon) and his girlfriend is Trixie (Christina Ricci). He grows up to be the greatest car racer of all time and is wooed by rival racing company Royalton Industries that is run by billion-trillionaire Royalton (Roger Allam). Speed turns down the chance to race for Royalton to remain with his family company and then is turned into a pariah in the race world for doing so. So he teams up with one-time rival Racer-X (Matthew Fox) to beat not only beat Royalton and the system but also to beat the odds. Go Speed Racer- GO!!!

It was the basis for the ridiculous animated TV show of the 60's and that's pretty much all there is to this movie. This story line that could have been made into a short film, instead it is stretched into a 2 hour and 15 minute film that is nothing more than a special effects wet dream for CGI zombies. Outside of actual human beings playing the characters there is nothing else real in this film- it's like Tron meets Who's Afraid of Roger Rabbit. The lead character, who should have gotten top billing in this movie, is nothing more than a blue screen because everything you see and hear is fake and manufactured inside of a computer. There's nothing here but technology, the Unibomber was right- technology is the devil!! I would rather beat up old women on the street or drown puppies than sit through this movie ever again.

Speed Racer was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers who last tortured us with their Matrix trilogy and few years ago- this movie makes the Matrix out to be a masterpiece. Emile Hirsch who was so terrific in the film Into the Wild last year plays the title character and I hope that he got paid a ton of money for this because it will forever be a blemish on his resume. That also goes for Christina Ricci, Goodman and Sarandon- all four lead actors officially need to hire new agents because this movie could be detrimental to their careers and the last thing we need here is a possible sequel and don't even get me started on the Spirtle character and that damned monkey.

I implore you, the small handful of people who read me on a regular basis to avoid this movie- it will offer you nothing in return except a lower IQ and a headache. I would rather you take the money you would spend on going and just rip up right now and throw in the garbage or worse yet contribute to the John McCain for President fund- four more years of Bush seems less cruel than Speed Racer. If this is the future of movies and if Madonna and Mariah are the future of music than it is the apocalypse my friends, it is the end of the world (and I've got some major stomach pains).

SON OF RAMBOW, ****/5

****/5

Written and Directed by Garth Jennings

Bill Milner
Will Poulter
Jessica Stevenson
Jules Sitruk
Ed Westwick

96 Minutes

Film critic, Michael Wilmington, likes to tell the story about growing up in a small town, Williams Bay, Wisconsin--a town without a movie theatre. He is one of two major critics working today that didn't have the good fortune of growing up in a town with a movie theatre. I, on the other hand, did grow up in a town with a movie theatre. The Delavan Theatre became my home away from home as a child and it was paradise for me. My earliest and fondest memories of it are when it was a glorious one-screen cinema; a humungous room that brought far away Hollywood to my small Wisconsin town. Eventually, they split that room into two theaters, which was unfortunate but, alternatively, it meant I did get to spend even more time there with two movies a week.

I lived about a mile or so from that theatre so it was always a fun jaunt home after the show because whatever I went to see I could play out the story on my journey home. On hot summer days, the sweat from walking to the theatre would evaporate in the dark air-conditioned room--kind of like, “Come for the movie, stay for the air conditioning.” It was a great way to grow up and it definitely had a huge influence on my life with my love for film. In retrospect, I couldn't imagine not having grown up with that. In a world today full of multiplexes, the small hometown theatre is disappearing along with its unique experience and that’s quite sad.

I segue all of this into my review of the film, Son of Rambow, a story about growing up that is so full of imagination it is impossible not to fall in love with it. It takes place in England in the early to mid-80's with a boy named Will (Bill Milner), who is as fragile and innocent as he looks. He is brought up in a fundamentalist religious sect by his single mother (Jessica Stevenson), who forbids Will from watching TV or movies. The only book he is allowed to read is the Bible. Will, however, is full of imagination and spends every minute drawing elaborate stories and pictures on everything from his Bible to the bathroom wall.

One day, the school bully, Lee (Will Poulter), who lives in the back of a nursing home with his older brother, an even bigger bully named Lawrence (Ed Westwick), confronts Will. Will spends his days at the local cinema, videotaping movies so that he can bootleg them for money. His dream is to enter a local competition called "Screen Test" for young aspiring filmmakers. Somehow, this odd couple of Will and Lee become friends. They really have no one else besides themselves. Then, Will sees his first movie ever, a bootleg copy of Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. It is like nothing Will has ever seen before and he becomes obsessed with Rambo(w). The two, new friends decide to make their own version of First Blood, which will become Lee's submission to Screen Test. So, off into the English countryside they go to become budding filmmakers with tons of gusto and a bulky camcorder. Word starts to spread around school about what they’re doing and the ultra-hip French exchange student, Didier (Jules Sitruk), demands a role in the film. Eventually, everyone else at school wants a part and this little indie production takes on the life of a blockbuster.

Son of Rambow is a movie about the “DIY” mentality of filmmaking and about the joy of childhood and friendship. This film feels like Napoleon Dynamite meets Rushmore with a little Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer thrown in. It is a film filled with oddballs and outcasts that you can't help but identify and fall in love with. These two young actors are wonderful from beginning to end and give this film its heart and soul. Writer/Director Garth Jennings does a terrific job with storytelling and visuals and maintains his creativity much as he did with his debut film, the cinematic adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. Son of Rambow could be the little sleeper hit of the summer, this year's little film that could. It'll bring a smile to your face and the child back into your heart. It did for me, reminding me of my warm memories of my early years in a theatre.

THEN SHE FOUND ME, ***/5

***/5

Directed by Helen Hunt
Written by Alice Arlen, Helen Hunt and Victor Levin
Based on the novel by Elinor Lipman

Helen Hunt
Colin Firth
Bette Midler
Matthew Broderick
Ben Shenkman

100 Minutes

Then She Found Me is the story of a woman named April (Helen Hunt) and her pursuit to be a mother. She is the adopted daughter of an overbearing Jewish mother and, when the film opens, April is finally getting married to a man named Ben (Matthew Broderick). April and Ben are both elementary school teachers, working at the same school, and with their recent marriage, April is even closer to fulfilling her dream of motherhood. That is until Ben decides that maybe marriage wasn't the best idea for him, prompting him to disappear. Devastated, April moves on until her mother abruptly dies. She is now without a child or a husband and mother-less. When it rains it pours in April's life, but she seems to have been here before and forges on.

Then, out of the blue, her birth mother appears in an attempt to reconnect with her. Her name is Bernice (Bette Midler) and she is the star of a local New York daytime talk show. Bernice it seems has never let go of her baby even from afar. She has kept tabs on April all these years and now with the death of April’s adoption mother, it seems to Bernice that this is the best time to come back in her life. But, is April ready for this to happen?

Back at school, April meets Frank (Colin Firth), the single father of one of her a students. Frank’s spouse has also abandoned him, as Ben did to April. Cautiously, April and Frank become friends and much more than that and things seem to be looking up finally for these two lonely souls. That is until she realizes she is pregnant--not from Frank, though, but from Ben, an outcome of their last night together weeks ago. That's when Ben reappears in her life and puts April in a very strange position between the man she once loved and the man she now loves. At a time like this, a mother’s advice would be helpful and just weeks after losing a stepmother, Bernice’s appearance comes in handy.

Then She Found Me sounds like your typical Lifetime TV drama/comedy but it actually turns out not to follow the predictable paths you would expect. The story is based upon the novel by Elinor Lipman and adapted to the screen by Helen Hunt and two other screenwriters. It is also the feature film directorial debut for Hunt. She has made a very cute and enjoyable romantic comedy that refuses to follow the standard style of other films of its ilk. It's smart and funny and surprisingly darker than most films of this type. It feels more real and human and I think that falls at the feet of Hunt herself.

In the 10+ years since she won an Oscar for her role in As Good As It Gets, Hunt has traveled a very quiet and supporting road. Most well known for her TV show, Mad About You, she has since been in small roles in mostly forgettable films like Pay it Forward, A Good Woman, and Bobby. Then She Found Me is the first real big role she has taken since her Oscar, not to mention her co-writing and directing effort. The character of April is really a perfect role for Hunt. She seems so comfortable in it, an actress with deep sad eyes as her trademark. At 45, she looks great and seems content moving her career in a different direction. Then She Found Me breaks no new ground here, but it doesn't have to. It is an interesting story well told, thanks to Hunt.

The supporting cast surrounding her is also good from Midler and Firth to Broderick, who plays yet another weasel-like man-child, which he’s been playing a lot lately. His character feels very familiar to those he’s played in Election and You Can Count On Me. All around, this film is a fine one, an enjoyable night out at the theatre and a nice welcomed return for Helen Hunt.

IRON MAN, ****/5

****/5

Directed by Jon Favreau
Written by Mark Fergus, Matt Halloway, Art Marcum and Hawk Ostby
Based on the comic book "Iron Man"

Robert Downey, Jr
Terrence Howard
Jeff Bridges
Gwyneth Paltrow
Clark Gregg

126 Minutes

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Summer Movie Preview in Entertainment Weekly and it was the most depressing thing I've read recently, that is, next to my latest issue of The Nation. It was more like the Bummer Movie Preview. For most people it's a recreational guide; for me it's a business guide and things don’t look very good for the next three months. Of the 100+ films being released in between now and the end of summer there are only maybe half a dozen films that sparked my interest. It's a summer filled with even more super-heroes and sequels, sugar and spice and all that's nice. Urgh! The summer season is never very deep, usually shallow, and almost always glittery, but this year seems worse than usual. It's gonna be a long movie season folks, and I may have to hold my nose through most of it.

Having said this, I ventured to the theatre to take in the first big film of the summer, Iron Man. I sat down with arms crossed and a sneer on my face like I do to my usual trip to the dentist. Let's get this over with, let the summer season begin....

Iron Man begins with a trip to Afghanistan where we meet our (super) hero Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) who is sucking down scotch in the back seat of a military Hum Vee filled with soldiers there to protect him. Tony Stark is a rock star, not in the musical sense but rather one of the most famous playboy industrialists in the world. He owns Stark Industries and supplies his country with military firepower. A one-time M.I.T. whiz kid who just happened to be born into a rich family, Stark has it all. He's part Howard Hughes and part Hugh Hefner but with the brains of Bill Gates. He has traveled to Afghanistan to demonstrate his latest and most deadly weapon of choice. That is until the military convoy he’s in gets attacked and wiped out. The only survivor ends up being Stark who awakens days later in a cave, surrounded by the enemy.

They know, like everyone else in the world, who he is and demand him to build them their weapon of choice to gain his freedom. Stark's injuries are minimal despite the fact that he has a massive glowing metal shunt in his chest to keep weapon fragments away from his heart--without it he dies. Once he comes to grips with his situation he decides in secrecy to build an iron suit that will allow him the ability to escape his circumstances. He ends up looking like the Iron Giant in the end but the plan works and allows him to not only to escape from his captors but also destroy their hidden lair.

Returning home to America a hero, he is greeted by his partner at work Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), his best friend Jim (Terrence Howard), and his personal secretary Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow). With his eyes wide open and battle scars still evident, Stark decides to scale down his weapon production for the company and make something more than just profit from death and destruction. This causes company stock to plunge and turns Stark into a man obsessed with changing the world instead of destroying it, one smart bomb at a time. Secretly, he begins to improve on his iron suit and become a hero--a super hero that is.

Iron Man is your standard super hero movie that feels more like Batman than Superman. It is the story of an extra-ordinary man and his quest for greatness. He is a self-built man, unlike being born on a distant planet in a far away galaxy. This also makes for a very different kind of action film. Where many other films of its kind use CGI effects to dominate the story, Iron Man only uses its computer graphics to enhance. The biggest surprise of all from this film falls with the script, one that is very smartly written with snappy and fun dialogue, avoiding the predictable clichés. The other surprise lies with Director Jon Favreau. He is proving with every film he directs just how good a storyteller he is. He has made a career out of indie films as an actor but shows some real talent behind the camera. Iron Man is proof of that.

Then there's Robert Downey Jr. A perfect choice for the role of Tony Stark. He is terrific from beginning to end. This is also a film that grants its supporting cast from Bridges to Howard and Paltrow, moments of leading stature whereas most films would keep them at bay. All around, from script to direction to acting, this film (for what it is) works flawlessly. It is one of the great all-time comic book films and will help raise the bar for all those that follow. It had me from the get-go and held onto me until the final credits. If this is an indication of what's coming this summer, I apologize now for calling it a bummer.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, ****/5

****/5

Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Written by Jason Segel

Jason Segel
Kristen Bell
Mila Kunis
Russell Brand
Bill Hader
Jack McBrayer
Jonah Hill
Paul Rudd

112 Minutes

The old saying “what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger” rings true when it comes to break-ups. Unfortunately, you want to use that strength to strangle the person that tells you that. We've all had those heart-wrenching break-ups in our lives. I've had a couple big ones myself. They suck and I don't wish them on anyone. Some break-ups have actually killed some people throughout history, but more times than not we do recover and make some tasty lemonade out of those bitter, bitter lemons. If you don't want heartbreak in your life then don't fall in love. Take a vow of celibacy and head to the nearest monastery somewhere high atop a mountain. Personally, I'll take the pitfalls of love over a lifetime of chanting any day.

When we first meet Peter (Jason Segel) in the new film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he is about to have his heart ripped out and stepped on by the love of his life, Sarah (Kristen Bell). We can only cringe and feel his pain, knowing for certain that the next hour and a half is going to be a bumpy ride for him as we watch along. Thankfully, his tragedy is made to be a comedy and what doesn't kill him makes for strong laughs.

Sarah Marshall is a young actress starring in a successful TV drama that looks and sounds a lot like CSI and every other wannabe show of that genre. Her boyfriend, Peter, is a musician who does the music for the show. It's not really music, per say, that these shows require. It's more mood-making background noise than anything. For five years Peter and Sarah have been dating until one day she shows up to tell him she's leaving him. Peter is devastated, even more so when he finds out that she has left him for a ridiculous English rock star named Aidous (Russell Brand). Peter's best friend and step-brother, Brian (Bill Hader), encourages him to go away to Hawaii for a few days. Paradise could do him well at a time like this, and, reluctantly, Peter agrees.

Unfortunately, while checking into the hotel in Hawaii, Peter finds Sarah staying there with her new lover, which turns this paradise into hell for him. But he's too proud to leave and decides to rough it out on his own with the unexpected help of a front desk clerk named Rachel (Mila Kunis). Rachel is a very cute young lady but Peter is too love blind to notice until she takes him under her wing and a love begins to blossom. In fact, the entire hotel joins in with coming to the aid of Peter and his heartbreak--from the bartenders and the wait staff to fellow guests. Peter will grow stronger, they decide, or else they'll kill him to put him out of his misery.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a very funny movie and perhaps the first great comedy of the year. From the people who brought you, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad, comes yet another winner of a film that is both laugh-out-loud funny and sweet as hell. This time around Jason Segel gets the spotlight and does a terrific job, both as playing Peter and as the screenwriter of the film. Last seen as one of Seth Rogan's roommates in Knocked Up, Segel is showing his skills at being the next big thing in comedy. The rest of the cast is also great from Bell and Brand to Mila Kunis, who is very adorable and very funny. She also does the voice of Meg on TV's Family Guy so occasionally it'll feel a little weird to hear Meg's voice coming out of someone who's not Meg Griffin. The other supporting cast features Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, and Hader. All of them are terrific and very, very funny. They compliment a very well-written script and help make this film a real winner. If you loved 40-Year Old, Knocked Up, and Superbad you'll love this one to.

During their 2,000 Year Old Man routines of comedy past, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner described the difference between comedies and tragedies. Tragedies are when you cut your finger whereas comedies are when you see someone else fall down the stairs. Break-ups can be fun to watch from a distance and movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall are proof of that, as long as we aren't the ones trying to forget her.

YOUNG@HEART, ****/5

****/5

Directed by Stephen Walker

107 Minutes

Let me tell you about my Grandmother Elenna, Enny for short. She is one tough broad who recently turned 89 (sorry Grandma). At first glance, you would never guess her age because she looks great and once you sit down and talk with her she seems even younger. I was her first grandchild, her first grandson, so from the very beginning she took me under her wing where I've remained now for over 40 years. When I was a child we were very close. She was the one who always took me to the theatre and helped fund my ever-growing music collection. We even hung out together at the mall. She taught me how to play cards and gamble and even let me be her roommate one summer, even letting me stay after catching me sneaking out late at night. I couldn't ever imagine Enny not being in my life because she's always been there for me as my constant supporter and my oldest friend.

I mention this fabulous woman to you because of the new documentary, Young at Heart. I couldn't help but think of Enny throughout watching this film. I felt her presence with me during this movie, as if we were back in theatre watching movies together. Young at Heart is a remarkable new release about an elderly chorus group outside of Boston. “So, what's such a big deal about that?” you might ask. Well, this ain't your normal choral group because the average age of each member is 80. These folks rock 'n' roll--seriously. Young at Heart was started in 1982 by its current director, Bob Cilman. In the beginning, they did old vaudeville numbers and classics. But somewhere along the road Bob decided to spice up the song set list by covering Beatle and Rolling Stones tunes. At each performance, it was this group of songs that would always bring down the house. It was such a success that before they knew it, these Grandmas and Grandpas were belting out punk music standards from the Clash and the Ramones to hip-hop favorites from Outkast.

When we first meet these wonderful people they are preparing for a new season of shows that will begin in less than seven weeks. The eagerness of the members to get back to singing with friends is amazing. They live for this choir and work tirelessly yet effortlessly to be great at it. This time around Bob has some tough new songs for his choir to tackle. This year they're going to do James Brown, Coldplay, and Sonic Youth. Young at Heart documents the journey from day one until their annual concert, which is sold-out every year. The Young at Heart choir then travels the country performing in addition to making an exhausting road trip to Europe and beyond.

This film is not just about the music that’s sung but is about the power of that music and what it means to all of us. It is also, thankfully, about these wonderful people and who they are outside of the choir. It is a film about living life to the fullest and singing at the top of your lungs. It is also, regrettably, about old age and death. There is not a moment in this film that does not affect you at your core as a human being; never a moment that doesn't make you smile with joy or fill your eyes with tears. This film is a real crowd pleaser; audiences are eating it up. Young at Heart is simple a terrific movie.

I grew up with my Grandma being a member of the Sweet Adelines. She even hoodwinked me one year into joining the kid's chorus. Signing-up proved to me right then how much I loved her even though I didn't last very long in the group. Between her age and her love for singing, how could I not reminisce about my Grandmother when I saw this movie? There is no one I know who’s more young at heart than her. She will outlive all of us because she's too stubborn and too tough to do otherwise. Being 2,000 miles away from my extended family is hard some days but it's was even harder for me this week after taking in this film.

BLACK POINT FILM FESTIVAL

Learn about David's past with the Black Point Film Festival
at http://bpff.blogspot.com/