Song of Bernadette

Posted on February 27, 2008 at 1:06 pm

The anniversary of the shrine at Lourdes is a good reminder of the lovely performance of Jennifer Jones in “Song of Bernadette,” the story of the young girl who saw “a beautiful lady” and became Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

Beowulf

Posted on February 26, 2008 at 6:00 am

One of the oldest surviving stories is retold through one of the most modern of technologies in a thrilling 3-D adventure from director Robert Zemeckis.

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3D Action/Adventure Animation

Charlie Bartlett

Posted on February 21, 2008 at 6:00 pm

B-

Lowest Recommended Age:	Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating:	Rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity.
Profanity:	Very strong language used by teenagers and adults
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and alcohol abuse, drug use and abuse of prescription drugs, smoking all by both teenagers and adults
Violence/ Scariness:	Gun, fistfights, bullies
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	February 22, 2008

charlie%20bartlett.jpg Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) has been kicked out of so many posh prep schools that the only thing left to try is the local public school. At first, he shows up wearing his prep school blazer and carrying an attaché case, but he soon learns — around the time that a Mohawk-haired bully gives him a swirly — that this is not the way to fit in. And it only takes him a little bit longer to discover that he has what it takes to become truly popular: the willingness to listen to kids and the access to a wide range of prescription psychotropic drugs.
Charlie’s popularity is a concern to the harried principal (Robert Downey, Jr.), especially after Charlie attracts the attention of the principal’s daughter (Kat Dennings). And Charlie has some issues of his own to resolve. He will not speak to his father and feels responsible for his mother (Hope Davis), whose devotion to him is is lost in a mist of pharmaceuticals and alcohol.

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Comedy Drama Movies -- format

Rediscovered Classic: Strange Cargo

Posted on February 19, 2008 at 2:00 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Middle School
Date Released to DVD:	February 19, 2008

strange%20cargo.jpg A 1940 film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable and set in a penal colony is an improbable candidate for Biblical allegory, but Strange Cargo is a moving film that draws its power from an inspiring, Christ-like figure and its echoes of Biblical themes, spiritual without being preachy. Gable was Crawford’s all-time favorite co-star, and this was their eighth and last film together. Their strong chemistry and the way their characters interact with the mysterious prisoner who gives them a glimpse of their best selves is part of what makes this movie work on many levels. It is beautifully directed by Frank Borzage, who was a master of mood and symbolism. For the first time, the movie is available on DVD, as a part of a new boxed set, The Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2, and it is well worth adding to your Netflix queue.

List: Movies to Share with Your Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2008 at 8:00 am

In 2008, I did a Valentine’s Day tribute to great movie couples, from Mickey and Minnie to The Princess Bride and with suggestions for all ages. Here’s a list of five of my all-time favorite falling-in-love (or realizing you’re in love) stories for teenagers and grown-ups. Cuddle up with your valentine and a bowl of popcorn and enjoy these movies about how love makes us crazy and immeasurably happy at the same time.

1. Moonstruck Cher won an Oscar as the bookkeeper who has given up on love until she meets the brother of her fiance, who tells her:

Love don’t make things nice – it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and *die*.

2. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet find that they really don’t want to forget each other, no matter how painful love can be.

3. You’ve Got Mail This third version of the story of a couple who are at war in person, not realizing that they are tender lovers through the mail, updates the story to the computer age. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have so much chemistry on screen that we know from the first moment what it will take them the whole movie to discover — they are meant to be together.

4. The Philadelphia Story On the eve of her wedding, socialite Tracy Lord’s ex-husband shows up with a couple of journalists and we get to watch three of the greatest stars in Hollywood history sort out their affections. This movie has everything: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart (who won an Oscar), George Cukor as director, wit, heart, and romance and an important lesson about how sometimes it is not about falling in love but recognizing that we have already fallen.

5. To Have and Have Not

As tough guy Humphrey Bogart meets the even-tougher Lauren Bacall (only 19 years old when this was filmed), we get to see the real-life romantic sparks that gave the on-screen love story some extra sizzle. Watch her tell him how to whistle.

And be sure to check out Beliefnet’s other Valentine thoughts and recommendations.

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Lists Romance