The Women

Written & Directed by: Diane English
(based on play written by Clare Booth Luce)


Normally I stay away from Chick Flicks. I had already seen (and cried over) the Sex and the City movie this summer and I thought I was done, but when I saw the preview for The Women I figured, what the hell. Looked like it would be a good Chick Flick. And we were in San Antonio fleeing the aftermath of Ike so I figured that would be as good a time as any to go for it.

Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) is a fashion designer, a mother, a wife, a charitable fundraiser, and most important (and obviously) a woman. We meet her as she is hastily planning a luncheon at her house for about 50 some women. She has a 12 year old daughter, an over working stock broker of a husband, an opinionated mother (Candice Bergen), and really good friends Sylvie (Annette Benning), Edie (Debra Messing), and Alex (Jada Pinkett-Smith). She’s your Everywoman.

Sylvie, the high powered business woman of the bunch, stops off at Saks one afternoon for her regularly scheduled manicure when the gossipy manicurist divulges that her friend, the perfume spritzing Crystal Allen (Eva Mendes) is currently sleeping with a married over working stock broker named Stephen Haines. Shock and horror no doubt. Sylvie rushes out and goes to Edie’s, the bohemian child factory, to figure out how they should break the news to Mary. Edie says its not their business they should keep out.

All is well in the group until Mary takes a trip to the same blabbing manicurist and hears the same story. Her world comes tumbling down. Her mother suggests that she and her daughter come relax for a bit and let Stephen really see what he’s missing out on. Mary thinks she’s too old for game playing. But Mom thinks that she’s not and lets Mary in on a secret that her father did the same thing and Mom and Dad made it through, Mary should be alright. Alrighty.

Sylvie, Edie, and Alex (she’s a lesbian and a writer) get in the car to take Mary to the airport when Alex finds out the secret Sylvie and Edie are hiding. She decides they need to confront Mary and see if she needs help. Mary blurts out she already knows and she heads to her mom while the girls go to Saks to snoop out Crystal.

The rest of the movie deals with Mary dealing with her husbands affair, losing her mothering skills, and her coming to terms with what it is she actually wants in life. Sylvie has to deal with not having any children, keeping her job at a magazine that doesn’t support her vision, and not having a husband. Edie and Alex are mostly just background characters.

But they weren’t kidding around with the title of this movie. There really is nothing but women in front of the camera for this movie. Yes the main cast is female and the supporting cast, but when they walk down the street, only women walk past. When they sit and eat, there’s only female diners in the restaurant. Me, my sister, and aunt all looked to see if there was one visible male in the whole movie. None to be found.

Meg Ryan is typical cutesie Meg. Annette Benning was likeable cause she didn’t take shit from anyone so it’s pretty typical that she was single. I suppose the writer was trying to be edgy with Jada’s character since she was a partier and wore leather jackets and wife beaters. Oh and was a lesbian. But there was no real significance in her character. Same with Edie’s. She had a bunch of kids. Ok. Maybe there was more that got left on the cutting room floor. I have no clue. And there’s a brief appearance by Bette Midler, who of course is great, cause its Bette, but it was a completely unneeded scene because for some reason Meg’s character takes a sebatical to a resort for the recently divorced.

But it’s a feel good chick flick hands down. We counted 2 men in our theater when we went to see it. Groups of women all over the theater. That’s what its made for and the audience knows it. We want to see best friends forever and mother/daughter relationships mended, women prevail but still be womanly, and the skank that stole your man get what she deserves. That is what this movie is for and that’s all that there is. Could it be better? Definetly. It could be a tighter, better directed and filmed movie, but is it necessary those things be there for you to see it? No. It’s nowhere near Sex and the City, but it doesn’t need to be. (although I wanted a bunch of the clothes the women wore)

I kinda want to check out the original play/movie. I know it was written in 1939, so I’m sure it is totally outdated but I’m guessing that this revision of it is looooosely based on the original. This is better than a Lifetime channel movie, more suited for say….WE channel instead. Check it out, with a few of your closest girlfriends, and guys if your girl mentions she wants to go see it, suggest she take some of her closest girlfriends.

Traitor

Written by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Steve Martin
Directed by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff


One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist, right? I kept thinking that the entire time watching Traitor.

Meet Samir Horn (Don Cheadle), devout Muslim, skilled chess player. As a boy in Sudan, he watches his father killed in a car bombing. Fast forward to present day. He is now a skilled explosives guy who trades with people all over the country. We meet him in Yemen selling devices to another Muslim, Omar (Said Taghmoui). They sit, drink tea, talk shop, but before anything can really be done the cops bust in and arrest the whole lot for terrorism.

The U.S. feds, lead by Agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) stop by to see if they can get Samir to talk in exchange for a free ride back to the states (he grew up in Chicago, after the incident with his dad). Samir declines their offer and decides to sit tight in jail. Of course Omar assumes Samir is the traitor that sold them out and got them locked up in the first place. But once he witnesses Samir get the snot kicked out of him for giving a fellow prisoner some food, Omar thinks Samir might be worth getting to know.

They learn that they share a love of chess, have spent years in English schools, and are both devout in their faith. The two become close and Omar lets Samir in on their mission to knock out a bunch of Americans. Let them know they don’t really run stuff. And Samir is in on it. The clan breaks out of jail and goes to France to set up shop.

Meanwhile Agent Clayton is investigating one of the attacks on Americans. See, the terrorist cells figured that it would be a good idea to get Americans everywhere. We travel a lot. Bunch of people in Spain? Blammo. So Clayton is on the hunt trying to stop any further attacks, while Samir is on the run trying to carry out the plans of some of his Muslim brothers. See where that’s headed?

Luckily this is not a hard to follow movie. A lot of times when there is international terrorism involved the story becomes convoluted. It’s not hard to figure out who’s out to get who. I can’t even call anyone the “bad guy” because each side explains why they believe what they believe and what they are fighting for and why it’s right to them. I like that about this movie. They also try and vary from the typical face of the Muslim terrorist. There were also a couple turns that had me anticipating what was going to happen next cause I just couldn’t figure it out.

And as usual I loved Don Cheadle. I’m not saying its an Oscar worthy performance, but it does seem like he was really into the character. He didn’t just sound like any ol’ body trying to pray in Arabic. Guy Pearce was also pretty good. At first I was kinda confused as to why he had to have a Southern accent, but he makes a comment about his daddy being a Baptist preacher putting out KKK fires on people’s lawns, so there you have it. Said Taghmoui was pretty good as one of the terrorist guys, even though I knew him as the terrorist guy from Vantage Point.

I wish they were giving this movie more publicity. Since the summer blockbusters are over we can ease into the dramas of the fall. Woo hoo! (yes I get excited about every movie season).

Definitely go check out Traitor though.

My Bad

ok ive been majorly slacking lately. i haven't NOT been going to the movies, come on now its Bre', but i haven't been writing. here's a brief catch up:

Step Brothers - funny movie. but not for everyone. not how Napoleon Dynamite isnt for everyone though. this is grown up raunchy humor, but humor none the less. if youre a will ferrel fan (say...old school, not elf) then youll love it.

Pineapple Express - hillarious stoner movie, even if youre not a stoner. i loved James Franco in this. mostly cause he's always so serious in his movies. he's the perfect stoner looking guy in this one. it's plenty quotable and the critics call it a Bromance. i loved it.

Tropic Thunder - sooo this movie got major boycottage because of several things. the most popular of course was Robert Downey Jr in "blackface" and others were upset because several time they use the word "retard", but im guessing the people judged before they even saw a snippet of the movie. oh my GOD! this was hillarious. from beginning to end. it was the epitome of satire, NOT to be confused with spoof. don't believe the hype, go see it.

Elegy - i feel bad for not giving a movie this good a proper review. i'm sure once i get it on dvd i'll buy it and do a retroactive review. Ben Kingsley is awesome plain and simple. he's a professor who has the hots for a much younger student (Penelope Cruz), and does the smart thing by waiting for the end of the semester to get at her. he and his married friend (Dennis Hopper) have an affinity for the younger version of the fairer sex. Cruz and Kingsley develop a psuedo relationship over the course of time and it is eventually clear to Cruz that Kingsley is not so much looking for something...real. they deal with the ins and outs of the relationship, while Kingsley tries and cope with being a man forced to recognize his own age, yes at the age of...however old Ben Kingsley is.


i think thats all ive seen at the theater so far. ok i have a real one coming up.