Tag Archives: Julia Roberts

Secret In Their Eyes

 

Here’s a mystery that offers a large number of questions. What exactly happened? Who did it? How good is the evidence? Were Muslims involved? Who was that guy at the office picnic? Is the suspect really that big a Dodgers fan? Did someone spend 13 years looking at photos of inmates? Secret In Their Eyes throws out many questions, a handful of hints, but few solid answers until the final act.

Secret In Their Eyes is notable because it features Julia Roberts as a haggard, world-weary, older woman who dresses in drab attire. Audiences have seen many looks from Julia over the last quarter century, but this may be the least glamorous face she’s shown the world.

Roberts plays Jess, an investigator in the L.A. district attorney’s office. Her daughter is found dead in 2002 in a dumpster next door to a mosque. In the year after 9/11, law enforcers, including the D.A. (Alfred Molina) are obsessed with terror threats.

Her former colleague, Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor) returns to L.A. in present day with a lead on the murder. He tries to convince the current D.A. Claire (Nicole Kidman) to let him pursue the man he suspects did the deed 13 years earlier. He claims to have pored over online photos of prisoners across America and found the one whose eyes match those of a man in a photo.

As plain jane-ish as Julia appears, Nicole is as gorgeous as she’s ever been, with a top-notch wardrobe. Both women, by the way, are 48 years old.

A problem with the film and its storytelling (Billy Ray is writer and director) is the transitions between 2015 and 2002. They are not always clearly demarcated. The film is adapted from a 2009 Argentinian film El Secreto De Sus Ojos, which is ranked #134 on IMDB’s list of the all-time Top 250 films.

Secret In Their Eyes has a simmering unrequited romance between Ray and Clare. He has the hots for her but she keeps him away, mentioning her fiancé back east.

A scene I loved was a drone flyover shot of Dodger Stadium showing purported game action, just before a scene where Ray and fellow investigator Bumpy (Dean Norris) pursue the alleged perp.

Despite flaws in pacing, choppy delivery of the narrative and a few misdirections, Secret In Their Eyes is a decent, if not great, well-acted crime mystery.

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August: Osage County

If you think your family is screwed up, go see August: Osage County. The Weston family from Oklahoma is among the most dysfunctional you will ever witness. The main source of the trouble is the family matriarch, Violet (Meryl Streep), a pill and booze addicted woman who is filled with resentment.

Violet’s daughters Barbara (Julia Roberts), Karen (Juliette Lewis) and Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) all have their own issues, some of which have come straight from mother. Just as Violet has had a tempestuous relationship with her husband (Sam Shepard), so has Barbara with her man Bill (Ewan McGregor).

August: Osage County should win the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble. Without listing the entire family tree, here are some of the other talented actors in the film: Chris Cooper, Margo Martindale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin and Durmot Mulroney.

Director John Wells and writer Tracey Letts have done an excellent job of taking a stage play to film. Only a handful of scenes have a stagey feel.

August: Osage County has been described by some as a comedy. Chris Cooper’s long-winded blessing is a classic scene and quite funny. And there are several more laughs in the movie. But, make no mistake, August: Osage County is more tragedy than comedy. The Westons are not a happy family.

Originally set for a Christmas Day 2013 release, A: OC did get the necessary runs in NYC and LA to qualify for awards season. (Expect Meryl Streep to grab an Oscar nom for Best Actress when they’re announced next week.) Don’t skip it just because it was pushed back to the movie wasteland of January. See it to witness an all-star cast delivering the goods—especially Meryl.

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“Mirror, Mirror”—(Lily=White)

“Mirror, Mirror” is a sweet, funny retelling of the “Snow White” story. There’s much to like here, including seven small people who add huge amounts of charm.

“Mirror, Mirror,” is a live action film that has the look of an animated film. Many of the characters look like real people but could pass for animated characters. Many of the cartoon-like settings obviously were created with a bit of computer help. And the movie contains some ridiculous situations and one-liners that could’ve been borrowed from a “Shrek” script.

Lily Collins as Snow White is impossibly gorgeous, resembling young versions of Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Despite her delicate beauty, she readily jumps into action scenes. Her faceoff with Prince Alcott, played by Armie Hammer, is a wonderfully staged scene that mixes flirty romance with artful swordplay.

Hammer, best known for playing the bitter Winklevoss twins in “The Social Network” and Clyde Tolson in “J. Edgar,” shows he can deliver physical and verbal humor. Appearing shirtless in several scenes, he also provides eye candy for the ladies.

Julia Roberts is The Queen, who drops a few funny lines, while maintaining her evil wickedness. Nathan Lane is Brighton, another character with a cartoonish look, the Queen’s attendant, who is not quite evil enough to be a henchman.

The real spice for this movie comes from the little people who play the Seven Dwarfs. Here are more real people who have cartoonish characteristics. They’re likeable. They’re funny. They’re bandits. And they are good fighters—an important factor as the film approaches its climax. Don’t try to match them up with the Disney Dwarfs; these have more personality. Their names, in no particular order, are: Half Pint, Wolf, Grimm, Grub, Chuckles, Butcher and Napoleon.

This is a family friendly, PG-rated film, which is perfect for moms and daughters. There is a scary beast that appears during the final battle, but the depiction is not overly frightening.

The costuming is impressive. The tempo is consistent. And, once again, good overcomes evil.

After a winter with little snow, spring brings a really good Snow.

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