dilbert

"The Journey" concerns an elderly Indian gentleman, a former private school headmaster, who comes to Pittsburgh to live with his son's family after the death of his wife. His son is a doctor, married to an American woman, and they have a young daughter who instantly takes to her grandfather, a kind, wise, soft-spoken, well-educated man. But of course cultural differences cause difficulty in the family. The slow, awkward resolution of this conflict, without demonizing anyone, is the heart of this touching story about family love crossing cultural boundaries. Roshan Seth ("Buddha of Suburbia") gives a consummate performance as Mr. Singh, though he could be considered typecast. "The Journey" has not received US distribution, but if you get a chance to see it, your life will never be the same afterward.

At first, I thought, "Okay, I've seen this before. Salvadoran woman comes to Los Angeles but can't shake the memories of torture at the hands of the death squads." But there's a lot more to "They Come at Night." The unlikely friendship that develops between the refugee and her psychologist causes the latter to upset the balance her professional responsibilities and the needs of her family, while pushing against the edges of confidentiality and detachment. But the film finds time for genuine warmth and humor while exposing the atrocities of the US-funded and -trained death squads, all without crossing the line into overt preachiness. You'll have to suspend your assumptions as I did, but "They Come at Night" is well worth it.

"The Real Howard Spitz" is the story of a detective writer who switches to children's books because he thinks there's more money in it. The only problem is, he doesn't particularly like children. Despite his curmudgeonliness, a little girl befriends him and encourages him to pursue this new career. Kelsey Grammer is utterly believable as the cynical, money-hungry author, and Amanda Donohoe is charming and beautiful as the little girl's mother (and, predictably, Kelsey Grammer's love interest). The film is supposedly set in the US but was actually shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This film is really intended for children but has one minor example of foul language. The children and young adolescents in the audience seemed to be having a good time, and Kelsey Grammer fans will, too. In my experience, there are very few terrible Canadian films, and "The Real Howard Spitz" certainly isn't one of them. Go see it, or rent it, because you certainly won't lose any special effects by seeing it on the small screen.

A lonely farmer falls in love with a woman who literally falls into his life. I knew what was going to happen, as would anyone who's ever been to the movies before, but I was riveted by the journey to the inevitable conclusion, and that's what made this film so enjoyable. Only one element mars the believability of this love story, and you'll know it when you see it.

and actors don't get any smaller than this handful of marginal character actors in LA who are falling all over each other, stabbing each other in the back, lying, cheating, threatening, and deceiving in order to get cast in the lead role in a new Scorsese film. And they're all friends!

This is a wonderful film. It's funny, the acting is excellent (I particularly liked Adam Arkin), and the climax is something you just don't see coming. A lot of the humor is film industry insider stuff, but most people who get out occasionally will get most of it. Watch for this one - it won't be around long if it comes around at all.

The premise: Two young documentary filmmakers set out to make a film about a two-man detective agency in Los Angeles, led by Miguel Ferrer as John Boone. But things fall apart, and they get involved in the story, losing professional distance and objectivity, with hilarious results.

This is an absolutely marvelous film, and the mockumentary format lends an odd feel to it that's hard to explain. You'll just have to go see it.

"Festen" ("The Celebration") explores what happens when a son exposes a dark secret at the family patriarch's 60th birthday party. Shock and denial (and heavy drinking) slowly give way to acceptance (and still more drinking) as the evening wears on. The film conforms to the rules of Dogma 95, which gives it almost a handheld camera feel, and we're never permitted to get too emotionally close to the characters. It's well worth seeing; you won't come away feeling cleansed, but you will see some good performances and even snatches of dark humor.

Our main character, Ward, impulsively decides to give up his welding job in Bakersfield and head to Jerome, Arizona, to realize his dream. Along the way, lots of bad things happen to him. Wendie Malick is fantastic as the personification of trouble our hapless hero picks up along the way. The pacing is never slow, and the film is shot in "mockumentary" format, giving it a darkly humorous edge. See this quirky road picture if you have the chance.

Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito seem like an unlikely romantic match, and so do their respective characters, a wealthy doctor's ex-wife and the elevator operator in her exclusive Upper East Side co-op. But loneliness and frustration can have unexpected results. "Living Out Loud" is funny, poignant, at times shocking, but above all, sweet and touching. Run, do not walk, to your neighborhood movie house to see "Living Out Loud." It won't be playing at the mall, and it won't be around long, but you'll kick yourself if you don't catch it, at least on video.

This film is extremely well paced and beautifully photographed, and the characters are easy to relate to. Seven peasants unexpectedly inherit the farm on which they work after the farmer dies. The neighboring farmers view this as a breach of the rigid class structure in rural 19th century Austria and try to destroy the "One-Seventh Farmers." The tenacity with which the new owners defend their farm (and one another) is very touching. I loved it!

but then it ended. The characters were so tiresome I just

wanted to strangle them. I'll never get those 86 minutes of my life back. I saw this film at the Mill Valley Film Festival, and there wasn't even polite applause at the end.