Upside of Anger

The Upside of Anger is a very entertaining comedy and drama too. Stars Joan Allen and Kevin Costner are great - they are so opposite and yet so complimentary. Joan Allen is riveting as the angry abandoned wife with 4 unsympathetic daughters! And who would have thought Kevin Costner could play the role so well as the drunken ex-baseball player? Writer-director Mike Binder is a kind of genius.

ENDURING LOVE

ENDURING LOVE is a great little human drama-stalker-thriller flick. It held me close. The actors and director made this thing work. Rhys Ifans was great as the gay stalker and Daniel Craig excellent as the professor under attack. And Samantha Morton as his sympathetic girlfriend. So believable. And such a good close look at love and it's limitations too. Who says Brits don't make good movies?

Riding Giants (2004)

Great surfing documentary featuring huge waves on North Shore Hawaii, Northern California, and Tahiti. Xlnt blend of surfing commentary with huge wave riders Greg Knoll, Gerry Lopez, Mickey Munoz, Laird Hamilton and more. Nice history of the development of surfing from long boards to shorter and the addition of helicopters,jet skis, and crew system to get into big waves. Lovely photography, fun music, and not a boring moment. I enjoyed this as much as Endless Summer and Big Wednesday.

Vera Drake

Filmed in 2004 yet portraying England about a half century ago, the characters, costumes, and set are extremely real. Vera Drake is the perfect woman, friend, wife, and mother but she has a DEEP SECRET. She performs abortions - for free. When one of Vera's patients nearly dies English law comes down on her with vengeance. And Vera's friends and family are shocked beyond belief. English actress Imelda Staunton is fantastic, she transforms herself from exuberance and light to crippling remorse and grief. The powerful and stiff legal system contrasts dramatically with the emotional vulnerabilities of Vera and her family. Winner of Best Film and Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival.