A Mighty Wind

"We don't want people to reach for their remotes here."
"It's public television."
"They don't have remotes."

After the death of his father, folk music pioneer Irving, Jonathan Steinbloom (Balaban) organizes a concert with the three folk groups his father discovered: the Folksmen, the Main Street Singers (now the New Main Street Singers), and Mitch & Mickey.

The Folksmen are Jerry (McKean) the lead singer, Mark (Shearer) the bass (he plays the bass, and sings bass), and Alan (Guest) who plays the most instruments and sings the high notes. Their big hits are about a shoddy restaurant ("Eat at Joes") and going nowhere ("Never Did No Wanderin"). The New Main Street Singers are a reformation of Steinbloom's original neuftet (9 members). George Menschell (Paul Dooley), one of the original members, has found 8 others to join his group. They are led by Terry (Higgins) and Laurie (Lynch) Bohner who are color witches. The other female member, Sissy (Posey), is the daughter of an original member. The group is managed by Mike LaFontaine (Willard), a comedian who has been trying to relive his former glory (though no one remembers him). The group sings in harmony and play several different stringed instruments. They wear matching costumes and are a very happy group. Mitch (Levy) and Mickey (O'Hara) were the most popular Steinbloom group. They sang love songs and seemed to enjoy performing together, until their major fallout, and Mitch's nervous breakdown. They have not spoken in years and are the most anticipated reunion.

The concert will be televised by the local TV station... the groups reunite and try to remember their songs, with the concert looming only a few weeks away.


The usual repetorie of Guest actors return to laugh at folk music. Like previous Guest films, this is mockumentary where the characters talk directly to the camera and the actors improvise the dialogue. There are some great moments and many awkward revelations... Mitch and Mickey are the center of the story. While the other characters go for the laughs, M&M have an emotional arch, and are surprisingly touching.

As a fan of Spinal Tap, I love the combination of Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest as the Folksmen. The entire cast learned to play the instruments and seem to have blast singing on the stage. The end of the film is devoted to the concert, and takes a sentimental view of the characters. There are still laughs (some of the lyrics are hysterical), but the entire tone of the film changes. It works, but never lives up to Guest's other music film (he cowrote Spinal Tap).

A Mighty Wind (2003) 91 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sex-related humor
Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Eugene Levy as Mitch Cohen
Catherine O'Hara as Mickey Crabbe
Michael McKean as Jerry Palter
Harry Shearer as Mark Shubb
Christopher Guest as Alan Barrows
John Michael Higgins as Terry Bohner
Jane Lynch as Laurie Bohner
Parker Posey as Sissy Knox
Fred Willard as Mike LaFontaine
Bob Balaban as Jonathan Steinbloom
Don Lake as Elliott Steinbloom
Deborah Theaker as Naomi Steinbloom

Burn After Reading

"Appearances can be... deceptive."

An unlabeled CD is found on the floor of the gym, and discovered by the clueless gym employees. They view the CD and discover some "serious" government stuff. One employee, Chad (Pitt) decides they should offer to return the disc, for a modest fee. Co-worker Linda (McDormand) agrees to the plan, so she afford the numerous surgeries she wants to undergo. Unfortunately the information they find belongs to former CIA agent Osbourne Cox (Malkovich) who has a drinking / violence problem. He lashes out, and refuses to meet their demands.

Meanwhile, Cox's wife Katie (Swinton) is having an affair with a married man from the Treasury, Harry Pfarrer (Clooney). Harry dates many women he meets online, including Linda. Linda and Chad seek a bidder for their important information, Katie gets a divorce, Cox lives on his boat, and Ted (Jenkins) tries to get Linda to notice him. The CIA watch the events unfold and report to their boss (J.K. Simmons), similar to a Greek chorus (essentially narrating the events, and commenting on the action).


Moral of the story: don't go to the gym... with work related materials. Not what I was expecting. Within the first few minutes of the film we are met with an onslaught of f bombs, which continues anytime John Malkovich is onscreen. Yes, other characters swear, but it reaches an excess with Malkovich's Cox. The story is interesting... the writers (who also directed the film) add some unexpected twists that keep you guessing (you probably won't know the ending...I didn't). A good cast and some quirky characters. George Clooney and Brad Pitt embrace the zaniness of their characters, and steal the show. Not my favorite film, but it was interesting.

Burn After Reading (2008) 96 minutes
Rating: R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney as Harry Pfarrer
Frances McDormand as Linda Litzke
John Malkovich as Osbourne Cox
Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox
Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer
Richard Jenkins as Ted Treffon

For Your Consideration

"I love that you did all this work, and it'll serve you well - but not on this movie."

No one expected much from the independent film (and cast of) "Home for Purim." The story focuses on the reunion of a Jewish family during the holiday of Purim in the 1940s. The stars of the film, Marilyn Hack (O'Hara), as the dying mother, and Victor Allan Miller (Shearer), the worried father, haven't worked for years. Most people, including the studio security guard, don't recognize Marilyn, while Victor is well-known for his hot dog commercials (dressed as a giant hot dog). Their children are played by unknowns who are dating: Brian Chubb (Moynihan) is the Navy son on leave, and Callie Webb (Posey) is the daughter who returns with a secret.

Internet buzz (by a single blogger) suggests a potential Oscar nomination. This buzz catches the attention of the local entertainment show, hosted by the obnoxious Chuck (Willard) and Cindy (Lynch), and infects the cast with awards fever. All the buzz causes changes in the script (because it's "too Jewish"), despite protests of the writers (Balaban and McKean) who watch as the director (Guest) and cast throw out their words and embrace improv. Adding to the chaos is Victor's distracted agent Morley (Levy), the socially awkward PR man Corey (Higgins), and the clueless producer Whitney (Coolidge). As the film wraps and awards season looms, will anyone survive?


Unlike Guest's previous films (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind), this was not a documentary style film. The cast and some of the crew were interviewed, but the audience doesn't hear the inner crazy of the characters. There is some disconnect with the characters, some of which are unlikable. There are some big laughs and some crazy characters, but it isn't up to the same level as other Guest films. Funny, but not enough.

--: funnier than many other films...

For Your Consideration (2006) 86 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sexual references and brief language
Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Catherine O'Hara as Marilyn Hack
Harry Shearer as Victor Allan Miller
Parker Posey as Callie Webb
Christopher Moynihan as Brian Chubb
Eugene Levy as Morley Orfkin
Christopher Guest as Jay Berman
John Michael Higgins as Corey Taft
Jennifer Coolidge as Whitney Taylor Brown
Fred Willar as Chuck
Jane Lynch as Cindy
Bob Balaban as Philip Koontz
Michael McKean as Lane Iverson

Arsenic and Old Lace

"Look I probably should have told you this before but you see... well... insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops."

Famed theater critic and confirmed bachelor, Mortimer Brewster (Grant), just married the literal girl next door, Elaine Harper (Lane). They return home to tell their families the news. Mortimer lives with his Aunts Abby (Hull) and Martha (Adair), who are considered the sweetest ladies on the block, and brother Teddy (Alexander), who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt. Whenever he goes upstairs, Teddy shouts "charge" and charges the stairs, and digs the Panama Canal in the basement. While packing for his honeymoon, Mortimer discovers a dead body in the window seat and learns that his aunts have a new hobby: giving lonely old men without families wine laced with arsenic.

As he tries to sort out the mess with his aunts and get Teddy committed to a psychiatric hospital, his other brother, Jonathan (Massey), returns. Jonathan is a homicidal criminal in need of a hideout (and a new face) and ready to add to the chaos at home. Jonathan is accompanied by his plastic surgeon, Dr. Einstein (Lorre), who has a drinking problem. Dr. Einstein recently gave Jonathan the face of Boris Karloff, which is too easy to recognize for their purposes. Mortimer tries to maintain his sanity while juggling his wife, his aunts (and their plans), both his brothers, and the local police officer who keeps stopping by the house.

I love this film!  It is based on Joseph Kesselring's play "Arsenic and Old Lace."  The play was first produced in 1939 and was immediately successful.

The story centers around the Brewster home, with a few trips to the outside world. It is self-contained, which gives the eccentric characters the chance to shine.

Three actors from the play recreate their roles in the film: Josephine Hull as Abby, Jean Adair as Martha, and John Alexander as Teddy.  Boris Karloff originated the role of Jonathan, which made the joke about the character looking like Karloff even funnier for the audience.  The play was still being performed when the film was made, and he was unable to leave the play to appear in the film.

The aunts practically steal the show, keeping their innocent demeanor while stubbornly acting on their own.  But Cary Grant's Mortimer is the star of the show and he doesn't disappoint.  This is one of his funniest performances; his facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission.  The rest of the cast is excellent, including the supporting players who only appear briefly.

I would love the chance to see the play and see how they compare (various details were changed due to the objections of the film censors).  It is a little screwball comedy and a little macabre, and it works well. Props to director Frank Capra for staying true to his source, while still making a good adaptation.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 118 minutes
Director: Frank Capra
Starring: Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster
Josephine Hull as Aunt Abby Brewster
Jean Adair as Aunt Martha Brewster
Raymond Massey as Jonathan Brewster
Peter Lorre as Dr. Einstein
Priscilla Lane as Elaine Harper
John Alexander as Teddy Brewster
Jack Carson as Officer O'Hara

My Top Disney Films #3

#3 The Little Mermaid

"Ariel, will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs?"

Teenage mermaid, Ariel (Benson) is discontent with her life. While she has a good life: her father is King Triton (Mars), she has a great singing voice, and loyal friends; she longs for life on land. With the help of fish friend Flounder (Marin), she visits shipwrecks to gather little bits of human life and then take them to the surface, so Scuttle (Hackett) the seagull can explain the purpose of each object. On one of these trips Ariel rescues and falls in love with Prince Eric (Barnes).

King Triton wants someone to keep an eye on Ariel, and sends crustacean composer Sebastian (Wright). After her father learns about her trips the surface (which is forbidden) he destroys her trinkets and drives her into the clutches of Ursula (Caroll) the sea witch. Ursula turns Ariel human, for a price.

Reason I chose this film:
This was the first film I saw in theaters. Ursula was really scary (when she gets huge) and I had a hard time watching that part for a long time! I wanted to be a mermaid...or at least meet a mermaid. Yes, she doesn't wear much, but it doesn't matter. She is adorable (and a redhead!)

The songs are great: "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl," "Under the Sea," etc. This film raised the bar on animated (Disney) films, and because of this, we have had years of memorable and well made Disney films.

The Little Mermaid (1989) minutes
Director: Ron Clements and John Musker
Starring: Jodi Benson as Ariel
Christopher Daniel Barnes as Prince Eric
Pat Carroll as Ursula
Buddy Hackett as Scuttle
Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian
Jason Marin as Flounder
Kenneth Mars as King Triton