Away We Go (2009)

Sometimes, I'm just so right about a movie. I had a feeling I would love this movie, and I did. I loved Maya Rudolph on SNL, and I had a feeling she would be great in a dramatic role, and she is. She plays Verona, who lives with her boyfriend, Burt (John Krasinki). At the beginning of the movie, she discovers she's pregnant, and the rest of the movie is about Burt and Verona trying to find a good (not perfect, but good) place to raise their child. Verona's parents are dead (we never find out how they died, only that they died when she was 22, I was guessing a car accident) and Burt's ditzy parents (the great Catherine O'hara and Jeff Daniels) are moving to Belgium. Burt and Verona visit relatives (her sister, his brother) former co-workers, college friends and his 'cousin' before winding up at Verona's childhood home, which she still co-owns with her sister. This movie isn't perfect, but it's better than the majority of shit out of DVD today. Burt and Verona are a smart, sweet couple who truly want to be good parents. They worry that they might turn out like the majority of parents (that you and I) see all of the time: not really bad parents, but not very good ones, either. There are some truly funny parts, but to me this was more of a drama than a comedy. Either way, I really enjoyed watching it. Both the leads give outstanding performances, and the rest of the cast is good as well. This is an unpredictable movie, in that the characters act like real people and not stereotypes. I loved it that in most of the scenes Verona is driving, even though she is six months pregnant (but looks as if she is about to give birth). I got the feeling watching this movie that Burt and Verona would turn to be super-parents, who put the needs of their child above their own. If only more parents would do that. This is a great, not well-known 'slice of life' movie that is not be missed.

Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

This is the type of movie that has 'cult movie' written all over it. To say that I truly love this movie is a HUGE understatement. I first caught it on cable in the late 80s and instantly fell in love with it. This is such a bizarre, but well-written, acted and directed film that it couldn't help but become a favorite of cult movie fans. Everyone in the movie gives a great performance and I'm surprised that this movie didn't any Academy Award nominations. Members of a James Dean fan club in McCarthy, Texas reunite on September 30, 1975 for the 20th anniversary of his death. There's Cissy (a WONDERFUL performance by Cher), the town sexpot who has always bragged about her big boobs, but is hiding the secret that she lost them to cancer and now wears falsies. Mona (the unique and always worth watching Sandy Dennis), the shy, strange girl who claims James Dean fathered her son when she was an extra in Giant, and finally Joanne (played to perfection by Karen Black), who left town years ago as Joe and has undergone quite a change - a sex change! Other members of the club are Stella Mae (Marta Heflin) and Edna Louise (played by future Oscar winner Kathy Bates). Juanita (Sudie Bond) is the owner and manager of the town's Woolworth's 5 and Dime. Mona's son is referred to several times but is never seen. The women talk about their lives and reminisce about James Dean. Several scenes are shown in flashback, but the odd thing is that in the flashback scenes, the actors look exactly the same and the scenes in the present. But somehow it works. The dialog is so good in this movie, some of it I actually have used in my life. At one point, Mona tells Cissy that she feels something for James Dean so deep inside of her that can't get the words to come out that express how she feels. I know I feel that way a lot, about various things in my life. My love of movies like this being one! There's practically no action, but a lot of interesting, meaningful conversation in this great movie. By the end of the movie, I think a lot of viewers will feel kind of tired because some of the scenes are so emotionally wrenching. I can honestly say that is one of my favorite films of all-time, and I could watch it over and over. I do know that I have probably watched this movie over 100 times. The final few seconds of the movie (which I won't reveal) are just so poignant. I think the theme of this movie may be that some things that happen in life are so meaningful, there should be a way to keep them with us forever. But, alas, there isn't. Please, if you love movies, and especially if you love cult movies, go rent this and watch it. It's an absolutely wonderful example of film-making at its best.