Secret Agent Gal Movie Reviews

Conviction *****

 
Betty Anne Waters returns to college and law school to win her brother’s release from prison for a murder she believes he did not commit in the true life drama Conviction.

Best Actress Hilary Swank plays determined Betty Anne who raises her children while she studies and waitresses part time. Sam Rockwell brilliantly plays Kenny, a wild man known for bar fights, crazy stunts and bad luck.

Kenny and Betty Anne were poor, unsupervised kids in rural New England. The police knew them for pranks like shoplifting and sneaking into people’s trailers.

Sometimes the best films are based on real, hardscrabble folks like these who manage to squeeze sweetness from their lives.

What could have been a chick flick is brought down to earth immediately by Swank, Rockwell and an excellent cast. Actor-turned-director Tony Goldwyn (grandson of producer Samuel Goldwyn) keeps dramatic tension alive as Kenny’s innocence is doubted, testimony is questioned, and legal complications arise.

Only Conviction’s sound track is too precious for its honest look at class and criminal justice in America.

Rockwell has come a long way since Wild Bill Wharton served his last days on The Green Mile. Here the actor portrays Kenny throughout 18 years of hope and despair. The bright spot of his life, little sister Betty Anne, stubbornly defends him just as she did in childhood. Rockwell and Swank are luminous as brother and sister.

Best Supporting Actress Melissa Leo (The Fighter; Frozen River) is devastating as Nancy Taylor, a beat cop and the only woman on the force who seems to hate Kenny more than she does herself. Minnie Driver is superb as Abra Rice, the law school classmate who matter-of-factly befriends Betty Anne at a neighborhood bar.

Kenny’s ex-wife (Clea DuVall) and former lover (Juliette Lewis), both of whom helped put him away, perfectly embody shattered survivors. Ari Graynor conveys her mixed emotions as Kenny’s grown daughter Mandy.

Karen Young is heart wrenching as ill and bewildered Elizabeth Waters. Peter Gallagher plays Innocence Project director Barry Scheck, a busy idealist who assists Betty Anne after she manages to unearth long lost evidence.

Goldwyn shows restraint in not revealing Kenny’s fate after prison. For all its anguish, Conviction is a film that has earned its happy moment.

If you like Conviction, you might enjoy: The Fighter; The Town; Winter's Bone; True Grit.

Conviction 2010 / R / 1 hour, 47 min

Cast Overview: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Clea DuVall, Peter Gallagher, Karen Young, Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis, Ari Graynor

Director: Tony Goldwyn

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Drama Based on Real Life, Biopic

 

Coco Before Chanel ****

 

Audrey Tatou is a complicated heroine. She loves to be loved by wealthy men, but has an unquenchable thirst for work. She insists on her independence, but needs a man to sponsor her. Tatou forges a single-minded path to love and fortune in the rich, sensuous French biopic Coco Before Chanel.

Director Anne Fontaine shows Coco's orphan beginnings, her struggles with men and the determined unfolding of her life's work. Vivid, gorgeous cinematography shows a France of grace, opulence and simple elegance, all a laboratory for the astute fledgling designer.

The film opens as the father abandons Coco and her sister Adrienne (Marie Gillain) at an orphanage in turn of the century France. As he drives away in the horse-drawn carriage, he does not even glance back. This experience imprints the young girl, and for the rest of her life she pursues success like a woman possessed.

The sisters make the best of it in the somber orphanage, and years later as seamstresses. By night they sing and dance at bawdy cafes. Tatou graduates from her Amelie role here as an unsmiling schemer who retains her vulnerability.

When Adrienne moves in with a wealthy baron, Coco pursues playboy Balsan (the marvelous Benoit Poelvoorde who embodies both chauvinist and gentleman). Balsan first hides Coco from his high society friends even as she adores them and critically eyes their gaudy tastes and costumes. Coco loves femininity, but yearns for the carefree elegance of men’s clothes.

Suit by suit, the young seamstress raids Balsan’s wardrobe and refashions his clothes into her own evening wear. She then crashes his parties where her outspoken wit and bold style attract and repel the glitterati. As an androgyne, Coco is drawn to the actress Emilienne (Emmanuelle Devos). Soon she opens her own hat design shop.

Alessandro Nivola is dashing as Boy, Coco's British lover and business investor who makes her stunning international success possible. As Coco drives herself fervently, her signature suit and little black dress are born.

Coco Before Chanel is the best among three recent films about the famed designer. Shirley Maclaine stars in Coco Chanel (2008). The dark sequel Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009) stars Anna Mouglalis and is helmed by Jan Kounen. While both Maclaine and Mouglalis are masterful in their interpretations, Tatou delivers a more nuanced, less imperious performance.

If you like Coco Before Chanel, you might enjoy:  Mademoiselle Chambon; An Education; Black Swan.

 

Coco Before Chanel 2009 / PG-13 / 1 hr, 50 min

Cast Overview: Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos

Director: Anne Fontaine

Genres: Foreign, Drama, Biopic

Language: French with English subtitles

The Blind Side *****

 
 
 
Best Actress winner Sandra Bullock redefines Christianity and motherhood in The Blind Side, a heart-tugging drama based on a true story. Michael Oher offers a touching portrayal of Quinton Aaron (think Brother from Another Planet – here a shy foster kid destined to become an NFL offensive lineman).

Bullock plays Leigh Ann Tuohy, wife of a Taco Bell magnate who spots Michael wandering the street one evening. Michael is enrolled in the Christian school attended by her children. He’s fallen through the cracks, effectively orphaned by his crack-addicted mom. Leigh Ann invites him to spend the night, and the family soon opens its home to the well-mannered giant who's struggling academically.

Seeing Michael's talent, Sean Tuohy (Tim McGraw) introduces him to football. McGraw plays a successful yet down-to-earth dad who respects Leigh Ann’s passions, intuitions and leadership in their family. Intently interested in and involved with her kids, Leigh Ann turns out to be a pistol-packing NRA mom "in a prayer group with the DA." But Bullock transcends any stereotype here.

Adding realism to the film, current and former NCAA coaches recruit Oher. The Blind Side contains football scenes, but is more human than sports movie with superb character development. Kathy Bates is compelling as Miss Sue, the tutor nurturing Michael's hidden intelligence. Watch for more from kid star Jae Head, seen here as feisty, funny S.J. Tuohy.

 
 

This is a groundbreaking film in many ways as it examines Christianity in action, race, many kinds of intelligence, and the power of sports. As an athlete, Michael is able to succeed and inspire others around him. Altogether, director John Lee Hancock has concocted a magical Hollywood moment.

The Blind Side 2009 / PG-13 / 2 hrs, 8 min

Cast Overview: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens, Adriane Lenox, Kathy Bates, Catherine Dyer

Director: John Lee Hancock

Genres: Drama, Sports Drama, Drama Based on the Book, Drama Based on Real Life