Enjoying and Producing Music

Part not-quite dark comedy, part not-quite horror film, Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes presents a unique view of motherhood from a fascinating and warped perspective. The story centers on a young adult who is haunted by the circumstances of her own birth. She gets to know her neighbor, a young single mother with her own issues, played with a creepy form of sincerity by a version of Jessica Biel we have not seen before. Overall, oddly entertaining. B

Shot recently but with authentic low-fi black-and-white video equipment from a bygone era, Computer Chess places the viewer convincingly in 1980, when computer chess-playing programs were just starting to become viable and nerd culture was beginning to get excited about it. Following the events and participants in a fictional human vs. computer chess tournament held at a hotel, this bold film nails the atmosphere, through details such as equipment, decor, clothing, and hair style. But while the story delivers some comical hotel hijinks and some splendid awkward moments, it somehow fails to impress the way the style does. C

It Felt Like Love is the tale of an awkward young girl who is trying follow the example set by her more mature friend, with an interest in sex that is a few steps ahead of her ability to manage it. The story squanders an opportunity to celebrate youth and discovery, and instead presents a sad series of joyless, uncomfortable situations. C-

Centered on a popular high school student who enjoys his popularity in the present to the exclusion of any prospect for growth or accomplishment in his own future, The Spectacular Now teaches a time-to-grow-up moral lesson with unusual candor and humanity for a high-school movie. Especially effective are the scenes with the two leads, including one with sincerely beautiful dialog, where they point out the the good qualities in each other and make it almost believable that 2 > 1+1 . B+

Road trip film Ass Backwards had the potential to give us a fresh perspective on Romy and Michelle’s journey from a few years back. Two girlfriends decide to hit the road to revisit the beauty pageant they failed at in previous years, and maybe not lose this time because they have become awesome. There were some funny segments that were elevated by the skillful comedic fervor of the two leads, but overall it seemed to be lacking some element of script or direction. C

The deep-voiced guy who starts movie trailers with “In a world…”, and people like him, are voice-over artists, in some cases highly valued; and their weird, highly competitive little world is the setting for innovative and enjoyable comedy  In a World…. The comedically skilled ensemble includes Demetri Martin and Rob Corddry, but Writer/Director/Actress Lake Bell is the delightful main attraction, delivering lots of funny dialog in a framework with enough Hollywood-insider authenticity to make it believable. B+

We Are What We Are is a suspenseful horror flick with some delightfully creepy atmosphere. Although it’s centered around the familiar premise of a normal-seeming family that turns out to be far from normal, it benefits greatly from a nicely shot rural, rainy setting, and some better-than-the-genre acting performances. It suffers a bit from a WTF payoff. C+

On the surface the story of a summer romance triangle, Very Good Girls is at the heart a story of female friendship. College-bound high-school friends share several common interests including one who happens to be a summer-fling-worthy boy, and their BFF-ness is tested as they lean on each other and yet keep secrets from each other. An enthusiastic performance by Elizabeth Olsen and a contrasting, thoughtful effort from Dakota Fanning keep things interesting. B

Everyone’s afflicted with a certain endearing oddness in the extended family of Touchy Feely, including a dentist who is not good at what he does in a conventional way, and his sister who is a massage therapist with some unexpected hangups. These and the other characters have relationships that it takes a bit too long to sort out in this slow paced film. It’s a bit of a disappointment after the director’s promising Sundance 2012 effort My Sister’s Sister. C

Google was incorporated in 1998, became an accepted verb according to the OED in 2006, and is now an indispensable knowledge tool. All along, searching web sites has been a byproduct of Google’s much more ambitious quest to organize the world’s information, effectively building a “world brain”. Documentary Google and the World Brain focuses on the controversy around a big part of that task: Google’s massive effort to digitize all the world’s books, including copyrighted ones. Much of the controversy is just uninformed fear of the consequences of technology. But copyright holders do have a legitimate claim against copying books, while Google claims their actions are allowed as fair use. The film provides some historical background on the concept of a world brain, including the writing of H. G. Wells, has some well-researched technical detail, and presents the copyright issue fairly, but overreaches a bit trying to make a case that Google’s effort is evil. B-

Set entirely in remote Texas woodlands, Prince Avalanche uses the placid scenery as backdrop for an unorthodox buddy movie. Paul Rudd is likable even as an impatient roadway maintenance worker / father figure and Emile Hirsch shows range as his young horn-dog jerk of an apprentice. There’s an element of this film that tries with limited success to make a statement about the solitude that nature can provide. Overall it’s a pleasant and original story, not quite a comedy. C+

In Afternoon Delight, female sexuality is explored through the shenanigans of a soccer mom who tries to liven up her marriage and stumbles into a friendship with a young hooker who becomes her nanny and rescue project. This is all a bit unlikely, but there are plenty of comedic moments, especially from mom Kathryn Hahn, and plenty of sincerity from Juno Temple as the wise-beyond-her-years hooker who doesn’t need saving. B+

If Fellini, David Lynch, and Tinker Bell had a three-way, their odd, illegitimate movie-baby would be Escape from Tomorrow. Because it was shot surreptitiously and without permission in Disney amusement parks, it was among the most buzzed-about titles at this year’s Sundance (along with jOBS). Despite its guerrilla-film origin, it’s no home movie; it’s a highly stylized, wildly imaginative, unconventional film that has an impressive musical score and magnificently realized vision. For most viewers, this black-and-white psychedelic-nightmare of a movie was a bit of a puzzle; some found that a reason to despise the movie and some found that an essential part of its bizarro appeal. It can be described as the story of a family that goes to Disney World, where the father gets distracted by a pair of young girls and starts following them, and things take a weird turn. But that doesn’t do it justice; the story is lacking but the telling of the story is redeeming.

In the Q/A after the screening, writer/director Randy Moore described the process of filming without getting caught. They made many trips to the Disney parks; they bought season passes; they shot video with an advanced SLR style camera that was inconspicuous; they did extensive planning and had every shot laid out in advance; they shot the riskiest scenes last in case they were discovered (and they almost were on the final shoot).  As a child growing up near Orlando, Moore visited Disney World, and if there’s a meaning to the film, it is his attempt to make sense of those artificially constructed fantasy worlds, and how those facades are embraced by our culture.

Disney has apparently not yet weighed in on this film, so it’s not clear whether it will be released. B+

The too-short yet immense and extraordinary life of Steve Jobs is barely contained in Walter Isaacson’s 656 page biography, and is certainly beyond the scope of a single movie. The larger-budget movie, currently in the works by Sony Pictures, is an Aaron Sorkin adaptation of the book; smaller indy effort jOBS is already completed and scheduled for official release on April 19. Its premier at this year’s Sundance was a motherboard-hot ticket, with an obviously compelling subject, and with star-power casting choice Ashton Kutcher seeming to bear a physical resemblance to a young Steve Jobs.

Opening with an Apple employee meeting in 2001, right before the introduction of the first iPod (1,000 songs!), the story flashes back to Steve’s college years, and takes us through a wild universe-denting trip before it mellows out on a perfect note with Steve in a recording studio, a few years after his return to rejuvenate a floundering Apple in the late ’90s. Along the way we get to know key players, including a soulful Josh Gad as humble tech-genius Woz, and a stiff Dermot Mulroney as adult supervision Mike Markkula.

The garage scenes were shot in the actual now-historic Los Altos house where Steve lived. And overall, Kutcher and crew get quite a few other things right, notably Steve Jobs’ look, voice, walk, and mannerisms, but more importantly, the paradox of an ambitious, inspirational, we-can-change-the-wold leader with a dangerous, impatient, walk-on-water-or-you’re-out arrogance. As the film moves through later eras, it covers board room maneuvering, a sympathetic portrayal of grown-up Steve’s family life, and his eventual return to Apple, highlighted in a terrific scene with the Jonathan Ive character. But, necessarily, the film omits a lot, including Pixar and NeXT.

The right music can help the narrative by defining time lines in any historical movie, and of course music is critical in this movie since it was such an influence in Steve’s life. Yet expensive synchronization rights for master recordings of landmark songs can drain an indy film budget, so the producers should be praised for coming up with a credible sound track including Joe Walsh and a crucial Dylan song.

Critics of the movie will likely focus on whether the movie confirms or refutes their biases about Steve’s character flaws, whether it accurately portrays the personalities involved in the earliest years, and whether it artistically rises to the insanely great level of Apple’s best innovations. If it fails on some of those impossible tests, it’s still a smart, entertaining, and essential film. B

In movies, it seems, normal suburban families are only normal for the first reel. Then problems surface; in Breathe In it happens after the family accepts a visit from a fetching and musically talented exchange student, played with easy charm by Felicity Jones. The script paces the will-they-or-won’t-they-get-together expertly, and a few beautiful musical performances elevate the romance in this bittersweet movie. B+

Documentary Salma tells the extraordinary story of a Tamil woman’s life of resistance against the mindless tradition of her Muslim village in India, and the lengthy home imprisonment she endured as a consequence of her efforts to assert her basic rights and educate herself. She ultimately succeeded in gaining notoriety by getting her poetry published, but only by getting it smuggled out of her home.

Salma was present at the Q/A following the screening, and, through a translator, made it clear that the key to effecting change for women in that culture is to allow them to receive an education. B

Crystal Fairy begins at a party in Chile, where a drug-obsessed but otherwise rational American, played by a less-girlish-than-usual Michael Cera, is planning a road trip with some local friends in pursuit of magic-cactus mescaline and a mind-opening experience. He accidentally invites a new-age hippy American, played with uninhibited loony fervor by Gaby Hoffmann, to join them. The escalating clash of those two personalities bewilders their laid-back Chilean hosts and also provides the central element of this well-acted but sometimes tedious story. The film eventually takes an interesting turn as we learn that people can be more than they seem.

In the Q/A following the screening, some of the cast suggested that they prepared for their roles by actually taking mescaline. In humorous contrast, Michael Cera said he prepared by googling mescaline. And oddly, Gaby Hoffmann talked about the Mayan apocalypse as if it was still going on. Perhaps she was still in character. C+.

If the bombastic American Pie was the “Hound Dog” of losing-your-virginity movies, the subdued The First Time is the “Love Me Tender”. The two young leads meet with a long and believably awkward first conversation, and initially seem mismatched. But over the course of a weekend, they find a fragile emotional connection. That gradual warming is the most interesting aspect, and is executed with what seems like the right amount of clumsiness and embarrassment. The level of dialog is generally entertaining, as it falls somewhere in the large gap between how interesting characters should talk and how teenagers actually talk. Unfortunately they’re still teenagers, so that’s the demographic that might enjoy this film. C+


A depressed divorcee mopes around her parents house for a while and then perks up as she develops a somewhat scandalous relationship with a guy who is a bit too young. Hello I Must Be Going presents an impressive mix of insightful writing and refined performances, especially by Melanie Lynskey as her character comes out of her funk, reaches closure with her ex, and ultimately moves on. The female empowerment message in this simple story is right around Lifetime movie level. B-


Fans of a renowned author have filled an auditorium, and they listen as he begins to read from his latest work, which describes how a certain book came to be written, and the story-within-a-story that he tells has its own flashback. That ambitious story telling device is executed with some skill in The Words, a small indie movie that feels bigger than it is due to multiple settings and time periods, and a first rate cast. Though Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana shine at times, only Jeremy Irons finds a way to make his character memorable. And it all arrives at the end a bit dog-eared, a few chapters short of the masterpiece it tried to be. B


Standup comedian Mike Birbiglia portrays a slightly fictionalized version of himself in verite effort Sleepwalk With Me. His character struggles with a sleeping disorder, with his relationships, and with life on the road in pursuit of stand-up gigs. There are some laughs and pleasant moments, though not enough. In contrast, Louis C. K. is mixing stand-up and fictionalized-life struggles in his series on cable channel FX with a more inspired subversion and edgier laughs. C+


The hook for Smashed is the fiery performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead as a school teacher struggling with a drinking problem. This is a modern, less severe take on the grim subject explored so well in the classic “Days of Wine and Roses”, and though it has some incendiary moments it never rises to that level. B

With the mind of a poet trapped in a body made nearly useless by polio, Mark O’Brien fought to live a normal life, and his remarkable true story is told with candor and abundant clinical detail in The Surrogate. Part of that pursuit of a normal life was a quest, in his mid-thirties, to lose his virginity. But with an iron lung, getting really good on the guitar wasn’t exactly an option, hence his arrangement with a sex surrogate. As he moves past that relationship and on to others, the film examines the different forms love can take. Helen Hunt brings warmth to the surrogate character. William H. Macy is a hoot as a catholic priest giving surprisingly good advice. B


Real-life actor/dad Mark Webber shows some promise in his writing/directing debut, The End of Love, the tale of how a young father deals with tragedy. This melancholy effort has some nice moments but ultimately feels too much like a dad’s home movie of his kid. C


Aubrey Plaza is becoming a notable actress who can instinctively express her own brand of impatience or insecurity without uttering a line. Fortunately, Safety Not Guaranteed gives her the lead role she deserves, and gives all the players some fun oddball dialog and a uniquely twisted story. With a winning mixture of boy-next-door charm and out-to-lunch crazy, Mark Duplass plays the wierdo, or maybe the genius, who is recruiting a partner for his time travel project. And Aubrey Plaza’s character, initially a bored member of a team investigating this project, warms up nicely. Some of the secondary story lines aren’t as inspired as the main arc, but overall this is low-budget indie is a nice little joy ride.

After the screening, the Q/A revealed that the film was inspired by an actual ad in a 1997 issue of Backwoods Home Magazine, soliciting a time-travel partner, an ad that gained some internet notoriety. B+


David Duchovny channels Jeff Bridges as a combination goat whisperer / Moses of weed. That WTF concept is not as entertaining as it should have been, but neither he nor the goats are the central characters anyway. The wide-ranging GOATS is a story of a bright teen-age kid who is trying to grow up and looking for guidance, not from a mom addled by new-age nonsense, not from an up-tight dad who is mostly out of the picture, but from the goat man, at least initially. In this coming-of-age yarn, everyone has a bit of growing up to do, and they get there with some quirky fun but without the sort of drama that would have made this more compelling. C+


Parker Posey is a tornado of crazy-sexy-cruel as the new manager hired to shake things up and improve sales at a grocery store chain in Price Check. The improvements are not without collateral damage, especially to her second in command, Eric Mabius, who gets a confidence boost from his new mentor but also takes a hit to his private life. Parker Posey’s performance is dazzling, funny, and uninhibited, and kind of overwhelms the more subtle elements in the film, like lessons about honesty and ambition. And unfortunately the ending does not have the same punch as the rest of the movie.

Note from Q/A following the screening: When a woman acts like a man it’s not pretty. B-

As the largely improvised My Sister’s Sister unfurls a nicely paced sequence of plot surprises, perhaps the biggest revelation is filmmaker/actor Mark Duplass as a flawed but likable romantic lead. Not at all surprising is the easy on-screen charm of Emily Blunt as his counterpart, first as a friend and then perhaps as more. The third puzzle piece is Rosemarie DeWitt as her slightly twisted sister. Writer/director Lynn Shelton apparently used a process similar to the Duplass brothers’ projects, where the movie is really defined in the editing room, by fishing the best movie out of a sea of multiple improvised takes. From that process, the resulting story here explores themes of honesty and family with a pleasant mix of drama and comedy. B


Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg are known mainly for their TV work, but that’s likely to change with the release of Celeste and Jesse Forever, where they both show new range. This is especially true of Rashida Jones, as she not only sustains our interest throughout, but cowrote the screenplay for this inventive romantic comedy. Easy and sometimes hilarious interplay between the divorcing lead characters keeps us engaged, until things get tricky and the movie begins to explore its central theme of whether a man and woman can be just friends. In this regard the movie is a sort of reverse “When Harry Met Sally”.

In the Q/A folllowing the screening, Andy Samberg deflected praise for his newly-found dramatic acting chops by musing that “Daniel Day Lewis would have been the illest Jesse ever. Or Celeste.”
B+


In a year that saw the passing of Steve Jobs, a lot of consideration has been given to the relationship between humans and the technology they have invented to improve their lives. The oddly delightful Robot and Frank examines that relationship, along with the very nature of human memory. You have to suspend disbelief a bit to accept the corny Robot that is brought in to care for the aging Frank, but it seems to be this movie’s deliberate way of staying out of the science fiction mainstream and making this buddy movie more about the humanity than the robotity. Frank Langella is enjoyable as a crotchety old softy, a character we’ve seen before, but not with such a wild combination of issues, and not with such a skillful and nuanced performance. B


After delivering the audience-award-winning “happythankyoumoreplease” at Sundance 2010, writer/director/actor Josh Radnor evidently went away to Woody Allen college, and came back with the literate, classically-influenced Liberal Arts. With subtle elements of Annie Hall and Manhattan, this tale of a guidance counselor revisiting his alma mater reflects wisely on what it means to teach, to be taught, and to grow up, across multiple generations, and suggests that in some ways it’s all downhill after college. And it does so with knowing reference to the variety of poetry, music, and literature that inform the process. Sundance 2011 standout Elizabeth Olsen continues to impress, here with a young Diane Keaton brand of precocious daffiness. A


I like to believe that the glacial pacing and indulgent editing affectations of Kid Thing are an artistic choice intended at subversive mischief, not a miscalculation of how aweseome it looks on screen, for example, to show a guy milking a goat, endlessly. It’s a shame that sort of thing was such a frequent distraction, because this uneven film had some genuinely original ideas, some twisted humor, and a young actress who was clearly capable of delivering more than the minmal script allowed. As it explored the impact of parental guidance by portraying a child without it, this awkwardly packaged fable about morality forgot to deliver a moral. C-

The flawed world-view that the Federal Reserve held under Greenspan is one of many dimensions of the recent financial crisis examined in documentary film The Flaw. The sequence of events that culminated in market upheaval in late 2008 and lingering recession has been the subject of many books, a parade of talking heads on CNBC, and well-meaning but ineffective legislation. We now have this fresh and somewhat broader perspective. Using interviews with financial experts and a few ordinary homeowners and investors who were affected in various ways by the financial crisis, along with some jolly animation, this film largely succeeds in making economics (the dismal science) more entertaining than it deserves to be, while providing actual data to make its case.

If a documentary film accepted to Sundance didn’t take a somewhat liberal tone, California would slide into the ocean. This film does try to cover several vantage points, so it may cause a few tremors. But our beaches are safe, because the film ultimately argues that the problem is capitalism itself; specifically what it has become in the last 30 years with the shift in the distribution of wealth toward a smaller number of wealthier asset holders.

In the Q/A following the screening, director David Sington revealed that he is a conservative who changed his opinion of the crisis during the filming. B.

The story of a policeman dealing with corruption has been told before, but The Son of No One one has an original narrative device: We see the central character, Channing Tatum’s New York cop, as an adult, and then as a child in flashbacks, and the film gradually reveals the lasting impact of the childhood events. But the story told through that device feels unresolved, and somehow fails to reach the high level of excitement we expect.

In the Q/A after the screening, the film’s editor discussed an alternative ending with a completely different meaning, which suggested that some capricious choices may have been made in the narrative. C

As an apparently happy family hosts another apparently happy family in their guest house for the winter, we gradually learn that serious problems lie beneath the surface in Norwegian import (with English subtitles) Happy Happy. With comedic elements and bittersweet emotional turns, this Sundance favorite (World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic) entertains by presenting some adult themes with a light tone, and by revealing small pleasant surprises one after another, like chocolate Easter eggs in the Norway snow. B

In Another Happy Day, a gathering for a wedding is the excuse for family members to reunite and catch up, and argue. This family suffers a variety of physical and behavioral disorders, and as you might imagine it’s not really a ”happy” day. The central character is played at full throttle by the great Ellen Barkin, who does a lot of shouting and weeping. She’s really good at it, but it all eventually wears thin.

In the Q/A following the screening, 25-year-old writer/director Sam Levinson was endearingly humble, struggling to hold it together while facing the audience of 1300 in the Eccles theater at the world premier. But the evidence was on the screen that he somehow managed to write a script that pulls together a complex story full of authentic family dynamics, and then elicited compelling performances from a cast that included Hollywood pros two or three times his age. C+

Like the unfortunate professor in the Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man”,  Toby Maguire’s quirky but otherwise unremarkable suburban professional in dark comedy The Details has some bad luck, compounded by some bad decisions. The poor guy goes through a tragicomic sequence of screwing up, and then getting penalized after trying to make amends. There is plenty of darkness, but the comedy writing isn’t as sharp as that of the Coens. Most interesting is a completely uninhibited comic performance by Laura Linney as a crazy cat lady neighbor. C+

In Sound of My Voice, emergent Sundance star Brit Marling (who also cowrote) portrays a charismatic visitor claiming to be from the near future, who appears to be forming a cult. We see events unfold through the skeptical eyes of two journalists who infiltrate. This is a nicely crafted suspense story with some appropriately creepy aspects, and a thought-provoking payoff.

In the Q/A following the screening, the filmmakers indicated that the web postings of purported time traveler John Titor were a partial inspiration. B

A mapmaker finds more than he is looking for in Armenia. An unorthodox road trip romance, HERE has lots of exotic local color. The story’s presentation is plagued a bit by a fuzzy reach for cosmic grandeur. And the cinematography and framing is first rate, but it could have been more enjoyable if the editing moved things along. C-

Little Birds is set vividly in two carefully chosen locales: the decaying Salton Sea coast, and a seedy part of Los Angeles. This well-executed road movie / coming-of-age movie / buddy movie follows two teenage girls, one adventurous and the other careful, as they grow bored by their surroundings, and then cross paths with some hoodlum boys from LA. The step-by-step increase in risky behavior by teenagers seems authentic here. The unique chemistry and tension between the two leads, and a persuasive performance by (yet another standout Sundance British import) Juno Temple, make this rough ride ultimately rewarding. B+

If “rock” music emphasizes feeling rather than thinking, its proudly-retarded step-child “punk” specifically emphasizes feeling angry. And it works best if you don’t parse the lyrics but just experience the emotion. This is the only way to enjoy I Melt With You. If you ignore the implausible aspects of the story, you can find entertainment in certain intriguing elements, including a killer sound track, some creatively decadent man-talk, and a coked-up Jeremy Piven character. It’s illuminating to note that this over-long movie was directed by the guy who directed Pearl Jam’s Jeremy video, because this unfolds in some respects more like a 125 minute music video – the arty kind with dialog – than a credible movie narrative. C-

Rarely has the conflict between religious faith and human reason been examined so frankly on screen as in writer/director Matthew Chapman’s The Ledge. Of course the topic has been covered in essay and non-fiction form recently by Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. But seeing it on screen brings a new perspective, putting a guy on a ledge and flashing back to help us figure out why he is apparently ready to jump. The cast turns in strong performances all around (film industry: More Liv Tyler, please), but it’s the smart dialog that makes this thriller entertaining in spite of some strained plausibility. B+

Last year’s favorite Sundance love story was the time-warped Blue Valentine; this year’s update is the more linear but equally beautiful Like Crazy. While the lovers in Blue Valentine had to overcome themselves, with Like Crazy, they battle circumstance. The many small details, such as gifts and text messages,  are finely crafted here. The piano-driven score is heavy on the emotional manipulation, but it works. And last year’s Sundance breakout star Jennifer Lawrence is very effective in a small role, but, as the formula dictates, much of the burden is on the lead actress. Like Sundance ’09′s An Education allowed US audiences to discover Carrey Mulligan, this year’s find is Felicity Jones. A

In My Idiot Brother, the subject is a shaggy man who navigates his world with a dog-like innocence, and who will metaphorically drink out of your toilet or hump your leg whenever he wants to. He is the simple tail-wagging, well-intentioned brother to some siblings with complicated lives, and it’s a family dynamic with plenty of comedic potential, well executed. Paul Rudd is always likable and funny, and in this one he fetches and retrieves. Plus, Rashida Jones and Zooey Deschanel make out, so hell yeah.

In the Q/A following the screening, one of the obvious questions was what sort of, uh, research Paul Rudd conducted for his stoner role. His answer: surprisingly little. (A more insightful audience question was about any intended parallel between Paul Rudd’s random injection of blunt honesty into his family discussions, and the WikiLeaks unleashing of embarrassing truths into the public discourse. But no.) A

The promise of surviving your own death is a strong enticement to suspend reason in favor of faith, and we know some people latch on to that idea and go overboard. So, Higher Ground examines the effects of such faith on the life of an otherwise intelligent central character, played with great skill by Vera Farmiga, who also directed. This movie resisted what must have been a temptation to portray the faithful as one dimensional or plain evil. Instead, it showed how supportive and familial the flock can be, though only if all tow the line, especially the women folk. The central character struggles to resolve her own observations and skepticism against the party line, and it’s fascinating to watch. This finely crafted story is enhanced by some authentic folkish church music, is beautifully acted, and is a promising directorial debut. B+

Lost in Translation took Bill Murray’s character far from home to Tokyo, and took him on an emotional journey within his business trip. Likewise, Cedar Rapids takes naive unspoiled Ed Helms’ insurance salesman to a business convention in the seemingly less exotic Iowa town, but his emotional journey is even more transforming, and also hilarious.

Ed Helms brings a credible innocence to his role, and we enjoy the tension as the strong ensemble surrounding him pulls him gradually toward the mayhem. Ann Heche is always fun to watch and she’s a treat here, but it’s John C. Reilly’s character that steals every scene and provides a hilarious thesaurus of colorfully disgusting names for body parts and functions. B+

Low key mind bender Another Earth explores the idea of a mirror Earth suddenly appearing in the sky. That would be kind of a big deal, like The Day the Earth Stood Still. But instead of proposing a grand change of planetary behavior, this modest thought experiment examines a few specific troubled lives, and how such an event might simply provide another option to the residents of this earth. It’s not quite science fiction, and it’s also something more. As Spock once said: Fascinating. Lead actress Brit Marling, who also co-wrote the screenplay, is making an auspicious debut at this Sundance, with a compelling acting/cowriting contribution to two movies (see Sound of My Voice below). Sometimes “what if” is more vivid than “what is”. B+