King of California

It's been a long time since I've been willing to watch a movie with Michael Douglas in it - you know, like that whole period where he seemed to be working out his sexual fantasies onscreen, one by painful one (think Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Disclosure.) But the dude has grown up a bit and the fact that he signed on to this sweet little film, I'll take as proof of that. This isn't a 'big money movie' and it has no semi-nekkid sexpots. What it is - a light little fairy tale about loving someone with a mental illness - has some very funny moments.

Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood) is sixteen and living on her own when her dad Charlie (Douglas) is released from a year long stint in a mental institution. The relatively peaceful life she's carved out for herself is suddenly disrupted - Charlie is not an easy person to be around. To make things worse, he has become convinced that there is ancient Spanish treasure in their neighborhood and is determined to find it. At first Miranda is dismayed at this new delusion, but gradually her love for her father drags her into his scheme. She really wants to believe him, but could there really be booty buried under Costco?

Douglas is really delightful as the manic Charlie, and Wood does a fair job of conveying the natural distrust and frustration inherent in sharing your life with a completely unpredictable and untrustworthy parent. And if the bittersweet ending blows a little sunshine up your butt, oh well, the rest of ride is pretty entertaining. See the website here.

State of Play

Okay, okay, okay... this was just fabulous. I mean really, really fabulous. Originally a miniseries on the BBC, this is what television should be and simply never is. Smart, well written, well acted, with an intriguing and relevant plot, believable characters behaving in believable ways... just wow. So suck up the fact that it's a two DVD rental and the better part of six hours to watch start to finish... it's worth every minute.

It would be impossible to sum up the plot in a paragraph here, but the gist is that the mistress of a high profile member of parliament dies violently leaving her boss devastated and the press ... interested. Apparently journalists in the UK still practice journalism which involves taking risks and digging. So the convoluted plot is driven by journalistic curiosity and a couple of detectives who are actually interested in uncovering the truth. Novel, no? You can barely keep up with where this goes but let's just add assassination, government cover ups and ... wait for it... oil companies. It just gets better and better and you will not guess where it ends.

Add to that a surprising array of British talent - some of which you will recognize like the incomparable Bill Nighy and the up and coming James McAvoy - and some that you won't, like David Morrissey and John Simm. Anyway you look at it, the acting is superb - way better than most of what we see on TV. Watch this quick because I'm sure it's about to be completely ruined by an American remake scheduled for release next year (for one they're compressing it into 2+ hours and for two they're setting it in DC.) If you're still not convinced, there's more here.

The Woodsman

Time to revisit an important film from 2004 that you probably aren't going to be in a hurry to see if I don't give you that gentle push. The Woodsman started out as a minimalist play that director Nicole Kassell felt strongly enough about to approach Lee Daniels (Monster's Ball) to see if she could get funding to make the film. That led to a call to Kevin Bacon who loved the screenplay so much that he talked his wife (Kyra Sedgwick) into co-starring with him and helped produce himself. So a whole lotta talented people went to great lengths to bring this to you. Oh, and did I mention that it's about a convicted pedophile?

Now before you run screaming from the room, consider this story: Walter (Bacon) is trying to re-enter life after 12 years in prison - he moves into an apartment, gets a job, sees his counselor, meets a girl. He tries very hard to lead an unassuming life. But his past is everywhere - he is shunned by his sister, harassed by a local cop (Mos Def) and a nosy co-worker (Eve) and tempted by his own dark yearnings. This story is told from Walter's point of view - we see his pain, his desire to be 'normal.' And in a final gut wrenching moment, his ultimate ability to see through the eyes of a child.

Kevin Bacon makes Walter so real - so human - that it will take your breath away. It is undoubtedly the performance of a remarkable career. I will call a film important when it takes me to a part of the human condition that I would never experience otherwise. This is such a film and you really shouldn't miss it. Check out the website here.