The Dry Land

Some stories bear repeating. In fact, people love to retell a tale and this simple fact has spawned the tradition of travelling troubadours, of fairy tales and oral histories, of myths and legends. Some tales are retold in remembrance of great deeds or great heroes; some tales are moral warnings - designed to teach us or at the least arm us against our human failings. We repeat stories because we need to hear them again. The Dry Land is a story you've heard before. It bears repeating.

James (Ryan O'Nan) returns from Iraq to a small town in Texas and not much has changed there. He comes home to his wife (America Ferrara,) his ailing mother (Melissa Leo,) the only work available and beers after with the boys. But James has changed a great deal and as he finds himself less and less able to cope, he becomes more and more obsessed with remembering what happened to him. So he hooks up with an army buddy (Wilmer Valderrama) and heads off to Walter Reed ... and answers he may not want to hear.

It is estimated that about 20% of combat veterans will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Written and directed by Ryan Piers Williams, The Dry Land is a admirable attempt to bring to light their suffering. Ryan O'Nan delivers a powerful, heart wrenching performance as a man in flux - struggling to put into perspective experiences that are unthinkable. The National Alliance for Mental Illness put their seal of approval on this film for it's accuracy in portraying PTSD. I'll admit it was painful to watch (and give a warning to animal lovers that there is a pretty nasty scene involving the butcher of a cow,) but it's a story worth watching. Again.

Website here. More info on PTSD here. Another telling of the tale here.

Whip It

Some movies are just for fun. Really fun movies are those where you know just by watching that the whole damn cast was having the time of their lives making this movie. Would have done it for free. That much fun. Whip It is that kind of movie. I sort of imagine that casting this film was like picking teams for kickball in junior high - with half the females in Hollywood (of a certain age,) bouncing up and down and screaming "Pick me!" This was Drew Barrymore's baby - she produced, directed and played a supporting role. Drew had an awful lot of fun.

Bliss (Ellen Page) is seventeen and being a good girl for Momma (Marcia Gay-Harding,) doing the teen pageant circuit, getting good grades, working at the local BBQ joint. But a sneaky night out with her bestie finds her at the Austin roller derby and Bliss is smitten by the whole idea. On a dare she lies about her age and tries out for the Hurl Scouts, and emerges as Babe Ruthless who must gain the respect of her team, the trust of her coach and the eye of the fella while hiding who she really is from everybody. By now you know where this is going.... to the Championship or the Blue Bonnet Pageant? Lose the Boy or her best friend? Live her mothers dream or her own?

Predictable? You betcha. But ooodles and gobs of fun. Page is that rare young actress who can appear both worldly and cluelessly naive at the same time. And who else is on roller skates? Drew, of course, and Eve and Kristen Wiig AND Juliette Lewis! The coach - Andrew Wilson (the other brother of Owen and Luke!) Can you say cat fights? Can you say FOOD fights? Can you say FUN!? I knew you could. Website here.