THE FALL...Lee Pace

For film lovers. For art lovers. For those of you who have ever loved a storyteller.

The Fall speaks in color and beauty - transcending traditional filmmaking. This is an art film. Each scene a painting in itself, this film is a Salvador Dali come to life.

The motif of "falling" is the resplendent repetitive notion of lives in motion, making mistakes, sinning, falling from our pedistals of chance and fate and grace. It's a question. It's a fear. It's a risk that, once taken, affects the entire rest of your life. It's about life and living it. It's about family and fathers. It's about loving someone enough to stick around for the rest of the story. It's the retelling of a silent picture as seen in the mind of a little girl. The teller becomes her hero and her friend. The percieved quest is one of external healing; the actual is internal as the listener becomes the unexpected hero to save her dear friend.

For Andrew: Don't worry. It ends well.

AUSTRALIA...Jackman, Kidman

Thank you, Baz Lurhmann. I love you.

INKHEART... Fraser, Mirren, Bettany, Serkis

INKHEART. According to the two third-grade girls chatting it up with me after the movie:

blonde braids-"This was a good one."

brunette BFF- "Really good."

blonde braids- "Did you know that the producer was Cornelia Funke?"

me-"Funky."

braids - (smiling) "I know. Funky. (small giggle) I have two of her books. Did you know that she hand-writes a copy and they're worth like a thousand dollars. I don't think I could ever write all that. I have one, but it's the regular kind."

me- "Who was your favorite character? Did you like the dad? (Brendan Fraser)"

BFF - "umm. I don't know."

braids - (after a 'you're crazy' glance at bff) "The dad was okay. He was sort of ...

me- "poorly cast? ready to find his new calling in hotel management?"

braids- "He was okay. Dustfinger was the best. Did you see him blow fire?"

me- (Did I ever. Since when did he start working out - he was body-beautiful in this.) "Yup."

(Dustfinger was played by the scene-redeeming Paul Bettany. Great casting choice, says I. I love him. He's walked a long road since his naked role in A Knight's Tale with the late Heath Ledger. I also enjoyed the camio by his lovely wife Jennifer Connelly.)

me- "He was so cute."

braids - (shoots me the 'now you're crazy' look and corrects me.) "He was good."

me- "I liked the old lady (that's kid-speak for the illustriously prominent Helen Mirren.)

braids- "Yeah, she was so funny."

me- "She was hilarious. When she rode on the little scooter... and the unicorn!"

bff- "...or when she.."

braids- "That shadow guy was SOOO scary."

bff- "yeah."

(By this time we'd reached the outside doors.)

me- Thanks for chatting about the movie with me.

bff- "It was nice...to meet you."

braids- "I hope we see you again. Here. Sometime. Hope again."

me- Thanks. I hope so too!