Movie Review: Paris Can Wait

Paris Can Wait
Director: Eleanor Coppola
Writer: Eleanor Coppola
Cast: Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, Arnaud Viard
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking and some language
Genres: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Official Sites: Web | Facebook

Anne is at a crossroads in her life. Long married to a successful, driven but inattentive movie producer, she unexpectedly finds herself taking a car trip from Cannes to Paris with a business associate of her husband. What should be a seven-hour drive turns into a carefree two-day adventure replete with diversions involving picturesque sights, fine food and wine, humor, wisdom and romance, reawakening Anne's senses and giving her a new lust for life.

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Eleanor Coppola, the wife of the famed Francis Ford Coppola. I got to drink Coppola Wine, eat bruschetta, and watch a movie.  It was a great time.  Every bit of it was fun. An evening about the little things in life, good company, lovely wine, delicious food, etc.  A little escape. That is what I would call Eleanor Coppola’s directorial debut, Paris Can Wait, a little escape. 

Paris Can Wait is a smaller, art-house film.  If you want to see it, you’re going to have to search it out. I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor.  I genuinely enjoyed everything about it.  I love all things Diane Lane (as Anne).  She is great in this film.    There is wonderful chemistry between her and Arnaud Viard (as Jacques). I could have watched another hour of their flirtatious relationship easy.  I appreciated that everything felt subtle, nuanced and rather coquettish.  In a entertainment universe where everyone is running to throw their clothes off, I appreciated the slower pacing of the leads’ relationship.

It’s all about pacing.  It’s in the title.  Paris Can Wait.  There is an open invitation to stop and smell the roses, to make a three day trip from what should be a three hour drive, and to order a cheese plate after someone has had a full meal.  In  a fast-paced world, people forget to slow down.  Paris Can Wait reminds us. 

And oh my goodness, the food.  I love foodie films.  As a pretend foodie (really, I just like eating), it was visually stunning to see some of the finer dishes offered in the South of France.  Every scene contained something new and interesting to behold. Even the roadside picnic looked tastier than the average wrapped sandwiches.

All in all, Paris Can Wait is a great bit of escapism. The scenery is wonderful.  The cast is charming. The story is quaint.  It’s perfect for a grown-up night out with a great bottle of wine.  It complements both red or white wine. Visually, the food and the countryside looked wonderful on the big screen.  I’m glad I caught this in the theater. If you want to escape the living room couch for a bit, try Paris Can Wait, playing everywhere now.

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yara

Movie Review: DreamWorks Animation's The Boss Baby - #TheBoss

THE BOSS BABY
Animation, in 3D
Release: March 31, 2017
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Written by: Michael McCullers (based on the award-winning picture book by Marla Frazee)
Producer: Ramsey Ann Naito
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Miles Bakshi

THE BOSS BABY Official Channels: Site | Facebook | HASHTAG: #TheBossBaby

DreamWorks Animation and the director of Madagascar invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby. The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages.

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When it comes to animated features, there are "kid" movies, there are "adult" movies and there are "family" movies.  The goal, I'm guessing, is to make "family" animated movies, or movies that the whole family can enjoy together, but making a "family" film is a tricky balance. The Boss Baby, opening this week, is undoubtedly a "kid" movie.  

It isn't a bad "kid" movie, as far as I could tell. The kids I brought with me enjoyed the concept of having a kid in charge.  The plot, pitting puppies against babies, was cute for kids.  There is a lot of kid, gross-out humor.   Alec Baldwin (as the voice of the Boss Baby) has some dialogue which speaks to children. The script is full of things that kids wish they could say aloud, but don't. 

The colors are vibrant. The music is cool. All in all, it's a harmless kid story for children of any age. 

Parents, on the other hand, should not expect to like it.  I sat through the film, but twenty minutes in, I was over the whole thing. Baldwin's jerky voice started to wear on me, even as a cute-looking baby.  There were several voice actors playing babies, but they weren't, I think, used to their full potential. 

And there are few animated features that are worthy of going past a ninety minute run-time. The Boss Baby isn't one of them. There are a few draggy parts in the middle. I think I dozed-off for eight to ten minutes. 

Still, The Boss Baby is enough fun for children that parents can survive the extended run-time.  Some years are great for animated moves. 2017 looks like it's going to be slow for original, entertaining animated features that the whole family can enjoy. So, when the kids have to get out of the house, The Boss Baby isn't a bad fix.  Take them to see The Boss Baby now playing everywhere.

#Houston Grab Passes to #TheBossBaby @ Edwards Greenway 3/25

THE BOSS BABY
Animation, in 3D
Release: March 31, 2017
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Written by: Michael McCullers (based on the award-winning picture book by Marla Frazee)
Producer: Ramsey Ann Naito
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Miles Bakshi
THE BOSS BABY Official Channels
SITE: http://www.dreamworks.com/thebossbaby/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebossbaby
HASHTAG: #TheBossBaby

DreamWorks Animation and the director of Madagascar invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby. The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages.

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Grab your passes to see The Boss Baby by clicking on the movie poster below:

These tickets are on a first-come, first-served not guaranteed basis. Arrive early to secure your seats.

#SanAntonio Grab Passes to #TheBossBaby @ Santikos Palladium 3/25

THE BOSS BABY
Animation, in 3D
Release: March 31, 2017
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Written by: Michael McCullers (based on the award-winning picture book by Marla Frazee)
Producer: Ramsey Ann Naito
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Miles Bakshi
THE BOSS BABY Official Channels
SITE: http://www.dreamworks.com/thebossbaby/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebossbaby
HASHTAG: #TheBossBaby

DreamWorks Animation and the director of Madagascar invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby. The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages.

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Grab your passes to see The Boss Baby by clicking on the movie poster below:

These tickets are on a first-come, first-served not guaranteed basis. Arrive early to secure your seats.

#Seattle Grab Passes to #TheBossBaby @ Regal Thornton Place Stadium 3/25

THE BOSS BABY
Animation, in 3D
Release: March 31, 2017
Directed by: Tom McGrath
Written by: Michael McCullers (based on the award-winning picture book by Marla Frazee)
Producer: Ramsey Ann Naito
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Miles Bakshi
THE BOSS BABY Official Channels
SITE: http://www.dreamworks.com/thebossbaby/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebossbaby
HASHTAG: #TheBossBaby

DreamWorks Animation and the director of Madagascar invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby. The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages.

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Grab your passes to see The Boss Baby by clicking on the movie poster below:

These tickets are on a first-come, first-served not guaranteed basis. Arrive early to secure your seats.

Read an Excerpt from STILL ALICE, Now a Major Motion Picture!

Still Alice written by Lisa Genova

Now a major motion picture with Sony Pictures Classics starring Julianne Moore.

In Lisa Genova’s extraordinary New York Times bestselling novel, an accomplished professor diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease learns that her worth is comprised of more than her ability to remember. Now a major motion picture from Sony Pictures Classics starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, and Kristen Stewart.

Excerpt from Still Alice:

As she ran along the river, she became mindful of nothing but the sounds of her Nikes hitting the pavement in syncopated rhythm with the pace of her breath. She didn’t replay her argument with Lydia. She didn’t acknowledge her growling stomach. She didn’t think about John. She just ran.

As was her routine, she stopped running once she made it back to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Park, a pocket of manicured lawns abutting Memorial Drive. Her head cleared, her body relaxed and rejuvenated, she began walking home. The JFK Park funneled into Harvard Square through a pleasant, bench-lined corridor between the Charles Hotel and the Kennedy School of Government.

At the other end of the corridor, she stood at the intersection of Eliot Street and Brattle, ready to cross, when a woman grabbed her forearm with startling force and said, “Have you thought about heaven today?”

The woman fixed Alice with a penetrating, unwavering stare. She had long hair the color and texture of a teased Brillo pad and wore a handmade placard hung over her chest that read AMERICA REPENT, TURN TO JESUS FROM SIN. There was always someone selling God in Harvard Square, but Alice had never been singled out so directly and intimately before.

“Sorry,” she said and, noticing a break in the flow of traffic, escaped to the other side of the street.

She wanted to continue walking but stood frozen instead. She didn’t know where she was. She looked back across the street. The Brillo-haired woman pursued another sinner down the corridor. The corridor, the hotel, the stores, the illogically meandering streets. She knew she was in Harvard Square, but she didn’t know which way was home.

She tried again, more specifi cally. The Harvard Square Hotel, Eastern Mountain Sports, Dickson Bros. Hardware, Mount Auburn Street. She knew all of these places—this square had been her stomping ground for over twenty-five years—but they somehow didn’t fi t into a mental map that

told her where she lived relative to them. A black-and-white circular “T” sign directly in front of her marked an entrance to the Red Line trains and buses underground, but there were three such entrances in Harvard Square, and she couldn’t piece together which one of the three this was.

Her heart began to race. She started sweating. She told herself that an accelerated heart rate and perspiration were part of an orchestrated and appropriate response to running. But as she stood on the sidewalk, it felt like panic.

She willed herself to walk another block and then another, her rubbery legs feeling like they might give way with each bewildered step. The Coop, Cardullo’s, the magazines on the corner, the Cambridge visitors’ center across the street, and Harvard Yard beyond that. She told herself she could still read and recognize. None of it helped. It all lacked a context.

People, cars, buses, and all kinds of unbearable noise rushed and wove around and past her. She closed her eyes. She listened to her own blood whoosh and pulse behind her ears.

“Please stop this,” she whispered.

She opened her eyes. Just as suddenly as it had left her, the landscape snapped snugly back into place.

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Still Alice is now in theaters!!!

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.