Never let me go

This is the most moving film I've seen in some time, because of a combination of a compelling story; wonderful performances; and great cinematography, directing and musical score. I hardly know how to write about it in a way that will get across just how powerful I found it to be in every aspect. It's based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for another wonderful film The Remains of the Day. It takes place in England and could be called science fiction as it's about a society that's different from our own in that clones are created for the sole purpose of donating their organs as young adults so that other older people can live longer. This sounds quite freaky but in fact what makes the story so effective is that in most ways the people and society seem so normal. The story begins, looks and unfolds like any number of films taking place in the lovely English countryside with cute children being brought up in strict but expected residential schools, except for a few unusual details. All three of the main actors -- Carrie Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield -- are excellent, though I'm especially partial to Carrie Mulligan from last year's An Education. The director, Mark Romanek, amazingly has mainly directed various video documentaries in the past. The only previous film of the cinematographer, Adam Kimmel, that I'm familiar with is Capote. The wonderfully poignant and evocative music was written by Rachel Portman, whose name wasn't familiar to me but she's done the music for many other excellent films. So what can I say to give some idea of why you should not miss this film? It's true, poignant and thought-provoking even though it's about a fictional society, but how different actually are the lives, hopes and dreams of these young people/clones from those of all of us, who know we're going to die too soon no matter how long we live?

I am love

I'm recommending this film because of the visuals and Tilda Swinton's performance, her mesmerizing presence, not for the story/plot, which is a pretty predictable melodrama. Tilda Swinton is one of those fascinating actresses who can appear luminously beautiful, almost angelic (as she does for much of this film), and then suddenly look boyishly gawky, angular and cold, almost ugly. If you want more details about the plot, go to Roger Ebert's website, but briefly, it revolves around three generations of a wealthy, aristocratic family in Milan in which Tilda Swinton plays the Russian-born wife of the elder patriarch's son. She begins an affair with one of her son's friends, a chef, and the story plays out as you might expect, in the style of a passionate Italian opera. (All the other actors are Italian and the film is in Italian with English subtitles.) The cinematography is quite extraordinary, everything seeming larger than life, many close-ups not only of people but erotically-charged food preparation and dishes, opulent dinner scenes, massive buildings, snowy city-scapes, grass and insects. If you go to this film I recommend sitting quite far back in the theatre because the camera often moves very quickly and jerkily and those close-ups, literally in your face, fill the screen. This is a long film that spends lots of time on those visual details; some people will find this boring and the story over-the-top, so be warned.

Joan Rivers: A piece of work

I saw Joan Rivers live once in the 80s, so even before watching this frank and revealing documentary I knew her live comedy included almost nonstop profanity of the most potty-mouthed kind. I usually have no respect for and don't enjoy comics who seem to depend on swearing and insults for their laughs, but I have to admit that Joan Rivers is also very funny. I used to watch her frequently in her heyday of frequent appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, both as guest and guest host (but naturally without all the profanity). What this documentary displays is her extreme dependence on her career of standing in front of people and hearing their laughter and applause, the only time she's truly happy, as she says in the film. She'll do anything in order to fill her calendar - calling her a workaholic is an understatement, and I was exhausted watching this 75-year-old woman dashing from place to place, always of course in full makeup that can't hide the extensive "work" she's had done on her face, her first act upon getting out of bed each day. She gave the directors full access over a year of her life, and they (Ricki Stern and Anna Sundberg) did an amazing job. If you enjoy this type of voyeuristic and fascinating documentary, I highly recommend the film.