THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
30
FamilyFilmgoer by Jane Horwitz 10 AND OLDER
SECRETARIAT (PG). Teens and pre- teens might find that this reverent film goes a tad heavy on the human story and rather stingily on Secretari- at himself. The movie is clearly in- tended more as a portrait of the horse’s devoted and determined own- er, Penny Chenery (Diane Lane), and the eccentric trainer she hired, Lu- cien Laurin (John Malkovich). Lane and Malkovich are excellent, but the stolid drama often seems to stifle the wonder of Secretariat himself and the atmosphere of the stables and the tracks.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Parents can re- assure the softhearted animal-loving preteens that all the races involved no horses being hurt, though Secre- tariat does have a mild ailment early on, which clears up. Some characters use mildly crude humor.
AND OLDER 12
WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” (PG). Documentary filmmaker Davis Gug- genheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” PG, 2006) takes on America’s trou- bled public schools in this heart-rend- ing call to action. The film could have an impact on thoughtful kids 12 and older who wonder about their aca- demic futures. Guggenheim gives the story an emotional core by focusing on several wonderful children who go to bad schools and the parents who struggle to get them into better ones.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The film sheds a harsh light on just how difficult every- day life in this country has become for many people — whether it’s affording groceries or being at the mercy of a “fair” lottery system that offers terri- ble odds to get a good education.
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. It’s a romantic comedy, so high-schoolers will know from the start that although Holly and Eric can’t stand each other, they are destined to be together. It is surpris- ing, however, that the story unfolds in a sweetly funny style from start to fin- ish. It begins with their awful blind date. Then the married couple who had set them up die in a car crash (not shown) and, in their will, name
13 PG- JOHN BRAMLEY/COPYRIGHT DISNEY ENTERPRISES
“Secretariat” is generally safe for those 10 and older, though some might be disappointed by its focus on humans instead of the horse.
Holly and Eric as guardians of their baby girl. Of course, they fall into bed one night and romance blossoms, fol- lowed by complications.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The discussion of sexuality is part of what makes this film less appropriate for middle- schoolers. The film includes several gently implied overnight trysts, mid- range profanity, drinking and lots of baby toilet humor.
THE SOCIAL NETWORK. The ma- chine-gun dialogue, computer hijinks, collegiate sex and drugs roiling at the center of this terrific movie make it problematic for middle-schoolers. So- phisticated high-schoolers, however, won’t be able to ignore “The Social Network” and its sad, edgy portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook. Zuckerberg viciously trash- es his ex on his Harvard University blog. It gives him the idea for Face- book. The film cuts back and forth in time between Harvard and a law of- fice a few years later, where Zucker- berg faces lawsuits brought by former classmates who say he stole the idea.
THE BOTTOM LINE: “The Social Net- work” takes a fairly R-ish approach to the behavior of its college-age charac- ters. The film depicts drug use, drink- ing, smoking, a strongly implied sex- ual situation and less strongly implied promiscuity, as well as partial nudity. Characters use sexist slurs and occa- sional strong profanity.
CASE 39. High-schoolers will see what’s coming a mile off in this mov- ie. That doesn’t mean “Case 39” isn’t a moderately entertaining occult thril- ler. It is not, however, for middle- schoolers because of its grim, violent portrayal of children. High-schoolers who like the genre may appreciate the movie’s reliance on performance vs. special effects. Renée Zellweger
R
plays Emily, a social worker con- cerned about a little girl named Lilith who claims that her parents have threatened to “send me to Hell.” Emi- ly gets temporary custody of Lilith, and it isn’t long before she and others realize the child is far from an inno- cent.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The idea of a child who turns out to be evil is dis- turbing. The film shows a few in- stances of strong violence, including a boy killing his parents with a tire iron. Characters use profanity and drink.
BURIED. High-schoolers with phobias about being in the dark should stay away from “Buried.” So should any- one with snake phobias. Those who like unusual, even experimental films, however, might find “Buried” gripping. The movie begins in the dark until its lone character, buried in a coffin in Iraq, regains consciousness. In the coffin are a cellphone, a cigarette lighter and little else. “Buried” is not easy to watch, and not always that plausible, but you can’t look away.
THE BOTTOM LINE: It is harrowing and not for all high-school-age tastes. It contains strong profanity, but it is really the unrelenting intensity of the story that earns the rating.
LET ME IN. This is grim fare, even for true horror buffs, if they’re younger than 16. However, the film is stun- ning, moody and artful. Owen lives with his prayerful but wine-sodden mom. His dad has left them, and Ow- en gets bullied viciously at school. When the mysterious Abby moves into the apartment next door, he final- ly makes a friend his age — he thinks.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The scenes of vampirism include graphically real murder and throat-slitting, biting and drinking of blood. There is a crash, bullying and partial nudity. Rarely, characters use profanity.
weekend@washpost.com
Horwitz is a freelance reviewer. NICOLE RIVELLI/ROGUE Emily Meade and Max Thieriot star in “My Soul to Take.”
My Soul to Take A serial killer returns to his home town to stalk children with the same birth- day as the day he died. This movie did not screen for review. R. At area thea- ters. Contains strong, bloody violence and pervasive language including sexual refer- ences. 107 minutes.
Watching with kids in mind secretariat from 27
portrayed by five horses in the movie of his life — including one charismatic steed that, like Secre- tariat himself, plays to the cam- era so cannily you could almost swear he winks. Juxtaposing Tweedy’s you- must-pay-the-rent travails and her conservative husband’s com- plaints with Big Red’s journey to becoming a superstar, Wallace turns “Secretariat” into a parable of faith and quiet, assured femi- nism. If some of the back-home scenes are awkwardly staged (es- pecially Tweedy’s teenage daugh- ter who rebels against her par- ents’ politics in a parody of liberal agitprop) and the plot contoured for Hollywood efficiency, the story itself is too infectious to re- sist.
Filmed with breathtaking im-
mediacy, the racing sequences are utterly heart-stopping, with
life from 27
gether and try to make the best of a stupid situation. He’s a a womanizing pig who works in the TV control booth for a professional Atlanta sports team. She’s a nurturing home- body who runs a gourmet store and bake shop like the one Meryl Streep had in “It’s Complicated.” Neither one knows the first thing about changing diapers. Like we’ve never seen that be-
fore. Brace yourself, though. The movie has more excrement jokes than the typical rom-com. Mess- er’s characterization of one par- ticularly nasty diaper — “It’s like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in there” — is one of the movie’s funnier lines. Otherwise, the script (by first- time feature writers Ian Deitch- man and Kristin Rusk Robinson) is not especially original, zingy or insightful.
ALSO OPENING
each hoofbeat and clod of dirt seeming to leap off the screen, es- pecially during Secretariat’s as- tonishing run in the Belmont Stakes. (Fans will appreciate Wal- lace’s decision to show much of the Preakness on a television monitor, reproducing how most of us remember the event.) But at its core, “Secretariat” is the story of a girl and her horse, that mystical bond between hu- man and animal that, by quoting the Book of Job to open and close the movie, Wallace suggests is al- most spiritual. When Big Red snorts as Tweedy approaches his stall, it’s a moment of transcen- dent recognition. And in its own way it’s more thrilling that those legendary runs themselves.
hornadaya@washpost.com
Rated PG. At area theaters. Contains brief mild profanity. 116 minutes.
BBB Fortunately, both Holly and
Messer are incredibly hot. Which means that, in accordance with the physical laws of the known hot universe, they must be to- gether, certain plot contrivances notwithstanding. Holly’s dalli- ance with an earnest but only semi-hot pediatrician (Josh Lu- cas) and Messer’s brief escape to a new job in Phoenix only serve to prolong the inevitable fusion of nuclear hotness, made all the more cloying by the addition of a cute baby. At nearly two hours, the movie feels bloated. It could easily lose 30 minutes, give or take, and live. It would still not, however, live up to its title.
osullivanm@washpost.com
PG-13. At area theaters. Contains obscenity, drug use, sensuality and poop humor. 115 minutes.
B
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