The Dark Knight Rises

A satisfying conclusion to Nolan's trilogy. Much more of a sequel to Batman Begins than its immediate predecessor--though that film has its impact here, too--this installment focuses strongly on the emotional life of its key characters, with heartening results when all is said and done. Even so, this is still a big, sweeping epic action hero movie, and it delivers the spectacle as well. One sour note: either I'm losing my hearing, or the sound mix was really poor (either in the theater or in the digital film; I couldn't particularly tell); either way, I could not hear far too much of the dialogue in the action sequences. There's also some muddle to the plot, especially early on, but a lot of that becomes clearer when you step back and look at the big picture. And this is, indeed, a big picture--and even worth the inflated ticket price of today's theater experience.

Le Divorce

Whatever the story, however it is presented, set it in Paris and you have magic. Just the look of a film shot in Paris is entertaining, especially in the hands of a pair of old pros like Merchant and Ivory. Ah, but what about that story? The complicated lives of two American sisters (Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson) living among the Frogs hold the interest for the whole running time, and the cast is strong from top to bottom (especially the two leads). Still, the denouement is a bit unseemly, and the viewer is left feeling not quite sure what to make of all this. Overall, a quintessential MEOW review.