The Imposter

3 Paws
Seen recently at Film Streams

Oooooooh - this is one creepy documentary that's incredibly well executed.

Pretend for a moment that you live on the wrong side of the tracks in a Texas town. You're trying to raise your somewhat troubled son - a light-haired, blue-eyed boy - as a single parent. Then, one day, that son - who's now 13 - goes missing. Three years later, you get a call from the authorities telling you your son has been located - overseas, mind you. You're not fit to travel, so you send your daughter to pick him up and bring him home. She brings someone home, all right, but it's a dark-eyed dude with a French accent. You welcome him back, telling those who will listen that three years living in unspeakable conditions can change a person.

I made up my mind about halfway through as to what I think happened to the real Nicholas Barclay, and that's the beauty of the film's structure - it allows you to draw your own conclusions. It also highlights the shortcomings of the juvenile justice system - if society considers you "poor white trash" and you don't have an advocate, you're completely disposable.

Bonus Bones: 1
There's a quick shot of a boxer in a backyard, but that's it.

The Sessions

2.5 Paws
Seen recently at 20 Grand Cinema

The 85th Academy Award nominations will be announced Jan. 10, but the race for the best actor Oscar is already over. John Hawkes (Teardrop from Winter's Bone, y'all) turns in the most compelling performance I've seen on screen since Daniel Day Lewis's 1989 triumph as Christy Brown in My Left Foot. You'd swear Hawkes is as dependent on an iron lung as is the character he plays, Mark O'Brien - how else could he get it so right?

The supporting cast is pitch perfect - if there were most priests like William H. Macy, the world would probably be a more Catholic place. O'Brien's attendants are also noteworthy, especially Nebraska-born Moon Lovegood.

And then there's Helen Hunt. I know she's an Academy Award winning actress, but I remember her from her after school special days (I loved it when she got all hopped up and dove out the window at school). Why does she insist on tackling East Coast accents she just can't pull off?

Bonus Bones: 0
The real Mark O'Brien, it appears, was a cat guy, although I could have done without the last scene - a bit too manipulative for my taste.

Lincoln

2.5 Paws

Seen recently at Aksarben Cinema

It's a little like watching the History Channel, but I didn't mind learning.

If you're a fan of Daniel Day-Lewis, you won't be surprised at how he loses himself completely in the character, bringing to life a revered figure by showing people the man he might have been - the scheming politician, the storyteller with a great sense of timing, the frustrated husband and father.

You will be surprised at how funny the film is - thanks, in great part, to the trio of fixers - led by a well-fed James Spader - who are hired to procure enough votes to end slavery via constitutional amendment.

I could have done with a little less speechifying, though. It made me think about period dramas that handle dialogue incredibly well - Downton Abbey immediately springs to mind. I also would have ended the film with the quiet but powerful scene in which Lincoln heads out for the theater - everyone knows what happens next, so there's no need for a recap (you're welcome, Steven Spielberg).

Bonus Bones: 0

No Civil War love for the four-legged other than horses.

The Big Picture

2 Paws
Seen recently at Film Streams

I'd been waiting to see this one for months because the trailer promised so much - suspense, glamorous types, all around Frenchiness.

The storyline delivers (spoiler alert) - a jealous husband (Romain Duras as Paul Exben) accidentally kills his wife's lover and disposes of the body, then fakes his own death and assumes the identity of the dead lover, who happens to be a photographer - his passion.

The pace, unfortunately, does not, and neither does the ending. The best things about the film are Romain's expressive face and his wild mane of hair, which gets more and more out of control as his circumstances grow more desperate. My notes to the director - if you're going to cast the fabulous Catherine Deneuve in your movie, give her a part that's worth her time.

The moral of the story, which I think has some merit - if you're not happy at work, you're screwed.

Bonus Bones: 3
I counted three, and one of them ends up as the subject of one of Exben's photos.

Flight

2 Paws
Seen recently at Aksarben Cinema

No matter the decade, a lot of actors worth their salt feel compelled to mine the depths of the abyss that is alcoholism - Jack Lemon in Days of Wine and Roses, Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, to name just a few.

The trouble with this one, perhaps unique to me, is that it's not the Denzel Washington I want to see on screen. I want the Denzel with the swagger, the one who chases a runaway train before it takes out a town in its path and who relieves Gene Hackman of his command on a nuclear missile sub before a war is started and who swears vengeance on the bad guys who kidnap the little girl he's been hired to protect.

I want the Denzel who's in control, because the world can be a pretty scary place, and it's good to know there are people out there - people you don't even know - who will come to your rescue if the situation warrants it. I should have left after the crash sequence.

Bonus Bones: 0
No dogs on this flight crew.

Farewell, My Queen

2 Paws
Seen recently at the Dundee Theatre (still musty, still waiting for a makeover)

I think the history teachers at Kuemper Catholic High School forgot to tell me that Marie Antoinette was a lesbian.

That was my main takeaway from this period piece, which is beautiful to look at but incredibly unsatisfying to process. It's the eve of the French Revolution and the Bastille has just been stormed, for crying out loud - you'd think that setting would be naturally compelling. It's not.

Marie's relationship with Sidonie (watch for more from Lea Seydoux), one of her readers, just doesn't hold up as the engine behind 100 minutes of cinematic exploration. If you want to watch something that deftly examines class differences, track down 2001's Gosford Park or wait for the upcoming season of Downton Abby.

The wigs are pretty awesome, though.

Bonus Bones: 2
You get a quick glimpse of two royal dogs, one of which is in two scenes.