Holiday Movies---II

“The Rainmaker”---A lawyer movie based on a John Grisham novel. Well, you know the formula of his plots. A small-town lawyer beat the giant law firm. It rarely happens in real life, but that is why it is an interesting movie. Having a good director helped a lot. It provides a certain degree of “ Grand escape” for his viewer.

“Midnight in the garden of good and evil”---A Clint Eastwood directed movie about a murder case in Savannah, GA. Eastwood has proven his directing ability many times before. There seems to be a common thread of all his movies---low-key and slow-pace ( examples: Misty, Unforgiven). Of course, these characteristics are just fine for certain types of movies, and “ Midnight” is one of them. His style is just perfect for a slow-paced story which took place in a leisurely paced southern state where southern comfort and, perhaps, decadence , can be on full display by his impeccable style of low-keyed approach. There is, however, a limit to how much one can take in a long drawn-out movie. If the movie is some 15 minutes shorter, it can go down a lot easier.

“ Washington Square”---A highly engaging movie based on a Henry James’ novel. The accomplishment of Jennifer Jason Leigh, a veteran of quite a few movies, in developing her character in “ Washington” is noted by this viewer. Of course, the presence of Albert Finney and Maggie Smith, two of the finest actors of our time, added depth to this movie.In my way of thinking, it is worth my time to see it.