~~Vera Drake: Vera is a hard-working Londoner in 1950 who cleans houses and cares for her family and then cares for girls who are accidentally in the family way, if you know what I mean. She gets caught and her life falls apart. An incredibly powerful movie, but the soundtrack/score gets a bit grating. I get the subtleties of the angelic chorus. I get it and I'm still getting it two hours later. Well worth supporting in the theaters.

~~Stage Beauty: wherein we find out what happened to Claire Danes after her agent runs out of big name hits for her to star in--she stars in another period piece, where they recite Shakespearean dialogue and have tortured love. Where have we seen this before? And let's not forget Billy Crudup, the lead in Almost Famous and owner of rather chiseled cheekbones. The trick to this movie is to guess just *when* Claire and Billy fell in love and became an item in real life. Oh, you want a plot? Billy isn't allowed to play females onstage anymore, and Claire steps in. Too bad she's his dresser and fights ensue. Sparks fly between, well, all sorts of people, sexual (re)orientation is rooted in screaming matches, and Rupert Everett wanders around with his King Charles spaniels. I had fun, but if you have cross-dressing issues skip ahead.

~~Motorcycle Diaries: what made medical student Ernesto Guevara become the revolutionary Che? This movie, based on the published diary of Che, covers his 10,000km trip via motorcycle (and other modes of transportation) all over South America in 1952. Beautifully shot, it's a travelogue without the pretentious British voiceover. However, it's subtitled (and sometimes white-on-white) so you might want to wait for DVD. I'm glad I paid to see it in the theater, tho. I'm still raving about it 5 days later.

~~Being Julia: Annette Bening returns to the screen via her beloved stage. She has a bit of a crisis, has an affair with a younger man, and orchestrates a glorious revenge. She's got great hair, great clothes, and a lot of fun. We get a glimpse of the original Jersey Girl, Aunt May, and a fun Wilde-esque plot. (Don't get me wrong, it's neither as funny nor clever as Wilde...but it's trying.) Truly enjoyable if you enjoy costume comedies.

~~Ray: c'mon. Who doesn't know about this movie yet? Ray Charles Robinson--musical innovator, philanderer, and junkie. The whole story is almost unbelievable, but Jamie Foxx is an Oscar contender in ways Will Smith's Ali never was. Hot damn. However, plan carefully. This movie (once ads and crap are tacked on the beginning) is almost 3 hours long. There is not one single moment that you can miss to head to the head. Take my advice--forgo drinks at this one. The music is amazing and I had goosebumps. Full price, any time you can get in the theater.