{We Have a Pope opened in Seattle this past Friday and is screening at the Landmark Guild 45th now}

When the Pope passes, all of the catholic churches Cardinals gather within the Vatican to choose their next spiritual leader. Vote after vote is taken until a consensus emerges. The honored recipient being a far from obvious choice - emerging as an out of nowhere compromise candidate. Which might have something to do with all the other Cardinal's fervent prayers not to be elevated to the papacy. The vote's conclusion signaled via coded smoke to the faithful massed outside awaiting this reassuring message of continuity. 

With throngs of reporters trying to get a scoop on what's going on - in a manner reminiscent of a sporting event or Kardashian sighting. Around this process lies fertile ground for comedy, both slapstick and ironic. There's a touch of that (for example the lights going out and church members insisting nothing is wrong, as well as a confused Vatican reporter). Though it's low-grade compared with the mostly sweetly handled existential crisis that the accidental Pope has to deal with. I smiled throughout the film, but never really was engaged enough to recommend the final result as must-see cinema. Though it certainly has its charms and likely will be a winner with segments of the viewing audience, who are not me.

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{Martha Marcy May Marlene opens in Seattle on Friday, October 28, and is screening at the Landmark Guild 45th theater}

That combined with the strong performance by Elizabeth Olsen in the lead role of Martha goes a long way towards explaining the accolades MMMM has been earning since Sundance this January. While my partial detachment from the goings on keep me from giving it my highest rating, it's certainly worth checking out.

The film begins in the present with Martha making an early morning escape out of a countryside compound. There are no physical blockers to her exit, neither high walls nor ferocious dogs. There's some pursuit, but by the end it doesn't feel that that full-hearted an effort. Over the course of the film we see how strong a physic barrier existed between Martha and exiting the compound she lived in. As hard as it is for her - escape to town she does. After a pained phone call, she makes her way to her sister's house. The escape is near wordless and sets up the remainder of the story well. With Martha both fearing the group she left, and longing to return.

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(Higher Ground opened in Seattle on Friday, 9/9 and is playing at the Landmark Guild 45th theatre) 

I am not religious. Like, even a little bit. So I wasn't sure if I'd dig Vera Farmiga's directing debut, Higher Ground, since it's about a very religious woman. But the thing that grabbed me was the tidbit about said woman having second thoughts. That, and I'll watch Vera Farmiga do just about anything because I think she's amazeballs. Fortunately, this film didn't change that.

Farmiga pulls double duty on and off camera by playing the main character, Corrine. Since the film starts when Corrine's character is young, and then moves quickly into her teenage years, she also geniusly cast her sister (Taissa Farmiga) as her younger self -- and yes, she definitely has the acting chops to pull it off. That's one talented family.

Anyway! Corrine's home life is unsatisfying. So she turns to God to lift her up, and then when her boyfriend gets her preggers, she marries him and they both join this sort of commune-esque religious community and revel in the glory of the Lord together. Or something. But somewhere between the male-dominated rules and bitchy critique from the head wifey, she starts to lose her way, questioning whether to abandon her beliefs—or not.

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Over the next week, Seattle theaters welcome to town a wide range of film options. Here's a few suggestions ranging from one-off screenings to larger independent openings.

Personally, all my anticipation for this week cinematically comes down to Hobo With a Shotgun, which arrives in US living rooms via various video on demand outlets including Amazon Instant Video. It's the only film I got shut-out on at SXSW - with Rutger Hauer and the easy to visualize title I'm not surprised it was a sellout there. I'll be rushing home tonight to queue that up. But there are also some very good choices at Seattle-area theaters over the coming week.

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{Cedar Rapids opens 2/18 at the Landmark Guild 45th, Meridian 16, Lincoln Square Theaters and other locations in Seattle}

Cedar Rapids is a positive story about a good man from a small town who comes to the big city. He leaves changed forever with many a life bettered for his troubles. It has notes of a Jimmy Stewart sort of affair, if Stewart was making movies in an age where dick jokes, banging married women, and smoking crack with prostitutes were acceptable ways for a wholesome dude to roll. Hmmm...maybe I’d better back up (I fear I may be overselling the film a smidge). It definitely has its charms, but it's not quite as compelling as the trailer could lead one to believe. It was light and enjoyable, with more heart than one would expect - but left me feeling is was just a solid “OK” on a scale from one to awesome.

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With the 2011 Academy Award nominee announcements coming this week on Tuesday at 5-freaking-30-am, you'll want to catch up on all the films getting Oscar buzz - (well, I mean, IF you're anywhere near as big a film nerd as I am you'll want to). And hey - planting yourself in some theater seats is a good way to spend a Sunday, non?

Stuff playing around town:
Blue Valentine @The Egyptian
Somewhere & Rabbit Hole @The Harvard Exit
The King’s Speech & Black Swan @The Guild 45th
True Grit & The Fighter @Majestic Bay
127 Hours @Regal Meridian 16

Stuff you can watch on DVD or VOD:
Inception
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
The Kids Are All Right
The Ghost Writer
Winter’s Bone
Please Give

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Goodfellas @Central Cinema: Truly one of my favorite films ever, Scorcese’s Goodfellas is a masterpiece of perfection. So many memorable scenes, so many quotable lines….and don’t even get me started on the sets and costumes. From the opening line “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster”, to the depressing close, I love every moment of Henry Hill’s life on screen. If you haven’t seen it, you SHOULD. And if you have, well, I recommend another big screen viewing.

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{The Town opened in Seattle on Friday, September 17th at the Guild 45th, Oak Tree Cinemas and AMC Pacific Place}

Ben Affleck’s second feature, The Town, proves to me once again that he’s a better director than actor. This is only unfortunate because he also plays the main character and he’s in almost every scene—but even I can put up with his blank, open-mouthed stare for a movie with enough action to keep me interested, which The Town totally is.

Opening with a few statistics about Charlestown, Boston and the excessive criminal population therein, the film thrusts us directly into a bank heist with 4 men wearing Slipknot masks. When an alarm is pulled, one of the men promptly beats the dude he suspects to a pulp, and grabs bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) as a hostage.

After the job, we meet the men: tortured, wanting-to-change Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), short-fuse-guy “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), muscle and getaway driver Albert Magloan (Slaine) and safe-cracker/alarm expert Desmond Elden (Owen Burke).

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{Winter’s Bone opened in Seattle on Friday, June 25 and is currently playing at The Guild 45th and Uptown Cinemas}

This affecting human drama focuses on headstrong teen Ree Dolly’s journey to track down her missing father through a poverty-stricken world of close-knit kin, gangster-like politics, burnt down meth labs and above all: deep, dark secrets.

Jennifer Lawrence channels Ree’s strength and determination with such honesty that it will damn near break your heart. Here’s a girl trying to do everything she can to keep her catatonic mother and smaller siblings sheltered and fed, pushing through every obstacle she encounters with brute force.

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Contrary to the subdued tone of the rest of the film, Nicole Holofcener’s Please Give opens with a series of naked women’s breasts being arranged on uncomfortable mammogram machines.

From there, the Director and Writer moves into more familiar territory: complex characters trying to get through their issues without hurting themselves, or more likely, someone else.

Kate (Catherine Keener) runs an chic vintage furniture shop with her husband, Alex (Oliver Platt), and suffers from guilt every day about how much money she has, how much she’s charging vs. what she paid for each piece, and how everyone else obviously has a much harder life than she does.

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