Aaron Eckhart

Meet Bill
$28.98
***1/2

Bill is in the midst of a full-blown midlife crisis. Not only is he stuck in a job he hates (a made-up position at his father-in-law's bank), but his wife is cheating on him with a local news reporter. Meanwhile, his potbelly seems to be expanding at an increasingly alarming rate, a condition brought on by the massive quantities of donuts and candy bars he consumes daily out of nervousness and force of habit. Bill can't seem to step out of the shadows of either his wife's dad or the brother whom everyone seems to think is brighter, more financially successful and more all-around "together" than Bill is. In fact, the one hope Bill has of turning his life around may well rest with an Alex Keating-type prep school student he`s agreed to mentor as part of a program for entrepreneurial teens.

Written and directed by Bernie Goldman and Melisa Walick, "Meet Bill" ranges from the hilarious to the mildly amusing - with just enough dull patches thrown in to keep us from raving too much over its virtues or letting it too much into our hearts. The screenplay is frequently sharp in its comic portrayal of middle-aged angst, but it also feels vaguely rudderless, undernourished and underdeveloped for much of the time.

The real joy of the film lies in Aaron Eckhart's star turn as a man whose career and personal relationships clearly aren't what he'd hoped they'd be at this particular point in his life. He's nicely supported by Elizabeth Banks as his philandering wife; Logan Lerman as his preppie prot���g���; Jessica Alba as a lingerie salesgirl; Reed Diamond as his overly competitive gay brother-in-law; and SNL stars Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis as donut-shop franchise owners who hope to go into business with Bill.

And speaking of the entrepreneurial spirit, a veritable goldmine awaits anyone savvy enough to market that amazing belly-busting weight-loss program Bill uses to great effect towards the end of the film.

Neverwas
$14.99
This is one of those movies that barely appeared and promptly vanished in spite of a cast of excellent actors and a so-so premise beautifully worked out. Note that I said actors, not stars. A handful of less than stellar initial reviews probably also torpedoed the production upon release, which is a pity: god knows that far, far worse productions endure a much more scathing reception, and yet endure, spread all over the movie-publicity complex and your neighborhood Cineplex for months.

Aaron Eckhard plays Zack, a successful psychiatrist who is haunted by the suicide death of his troubled father when he was a small boy. His father, (Nick Nolte, seen in flashbacks or vintage film and home movie footage) was the writer of a fabulously successful childrens' classic about a wonderful magical land called "Neverwas" which he wrote for his son, making him the hero-adventurer. As an adult, Zack takes a job at the mental hospital where his father was confined for a brief period, hoping to find out why his father killed himself. Was it a failure of his doctor, of the hospital itself? It is hinted that Zack became a psychiatrist as a way of trying to fix that which was broken, in his father, and in himself, and others.

The clinic is a gorgeous but dilapidated, neo-classical building, near a perfect small New England town; the whole country around the clinic and town is a wildly scenic rural area spangled with fall colors. The whole look of the place is stunningly beautiful, barely and believably a half-step from the enchanted world that Zack's father created a quarter century before. He meets up with a childhood pal, Ally (Brittany Murphy) who seems to have never quite outgrown her own longing to visit "Neverwas", or her own attraction towards Zack. Among his patients in the hospital is the schizophrenic Gabriel Finch, played by the magnificent Ian McKellon. Gradually, Zack realized, as Gabriel opens up to him, that Gabriel and his father were friends... and that Gabriel thinks himself as the imprisoned King of "Neverwas".

"Neverwas" is in fact as much Gabriel's creation as it was his fathers... and it is as real to him as the forests beyond the boundaries of the hospital. The rest of the story is concerned with how Zack comes to terms with death, guilt, responsibility and the knowledge that sometimes there is nothing you can do, to help the ones you love... and sometimes you can. Ally lets go of her own childish dependence on the enchanted world... although they both do briefly set foot in it. The sequence towards the end of the movie, where she and Zack follow Gabriel into the woods, is beautifully done. With a growing sense of wonder, they identify many of the magical landmarks and seem almost on the verge actually stepping into the mythical "Neverwas"... but as it is subtly conveyed, they are still in the very real world. Only Gabriel, the schizophrenic can live in the world that he has created and maintained in his own mind for most of his life.

This is not a movie for children, although it may appear at first glance to resemble such fare as "The Bridge to Terabithia". It is more suited for teenagers and adults. While not one of those great unsung movies, it is still better worth the time than many other movie offerings taking up DVD shelf space, just for McKellen's star turn alone.

Conversation(s) With Other Women
$14.98
This 84 minute film, shot in around two weeks, edited by hand on a Mac and employing a decidedly different visual appearance might seem to viewers to be too low budget or hand-made to be not worth watching. However, if you do watch it, you'll find it a rich, interesting and captivating gem of a film, well worth the effort it takes to see it!

The film centers around two people - never named - who meet at a wedding reception and share an intense chemistry. Flirting turns to passion - and that's where the interesting part of the story begins: in the conversations that follow.

The technique of shooting in split screen could easily have turned into a gimmick or an Oscar bid with bigger-budget movies. Here, however, it is perfectly used - providing two sides of the same story, past and present, here and there and points of view. We as an audience can edit the film ourselves, and while the process does take time to get used to, it leaves us with a film that will change every time we see it and gives us an almost infinite chance to notice new things.

But the real showcase of this film is not the visuals or the budget: it is the acting. Helena Bonham-Carter soars as the far-from-home, potentially unhappy Woman, managing to show both comedic timing and realistic heartbreak. Not to be outdone, Aaron Eckhart gives a convincing performance as the witty yet troubled Man, and providing a perfect Yang to Bonham-Carter's Yin. The two actors have incredible chemistry, making the flirtatious opening scenes even more convincing, and fun.

The DVD itself has some pretty nice extras, including an interview with Aaron and Helena that was not widely released, in addition to a feature commentary with the director and a few other, more technical extras. Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack, most of which is by French singer/songwriter and recent First Lady, Carla Bruni whose folk voice lends the perfect atmosphere to the action.

In short, this is not a film to miss.
4.5/5

Thank You for Smoking
$2.99
I loved this movie when I saw it in the theater. Besides being hilarious, this flick is a how to in BSing.

Anyway, the acting was on point, especially Aaron Eckhart, who until I saw him in this film, that I finally took notice. In this film his character Nick Nayler is not a one dimensional character who is just a quick witted, smooth talking, lobbyist, but someone who is also a caring father... Aaron is great in this film.


So, I highly recommend this film for its smart writing, great acting and one of the messages it sends out which I hold dear to my heart...

"Don't be a mindless follower, but instead, think for yourself?"