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"The First Grader"

Richard's Review: 3 stars

"The First Grader" is an inspirational movie set against the backdrop of a classroom, but unlike "Dead Poets Society" or "Coach Carter," this time out it's a student providing the uplift.

Based on the true story of Kimani N'gan'ga Maruge, an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter, "The First Grader" is the story of an elderly man's fight to earn a fundamental right -- to get an education. Denied schooling as a child, then imprisoned following a Mau Mau uprising against British imperialism in East Africa, the old man simply wants to learn to read so he may read and understand for himself a letter sent by the government offering compensation for his contribution to his country's liberation from tyranny.

"The First Grader" might have made a good educational and motivational movie for kids but the violent scenes of British brutality are only appropriate for an older audience. The fullness of the story -- and horror -- are slowly revealed in flashbacks of Maruge's life as we witness his torture and the unbearable sight of his wife and child murdered by British soldiers. Not for the kiddies, but compelling stuff.

The inspirational part of the story takes place in the present day. Maruge's determination to get the education offered to all citizens is touching. At first he is rejected by the teachers at the school, Jane Obinchu (Naomie Harris), among them, before his resolve erodes away their objections. Then he stands up to the townsfolk who feel his presence in the kindergarten is taking teaching time away from their kids, then he must fight bureaucrats, corruption and controversy all in the effort to learn to read.

The story occasionally veers into melodrama but overall is a study in strength and dignity as personified by the old man and Jane, his young teacher.

My main question after watch the new Pirates movie is, if this was the first one of the series would we have had a two, three and four? I don't think so. It's a big splashy epic, but lacks the fun and Johnny's joie de vivre of the original. It feels like Disney has plundered the "PotC" treasure chest one too many times.

At the behest of King George, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), a one-time pirate now turned privateer, is searching for the fabled Fountain of Youth. His job is to claim it for England before the Spanish armada gets there. Meanwhile, Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) is shanghaied to work on board a ship run by the evil Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and Jack's old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz). They're after the fountain too, but first must fight off man hungry mermaids.

The "PotC" movies have never made a great deal of sense -- there's more plot twists and turns that there are lines on co-star Keith Richard's face -- but they've always had a forward momentum based on Depp's charm and some cool special effects. "On Stranger Tides" doesn't ever feel like it really gets up and running. The first hour is spent setting up the second hour, so expect lots of exposition broken up by the kind of action scenes that used to be the trademark of the series.

Now, in the hands of director Rob Marshall, who takes over from Gore Verbinski, the action sequences are as well choreographed as you might expect from the man who made "Chicago" and "Nine," but as as exciting as you would expect action sequences made by a man who specializes in musicals to be. Again, not surprisingly, he uses music effectively, particularly in the first big set piece as the king's guards chase Sparrow through the palace and into the streets of London, but despite the booming soundtrack the visuals fall flat. I liked the mermaids and think their attack sequence is the most exciting thing in the movie, but I may be wrong simply because the movie is so dark I may have missed something.

Also on the flat side is Depp. Maybe playing the same character four times in eight years has taken some of the swash out of his buckle, or perhaps the limitations of Captain Jack are becoming apparent. Either way he's no longer the most interesting character in the "PotC" universe. Once again Rush steps up and keeps Barbossa interesting, but the best character of the bunch is McShane's nasty Blackbeard. He mad, bad and dangerous to know, and he adds some much needed spark to the second half of the movie.

"PotC: On Stranger Tides" has all the elements we want from the franchise -- supernatural creatures, swashbuckling and swaggering Depp -- and less of what we don't want -- Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and their convoluted love story have been thrown overboard -- but isn't exciting enough to shiver anyone's timbers.

"Last Night"

Richard's review: 1 star

The only thing worse than hearing the words, "We need to talk about our relationship," is hearing other people actually talking endlessly about their relationships. Such is the tedium of "Last Night," a talky new drama starring Keira Knightley and "Avatar's" Sam Worthington.

Keira and Sam are a married couple living in a cool downtown NYC loft. She's a freelance writer, he sells commercial real estate. She has the dreaded ex-Parisian boyfriend (Guillaume Canet), he has a flirty co-worker (Eva Mendes). When he leaves town for one night on business their commitment to one another will be challenged.

Usually I don't mind talking head movies, especially when the heads doing the talking are as attractive as Knightley, Mendes, Worthington and Canet, but my patience was tested by this bunch of chatty, introspective, insecure basket-cases. There's garrulous and then there's the script for "Last Night." It appears to simply be made up of a series of monologues about love, life and relationships, most of which begin with a line like, "Remind me why it didn't work out between us." Even worse are the clumsy attempts at metaphor. In one scene Knightley and Worthington are having a tense cell phone conversation. "This isn't a very good connection," she says as her phone and relationship go on the fritz. Deep. Not.

The occasional effective moment -- the way Knightley guiltily presses ignore on an incoming call from her husband -- are overshadowed by the endless inane chatter. In one scene there's a cut-a-way to the dog and even he looks bored. You can imagine how the audience feels.

"Forks Over Knives"

Richard's Review: 3 stars

Be prepared for lots of shots of fatty meats, operations and happy vegans. "Forks Over Knives," a new documentary about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle is convincing in its message, just a little ham fisted (pun intended) in its delivery.

The film is based on the findings of Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. and T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., two doctors who, working independently, found direct links between diet and health. Not such big news. We all know that eating a steady diet of fast food and fried chicken is bad for us, but did you know that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains will not only help quell global warming but cure you of everything from high blood pressure to erectile dysfunction?

Writer/director Lee Fulkerson finds out first hand when he leaves his diet of Red Bulls and frat house food behind and goes veggie. In a flip flop of Morgan Spurlock's famous all-McDonald's-all-the-time experiment in "Supersize Me," Fulkerson discovers that a "whole food plant based diet" makes him feel healthier and more energetic.

That's the thrust of "Forks Over Knives" and while it is well backed up -- there's loads of case studies and testimonials, and endless data -- the material is presented with all the flair of a high school hygiene movie. Remember those? Its heart is in the right place but its attempts at fair and balanced reporting are lacking -- pro animal diet speakers have unappealing shots of fatty meats edited over their talking head clips -- and the film occasionally suffers from shoddy production value.

Still, like Brussels sprouts the "Forks Over Knives" film is good for you. Your eyes will be opened by some of the information presented, and proves that you really can't have your cake and eat it too… unless that cake is made with soy milk and egg replacement powders.