Away We Go
Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (Jon Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt's parents Jerry (Jeff Daniels) and Gloria (Catherine O'Hara) that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple's main reason for living there. So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time. Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty), the movie also features the music of Alexi Murdoch. "The unassuming performances by Krasinski and Rudolph help make this the first Mendes movie that feels lived-in rather than staged."-Philadelphia Inquirer. "3.5/4 Stars. Burt and Verona are two characters rarely seen in the movies: thirtysomething, educated, healthy, self-employed, gentle, thoughtful, whimsical, not neurotic and really truly in love."-Roger Ebert. "Designed, shot, and edited with unusual finesse, and the two main characters are fresh screen types."-Entertainment Weekly. "Some of the episodes are ripely satirical, others almost heartbreaking. Allison Janney appears as a coarse drunk who taunts her kids; Maggie Gyllenhaal is a pushy New Age mom whose aggressive virtue saps the strength of everyone around her."-New Yorker. "Rudolph, a comic force on "SNL," can speak volumes with the tilt of an eyebrow. She and Krasinski, of "The Office," are absolutely extraordinary. Ditto the film, which sneaks up and floors you."-Rolling Stone. 98 min., Rated R.
Easy Virtue
Adapted from a Noel Coward play, Easy Virtue is essentially a tale of Old World manners vs. New World freedom. The year is 1929, and John Whitaker (Ben Barnes) has just married a feisty American racecar driver named Larita (Jessica Biel). John is the eldest of the Whitakers--a prim English family--and when he returns home with Larita on his arm, his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) is none too pleased. John's choice of a loud, brash American has raised everyone's eyebrows, including his sisters, Hilda (Kimberly Nixon) and Marion (Katherine Parkinson). The only person who seems to approve of Larita is Mr. Whitaker--John's weary, put-upon father (Colin Firth). Try as she might, Larita has a hard time impressing the icy, unforgiving Mrs. Whitaker, and indeed, the entire Whitaker clan proves to be a rather eccentric, unhappy bunch. John had promised Larita a short visit, but due to pressure from his mother, they stay longer than planned. Time drags on, and the friction between Mrs. Whitaker and Larita only gets worse. When Hilda digs up something scandalous from Larita's past, tensions bubble to a boiling point, and Larita is forced to face some rather hard truths about herself and her new husband. For fans of period films, Easy Virtue is a visual treat, set on a sprawling country estate and with gorgeous and impeccable costumes. Director Stephan Elliot (The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Dessert) injects a bit of modern zing by filling scenes with contemporary renditions of Cole Porter songs, while Biel and Scott Thomas breathe some life into their characters. "A fine cast makes sure Noel Coward's champagne remains bubbly in Easy Virtue, an effervescent entertainment."-Variety. "The film is a visual and verbal treat as Elliott prowls a stately home and its verdant, foggy grounds with an eye and an ear for puncturing pomposity in all its forms."-Hollywood Reporter. "Goes down as light and fizzily as a flute of Champagne tossed back in an airy drawing room."-USA Today. "Stephan Elliott's deliciously cheeky screen adaptation of one of the satirist's lesser-known jabs at the British upper crust will charm your pants off."-Village Voice. 93 min., Rated PG-13.
Nero Bloom
"Nero Bloom," a delightful new film by Huntington University digital media arts film students Jason Eberly and Nathan Hartman, will debut at Fort Wayne Cinema Center. The film's 1940s-based plot follows a 20-something private investigator named Nero Bloom who is new to town. He is hired by a gambler's wife, Barbara Lomax (Dana Christy Minnick), to follow her husband. Bloom follows him to a hotel only to find him and then lose him –until he turns up dead in the elevator. Bloom then undertakes a dangerous investigation of the murder, seeking answers to the questions "Who?" and "Why?" Th film has several Fort Wayne area connections and locations, including Club Soda, The Embassy, The Lincoln Tower, and the Bass Mansion. Eberly, the director and producer of "Nero Bloom," is a Fort Wayne native. Bethany Edlund, a Huntington University junior who plays "Veronica St. Claire," hails from Roanoke, Ind. Dana Christy Minnick ("Barbara Lomax") and Darren Turney ("Brute") both reside in Fort Wayne. Dr. Lance Clark, Huntington University associate professor of communication and executive producer of the film, is also a Fort Wayne resident. Screen writer and producer Nathan Hartman is from nearby Berne, Indiana. 45 min.