You Kill Me ***

You Kill Me is cut from the same black comedy cloth as Gross Pointe Blank. Ben Kingsley plays Frank Falencyzk, an alcoholic hitman for the Polish mob in Buffalo who screws up one hit too many and is banished by his boss (Philip Baker Hall) to San Francisco (!) for rehab.

Frank finds himself working in a mortuary and in AA. He is befriended by Tom (Luke Wilson), a toll way attendant, who is drawn to Frank's honesty. Soon, Frank meets Laurel (Tea Leoni), and a relationship is kindled. Can he find love, peace, and happiness? And recover from booze? And be a good hitman? As we all know, almost anything is possible when you're in love.

Sicko ****+

Soon after visiting Argentina, Carolyn and I learned that medical insurance is not employer based, like in the U.S. You buy it from whatever hospital you choose and if you lose your job, you keep it. You have to make payments, but you don't lose your coverage because you lost your job. It costs 20-25% of what it costs in the U.S. It includes mental health and preventative health coverage. And, I know this is as hard to believe, but it's true: They allow one elective surgery per year (read "cosmetic surgery"). In Buenos Aires, like Paris, doctors make house calls. And many of the drugs that are only available by a doctor's prescription in the U.S. can be had over-the-counter. After our second trip to Buenos Aires, the picture began to emerge rather quickly: The healthcare system in the U.S. is a godawful mess. Michael Moore discovered the same facts, but in Canada, England, France and Cuba. (yes, Cuba.)

Note: I gave this movie "four stars plus" not because of film quality, acting, or whatever, but rather, because it brings a powerful truth to light, in spite of the fact that it's slanted. Yes, it's slanted, but the fact is, three is no excuse for the mess of a system we have in this country. There is only shame.

Moore asks, at one point, "Who are we." Or put in another way, "how in the world did this happen?" It's simple: Capitalistic greed. Why does my dentist (who I like a great deal) charge $47 to step into the room for 3-4 minutes, after my teeth have been cleaned? To check my teeth? Yes. But that computes to over $550 per hour. So it's to check my teeth and to charge a sinful amount of money simply because that's how it's done. My insurance company covers it. That's our system.

It's interesting (and perplexing) that in the U.S. the idea of a national healthcare system is viewed negatively, as socialistic. Yet we have public schools. Why? We have a government run postal system. Why? We have social security. We have public libraries, parks, Medicare, food stamps, Section 8, etc. etc. So why is the business of insurance and healthcare private? 'Cause there's money to be made.

To get a taste of Sicko, see the Deleted Scene.

Sicko will make you laugh, but it may make you cry. You will certainly be angry and disgusted.

Paris, Je t'aime ***1/4

18 short movies, perhaps 5 minutes each, is strung together in an homage to the City of Light. Sort of like tapas, rather than a dinner. Excellent photography and music, but because the short movies varied in quality, I ended up feeling unsatisfied. Nevertheless . . .

Each story appears to take place in a different arrondissement, although I didn't keep track to see if any were repeated (I don't think so). Cool idea, but then why weren't there 20 stories? There are 20 arrondissements.

The photo at the top of this post is of Aïssa Maïga in “Place des Fêtes,” which was directed by Oliver Schmitz and is tied as my favorite of the bunch with the final story, “14ème Arrondissement,” directed by Alexander Payne. The final story is about a middle-aged postal worker (play be Margo Martindale) from Denver who studied French for two years in preparation for her solitary dream vacation. The camera follows her as she delivers (pardon the pun) a " letter back home" in the form of a voice-over, in French with a strong American accent. Her last sentence ends the movie with poignant and charming epiphany.

Kinky Boots ***1/2

Charlie Price inherits the family shoe factory, along with dozens of employees and few production orders. By chance, he encounters Simon, a drag queen and stumbles on the idea of focusing on a lucrative niche market: Kinky boots.

Mostly predictable and formulaic, but lots of fun watching both Charlie and Simon try to get the factory workers to get on board.

Simon is brilliantly played by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things).

Batman Begins ***1/2

Bruce Wayne's coming of age story. Sort of. How Batman came to be. Certainly, this Batman movie has a story line and some decent character development. Sometimes funny, with some humanity thrown in, but mostly a fine rollercoaster ride. Entertainment, with a capital "E." We get to see Bruce inventing Batman and the learning curve involved with leaping between buildings. Sometimes it hurts.

Waiting for the sequel, which will include The Joker.