dilbert

"The Journey" concerns an elderly Indian gentleman, a former private school headmaster, who comes to Pittsburgh to live with his son's family after the death of his wife. His son is a doctor, married to an American woman, and they have a young daughter who instantly takes to her grandfather, a kind, wise, soft-spoken, well-educated man. But of course cultural differences cause difficulty in the family. The slow, awkward resolution of this conflict, without demonizing anyone, is the heart of this touching story about family love crossing cultural boundaries. Roshan Seth ("Buddha of Suburbia") gives a consummate performance as Mr. Singh, though he could be considered typecast. "The Journey" has not received US distribution, but if you get a chance to see it, your life will never be the same afterward.

At first, I thought, "Okay, I've seen this before. Salvadoran woman comes to Los Angeles but can't shake the memories of torture at the hands of the death squads." But there's a lot more to "They Come at Night." The unlikely friendship that develops between the refugee and her psychologist causes the latter to upset the balance her professional responsibilities and the needs of her family, while pushing against the edges of confidentiality and detachment. But the film finds time for genuine warmth and humor while exposing the atrocities of the US-funded and -trained death squads, all without crossing the line into overt preachiness. You'll have to suspend your assumptions as I did, but "They Come at Night" is well worth it.

"The Real Howard Spitz" is the story of a detective writer who switches to children's books because he thinks there's more money in it. The only problem is, he doesn't particularly like children. Despite his curmudgeonliness, a little girl befriends him and encourages him to pursue this new career. Kelsey Grammer is utterly believable as the cynical, money-hungry author, and Amanda Donohoe is charming and beautiful as the little girl's mother (and, predictably, Kelsey Grammer's love interest). The film is supposedly set in the US but was actually shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This film is really intended for children but has one minor example of foul language. The children and young adolescents in the audience seemed to be having a good time, and Kelsey Grammer fans will, too. In my experience, there are very few terrible Canadian films, and "The Real Howard Spitz" certainly isn't one of them. Go see it, or rent it, because you certainly won't lose any special effects by seeing it on the small screen.