The Sessions
Film Review by Kam Williams
Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes) was left paralyzed from the neck down by the polio he'd contracted as a child. Consequently, he can only breathe with the assistance of an iron lung, although he can use a portable respirator for a few hours at a time.
Nonetheless, the condition has never stopped him from fantasizing, especially about his attractive attendants like Amanda (Annika Marks) who quit when he expressed his desire for her. The sexually-frustrated, 38 year-old decides that the only way he'll probably ever lose his virginity is by paying a woman to sleep with him.
However, this proves easier said than done, between the physical challenges presented by quadriplegia and his having to wrestle with a major moral issue as a devout Catholic. Since his religion forbids fornication outside the sanctity of marriage, Mark consults his parish priest for special dispensation.
Armed with the surprisingly-sympathetic Father Brendan's (William H. Macy) blessing, Mark retains the services of Cheryl (Helen Hunt), a professional sex surrogate with the bedside demeanor, or should I say bedroom demeanor, of a saint. Over the course of a half-dozen, romantic rendezvous, the sensitive therapist gradually helps her patient conquer problems with performance anxiety and premature ejaculation.
En route to consummation, the pair simultaneously forge a friendship in spite her fears that he might develop an attachment to her. After all, she is married. But Mark emerges from the experience, a changed man, as he develops the confidence to flirt with other women and he even ultimately finds a wife (Robin Weigert).
The Sessions' subject-matter might strike some as salacious, given the film's frequent, full-frontal nudity. But the picture actually plays out more as a compassionate tale exploring a variety of themes, including faith, friendship, relationships and the indomitability of the human spirit.
Written and directed by Ben Lewin, himself a polio victim, the movie is based on Mark O'Brien's (1950-1999) life story as chronicled in his autobiography "How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man's Quest for Independence." The late author was already the subject of Breathing Lessons, a biopic which won an Academy Award in 1997 in the Best Documentary category.
Rather than resort to manipulative sentimentality, the production resists the temptation to follow a Hollywood formula in favor of a realistic plot that Mark undoubtedly would have appreciated. As a journalist and longtime civil rights advocate, he never looked for pity but lobbied for legislation and equality on behalf of the handicapped.
Co-stars John Hawkes and Helen Hunt generate an endearing chemistry, here, turning in a couple of virtuoso performances deserving of serious consideration come Oscar season. A poignant, character-driven drama depicting the disabled as complicated individuals with a full range of emotions.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for graphic sexuality, frontal nudity and frank dialogue
Running time: 95 minutes
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
To see a trailer for The Sessions, visit
Skyfall
Film Review by Kam Williams
007 Returns for Riveting Roller Coaster Ride
Each new James Bond film is fated to be compared to all the prior installments of the enduring espionage franchise. Directed by Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes (for American Beauty), Skyfall earns high grades in that regard, as it pales in the eyes of this purist only in relation to the standard-setting classics starring Sean Connery.
Daniel Craig returns for a third go-round of savoir faire and derring-do as the legendary, British secret agent with "a license to kill" in order to match wits with a maniacal madman played by Oscar-winner Javier Bardem (for No Country for Old Men). Besides the obligatory villain bent on world domination, this 007 adventure arrives complete with such series trademarks as witty repartee, a bevy of Bond girls (most notably Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe), exotic locales and a memorable title song (by Adele) oozing the requisite combination of danger and sensuality.
The movie wastes little time launching into high gear, opening with a daredevil motorcycle chase across roofs high above Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, leading to an even more eye-popping stunt atop a careening freight train approaching the proverbial mountain tunnel. The incident ends with a breathtaking, last-second plunge into a river that ostensibly claims Bond's life.
Back at MI6 headquarters, responsibility for the tragedy is ultimately placed squarely on the shoulders of M (Dame Judi Dench) for failing to find the double-agent in the ranks. Still, she refuses to turn in her resignation when called on the carpet by her unamused boss (Ralph Fiennes).
Of course, 007 isn't really dead, and he soon resurfaces to embark with M's blessing on a revenge-fueled, name-clearing, international manhunt with ports-of-call in Macau and Shanghai en route to a spectacular showdown on an ancestral family estate in Scotland. What makes the roller coaster ride so much fun is a plethora of surprising plot twists it would be a crime to spoil.
Just brace yourself for the best Bond episode in ages, thanks to Daniel Craig's coming of age to make the role his own.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, smoking, violence and intense action sequences.
Running time: 143 minutes
Studio: Columbia Pictures
To see a trailer for Skyfall, visit
Daniel Craig
The "Skyfall" Interview with Kam Williams
Born in Chester, England on March 2, 1968, and raised on the Wirral Peninsula outside Liverpool, Daniel Craig has gone from waiting tables as a struggling actor to playing the legendary James Bond. In between, the versatile thespian has tackled a variety of roles, which is reflected in a resume which includes outings in Elizabeth, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition, The Mother, Sylvia, Layer Cake, Fateless, Munich and Infamous prior to his 2006 debut as 007 in Casino Royale.
Since then, the Brit beefcake has also appeared in The Invasion, Defiance, Cowboys & Aliens, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and another Bond flick, The Quantum of Solace. Here, Daniel talks about his third go-round as the secret agent with the proverbial "License to Kill" in Skyfall, a riveting adventure which establishes him as the best 007 since the standard was set by Sean Connery back in the Sixties.
Kam Williams: Hey, Daniel. Is that you? I'm surprised, because most celebrities have their publicist place the call and then put them on the line.
Daniel Craig: I can dial the phone myself. Amazing! [Chuckles]
KW: We'll, thanks for the interview. I loved Skyfall. How did you enjoy making it?
DC: Immensely! Immensely! It's been the culmination of a lot of effort by many different people. We've been very busy prepping over the entire, four-year hiatus. I won't lie, it was very hard work and sometimes very intense, but with a cast this good and a crew that's just out of this world, it added up to a great, great experience.
KW: I told my readers I'd be interviewing you, and they sent in a lot of questions. Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How is Skyfall different from all the other Bond movies?
DC: I suppose the only way I could say it's different is that it's a modern take. But we've been very careful that, throughout the film, you never forget that you're watching a James Bond movie since that, of course, is what people come to see. And we want you to make all the sort of nods to the past, and to make sure that we not only reintroduce characters that everybody knows by now but also introduce some new ones as well. We had a great story with a unique plot.
KW: Children's book author Irene Smalls asks: Do you feel at all intimidated as the face of such an enduring and beloved film franchise?
DC: Well, I don't know about feeling intimidated. But there is a little pressure in the back of your mind when you've been afforded a chance to make a movie of this stature. But it's a good pressure. It spurs people on. I know that Sam [director Sam Mendes] and I were in total agreement that we just wanted to make the best Bond we could, not only because of the 50 year anniversary, but because you don't have a chance to make one very often. So, we had better make a good one.
KW: Film student Jamaal Green asks: How did you prepare yourself physically and mentally to play 007 this time around?
DC: I just hit the gym for the physical side of it. I'm training about six months before we start shooting. Three months out I kind of up the rate, and try to get as fit as I can. The mental preparation involves long, long, long discussions with the writers and the directors to make sure we're all on the same page.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What is the coolest gadget we will get to see you use in the film?
DC: I can't tell you that, Larry. [Chuckles, then pauses to think] The DB5! [The Aston Martin first driven by 007 in Goldfinger] It's still there and it's still one of the best gadgets there ever was.
KW: Director Kevin Williams asks: What did you bring to your interpretation of James Bond to make the role your own?
DC: I don't know, just my knowledge of the way I like to act. I've always felt that I could never be as good as the guys who've gone before, or even like them in any way, shape or form, so I have to kind of try to create something. I always had a grand plan that if I ever had the chance to make a few of these that something would emerge, and I'm really sort of pleased with how things have worked out, because it gave us an opportunity to get into Bond's head a little bit.
KW: Well, I think you're being extremely modest. Yes, Sean Connery may have set the standard as the originator of the role, but I think you've done a phenomenal job and eclipsed all the other Bonds while making the role your own.
DC: Thanks, Kam.
KW: Ilene Proctor says, Daniel. You are such a phenomenally talented actor. What has been your favorite role to date?
DC: Ooh, wow! That's a really hard question to answer. I've loved a lot of what I've done. It's a very difficult question to answer because each individual movie has a very specific memory. I'd have to put James Bond near the top for sure.
KW: I've enjoyed the versatility of your work which ranges from a relationship drama like Mother to the historical thriller Munich to the Holocaust drama Defiance. What a mix!
DC: Yeah, I get around.
KW: Laz Lyles asks: Do we discover anything new about Bond's mental make-up, motivations or fears in this film?
DC: Without giving anything away, Laz, yes we do.
KW: Kate Newell says: I loved your performance with the Queen in the Olympic opening ceremonies. Is she going to be your new Bond girl? Is there any chance of you two working together again?
DC: I shouldn't think so. I believe that was just a one off. [Director] Danny Boyle did such an extraordinary job with it. I was very proud to be part of the opening ceremony and it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to act with the Queen and to go to the palace.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: did you play a role in picking the Bond girls? DC: Oh, no, not really, that's Sam's job, although I certainly encouraged him when I thought he was on the right track.
KW: Harriet also asks. Which was your favorite location to shoot on?
DC: I enjoy them all, but London was the best one this time around, because we shot at a number of places there that you don't normally get to shoot. And I think that plays very beautifully in the film.
KW: Eddie Von Der Schmidt asks: Have there been moments in your career where you personally doubted the likelihood of breaking through and finding success?
DC: I never really had that in mind. I got rid of my desire to make it a long time ago. I actually have just enjoyed working. I've always felt that when you're only trying to strive to be successful, and you're always worried about the grass being greener somewhere else, then you've failed. I've simply enjoyed the experience of working with people more than anything else, and that's where I've put all my energy. Of course, I had a desire to be successful, too, but when I first started acting, all I wanted to do was pay the rent. I counted achieving that as the biggest success.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
DC: God, no! [LOL]
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
DC: Spaghetti vongole. It's spaghetti with clams in a white wine sauce.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
DC: Me, I see me.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
DC: To banish hate. That's a bit of a Miss World beauty pageant question, but I really do wish people would stop hating each other.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
DC: Playing in my backyard. At about the age of 3, I would imagine.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
DC: The people I admire are the ones who allow the people around them to do their job. The most successful people I've met in my life are the ones who've had the ability to encourage and get the best out of people.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
DC: I have several: Dr. Bernardo's children's charity... a friend of mine runs a charity called Safe Africa, which is dedicated to the eradication of disease and poverty in Africa... another is the RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which I try to help out as much as I can... and a few others. But you know what? It may be a cultural thing, but I kind of keep my charity work private, maybe because I'm English. I think it's a private matter. That's the way I grew up.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Daniel. It's been an honor.
DC: Nice to talk to you, Kam. Bye!
To see a trailer for Skyfall, visit
Foreign Parts (directed by the team of Verena Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki) has all the makings of a groan-inducing activist documentary along the lines of Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s The Garden or (worse) a ghoulish voyeur’s-eye-view of extreme poverty in America. Instead, Paravel/Sniadecki have pulled off the rare verite documentary that manages a formal grace and doesn’t patronize or fetishize its subjects.
The film is essentially a field recording of Willet’s Point, Queens, circa 2008 -2009. Also known as the Iron Triangle, Willet’s Point is a little slice of the Third World wedged in between the Van Wyck Expressway and Citi Field. It’s a “neighborhood” only in an abstract sense, consisting of a handful of auto parts warehouses (the area also served as the setting for Ramin Bahrani’s Chop Shop) and inhabited by only one official resident (while playing host to plenty of “unofficial” squatters, vagabonds, and societal outcasts). The area has no infrastructure or city services; heavy rains transform the streets into knee-high rivers of garbage and sewage. Willet’s Point is barely an upgrade from a landfill.
High Ground
Film Review by Kam Williams
Wounded Vets Scale Himalayan Mountain in PTSD Documentary
Of the over two million soldiers who fought in Irag and Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands subsequently developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Upon returning to the States, the injured have frequently failed to find an adequate support system, in part due to a Veterans' Administration ill-equipped to address mental health issues.
Unfortunately, even well-meaning family members and old friends seem to keep their distance, often having little more to offer than empty accolades like "Thank you for your service," delivered in a phony tone of voice which simultaneously suggests, "Stay away!" Is it any surprise, then, that so many who have been honorably discharged are having trouble making the adjustment back to civilian life, with some taking their own lives?
Their abandonment, plight and a unique form of therapy is the subject of High Ground, a very moving documentary devoted to chronicling the exploits of a mountain climbing team comprised of wounded warriors plagued by PTSD. Half of them suffered obvious physical wounds from battles or IEDS, while the others were left less-obviously traumatized by fallout from events like a shock wave concussion or being raped by a comrade.
Directed by Michael Brown, the movie divides its time between emotional interviews with its 11 subjects and recounting their perilous trek to the 20,000 foot-high peak of the Himalayas' Mount Lobuche. While the picture certainly serves up its share of visually-captivating panoramas, the real reason to watch is to witness the heartfelt reflections of the soldiers.
For example, Katherine "Rizzo" Ragazzino talks about becoming homeless because her pension didn't kick-in, and Ashley Crandall reveals that she's been suicidal for six years since being sexually assaulted while on a tour of duty overseas. A lot of these vets appear to have memory issues, yet seem to have resigned themselves to the fact that they're never going to be normal again. Perhaps this explains why they prefer the company of others who have also survived combat.
An empathetic portrait which manages to humanize so-called Generation Kill, a group of vets easily dismissed by most of polite society as undeserving of concern since they chose to enlist in an all-volunteer military. After all, they needed a draft to fight the Vietnam War.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 92 minutes
Distributor: Red Flag Releasing
To see a trailer for High Ground, visit