Review - Sick of Holiday Movie Crap? Try these out... ("The Descendants," "Table for Five")

No car crashes, no explosions or runaway robots, no cutsie anamorphic CGI animals, and NOT in 3-D! That's right! A movie for ADULTS!! Touching, gripping, heart-wrenching and funny, this family saga of loss and more loss is set amidst the beautiful lush landscapes of the Hawaiian islands.

George Clooney (in another Oscar-worthy role) is Matthew King, a workaholic estranged father to his two daughters, 17-year- old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) who he hasn't seen in quite a while. His wife lies in a coma after a boating accident and he must take care of his children only then learning about the affair his wife was having at the same time. Poised on the precipice of one of Hawaii's biggest real estate deals, Matt must juggle his duties as a re-introduced father to his kids, tracking down his soon-to-be-deceased wife's lover (Matthew Lillard in a surprisingly deft portrayal), and making a real estate decision that will have a major impact on many lives. Shot on location in Hawaii (really, where else are you gonna shoot this?) by Alexander Payne, this has all the earmarks of one of those indie films that make it by word of mouth and not by the Hollywood publicity machines. Strong performances and a great script by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash make this film the one to go see if you are sick 'n' tired of all the explosions and intergalatic CGI animals that are in car chases... in 3-D. Finally, we adults can sit down and see a movie with real people with real emotions in real situations. Then, of course, later we can go across the hall in our multi-superplex theater and see "Mission Impossible" or "Tin Tin".

Table for Five (1983)

You want another heart-wrenching family movie about an estranged father and his kids? Rent this wonderfully acted movie, scripted by David Seltzer. Jon Voight (in a stellar performance) is pro-golfer J. P. Tannen who, upon deciding that his life's in a better place, decides to re-introduce himself to his estranged children that he hasn't seen in years and win them over by taking them all on a "family" cruise - just him and "his children." The kids new father (Richard Crenna) angrily opposes the idea and for good reason. "Where were you when she (the daughter) learned to swim? Where were you when she turned 5?" Nonetheless, J.P. takes his 6 year-old son Truman-Paul (Robby Kiger) who suffers terrible nightmares, adopted Vietnamese teen son Trung (Son Hoang Bui), and 10-year-old Tilde (Roxana Zal in a captivating role) all on the cruise. You see and feel the emotional tug of war played out as the kids, not really knowing what to do (and stuck on a ship to boot) or what to say to this man who wants so desperately to be their "dad"...especially when they already have one waiting for them back home. Will J.P. see that money can't buy you love or will he fight for what he wants? You'll have to rent the movie to find out!