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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashlanders respond to controversy raised by Indiana law Bracing for Common Core Lithia Park featured on Oregon Blue Book cover Police Reports Under-floor heater caused Union Street fire in Ashland Education Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Environment Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. 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Ashlanders respond to controversy raised by Indiana law ... Ticket Availability ... Herb Rothschild: Stick to the facts ... Ashlanders respond to controversy raised by Indiana law ... Ticket Availability ... Movie review: 'Woman in Gold' doesn't shine By Dana Barbuto More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Dana Barbuto More Content Now Posted Apr. 1, 2015 @ 7:02 am By Dana Barbuto More Content Now Posted Apr. 1, 2015 @ 7:02 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> After slogging through an hour or so of set-up, exposition and prosaic dialogue, “Woman in Gold” finally finds its footing. You stick with it for three reasons: the fact-based story about recovering stolen art works is compelling; Helen Mirren is terrific at displaying the required moxie to reclaim it; and the hope is that her co-star, Ryan Reynolds, will bare his chiseled abs. The latter never happens, but that’s not the film’s only disappointment. As directed by Simon Curtis (“My Week With Marilyn”), from a screenplay by first-timer Alexi Kaye Campbell, this is an over-earnest telling of Austrian Maria Altmann’s fight to reclaim a valuable portrait stolen from her family by the Nazis. The performances by Mirren (“The Queen”) as Altman and Reynolds (“The Proposal”) as her game but inexperienced attorney, Randy Schoenberg, prop up a weak script that has the actors repeating variations of the theme, “I have to do what I can to keep these memories alive.” It’s all bathed in a soft movie-of-the-week glow. Mirren and the Reynolds have an affable screen charm. The usual wisecracking Reynolds, at first glance, seems miscast, but he gets better. Though, even with wire-rimmed glasses, he’s still too WASPy and Hollywood handsome to play Schoenberg. Their battle with the Austrian government over Klimt’s iconic painting, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (“the Mona Lisa of Austria”), takes them from Los Angeles to Vienna, where the painting hangs in the Belvedere Museum, to ultimately the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. Along this 10-year journey, Maria is forced to confront difficult truths about her past. In flashbacks, a young Maria is portrayed by Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”). Ample time is given to Maria’s youth. We see her as a shy child in awe of her beautiful aunt (Antje Traue), the subject of the Klimt painting. We celebrate her wedding to opera singer Fritz (Max Irons). We also witness the seizure of her family’s possessions – paintings, jewelry, silver – and her daring escape from Nazi occupied Vienna. Those scenes, while pat, do elicit some emotion, especially the sentimental ending. What grows tedious are the shifts back to “present day.” Turning what’s essentially a lawsuit into gripping drama is tough work, unless you’re Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”). Daniel Bruhl (“Rush”) is too good an actor to be relegated to the exposition beat. He shows up out of nowhere on a street in Vienna with the sole purpose to fill in the blanks on Austrian art restitution. Katie Holmes (“The Dark Knight”) has a nothing part as Randy’s supportive wife. The always-game Mirren infuses the film and her character with her usual nuance, class and grace. She’s a fighter with an acerbic tongue. But in the end, “Woman in Gold” has little sparkle. Dana Barbuto may be reached at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @dbarbuto_Ledger. Movie reviewWOMAN IN GOLD(PG-13 for some thematic elements and brief strong language. Cast: Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Bruhl. Grade: B- By Dana Barbuto More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Dana Barbuto More Content Now Posted Apr. 1, 2015 @ 7:02 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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