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MOVIE REVIEW Field shines in 'Hello, My Name is Doris,' and 'The Jungle Book' is masterful CGI fun Comment By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Apr. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Apr. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Hello, My Name is Doris ; 1hr 55min; Rated R I try to imagine what Sally Field thought when she first read the screenplay for “Hello, My Name is Doris.” I assume she was both moved and excited. She recognized in the role of Doris Miller a character that while eccentric was also deeply human. This was a substantive part. And she must have immediately understood that while the story had its comedic moments, there was also a sad, lonely quality to Doris that transcended all of her peculiar idiosyncrasies. This is a film about isolation and regret and a life not fully lived. The movie opens with a funeral. Only a few friends and family members are in attendance. Doris sits alone, grieving; the deceased is her mother, whose profile is barely visible in the coffin. Her brother, Todd (Stephen Root), and his wife, Cindy (Wendi McLeadon-Covey), are across the aisle in another pew. Doris has spent her life living with and caring for her mother, sharing a rather funky Long Island house that is filled (or you might say stuffed) with bric-a-brac. Doris, now in her 60s, works for a New York company that has recently morphed into a hip millennial clothing outfit. She is a holdover, quietly tending to the business’ accounting and data entry, and despite her flea market retro outfits — wide skirts and sweaters and colorful scarves — she remains, to most of her young co-workers, essentially invisible. Seen but not seen. That is until a new co-worker, John Fremont (Max Greenfield), thirty-something, arrives and for a few moments on a crowded elevator sees Doris … really sees her. He smiles, and because she’s holding a lamp, reaches up and adjusts her rhinestone cat glasses. And that moment begins a transformation for Doris, one that takes her completely by surprise and touches her to the core. She is awakened, consumed by feelings that cause her to all but levitate, as if she had been this loose string on a violin that is now taut and vibrates as she begins to have these Walter Mitty moments where John is concerned. Reality and fantasy begin to merge. Doris has fallen in love. A woman just past middle age, so taken that she begins to cyber-stalk John on his Facebook page and allows herself to believe that what he sees is the Doris of almost 40 years ago and not the person she has become, a woman on the cusp of old age. Doris could easily have become a caricature. However, Field is such a consummate actress that she manages to create a person who while deeply flawed (of course Doris has issues) is not that comic crazy lady in the neighborhood (living in a van?) who also is in possession of a wisdom which she reluctantly shares. To add to Doris’ complexity is the fact that she is a hoarder. Her house is filled with items (old shampoo bottles, lids, one wooden ski, stacks of unread magazines that are decades old). But her pack rat instincts are not offered up as an insurmountable pathology; rather, like her mode of dress, she resists the idea that all those years have slipped by. Now, she suddenly and painfully realizes that the train has, long ago, left the station and she failed to get on board. She explains as much to John as they sit in a small café and talk, John clueless about what his presence means to Doris. She had a chance to make a life, to grasp the ring, and she missed it and now, suddenly, has convinced herself that she has another chance. “Hello, My Name is Doris” is a charming and brave character study, carried almost entirely by Field. She is convincing and wonderful as she inhabits completely the persona of Doris. Watching her is a troubling wonder. 'The Jungle Book' is a marvel of CGI The Jungle Book ; 111 min; Rated PG “The Jungle Book”is a dazzling, vibrant film that will draw kids in and easily keep them in their seats. Starring Neel Sethi as Mowgli (the only human, also known as the “man cub”), the film is a marvel of CGI. A thought that kept coming to mind as the film evolved is that kids today may take for granted the seamless creation of animals, such as the bear Baloo (Bill Murray), or the panther, Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), but for those of us who have watched movies over the years, the technical accomplishments of this film are nothing short of astonishing. Using the work of Rudyard Kipling as the source material, Mowgli is confronted with a difficult choice. If he is to survive, he must leave his family of wolves and all that he has known and escape the lethal wrath of Shere Khan (Idris Elba), a tiger that hates men so much that he is intent on killing Mowgli. His journey takes him deep into the Indian jungle, where he is confronted with one adventure after the next. It is there that he meets the lazy Baloo, who asks Mowgli to climb a steep cliff to get at the honey hives hanging from the rocks. He also falls under the spell of an enormous snake Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), and meets to his peril King Louie, a Gigantopithecus (Christopher Walken), from whom he barely escapes. Mowgli’s goal — the purpose of his adventure — is to find a place of human habitation and there turn himself in, all in order to escape Shere Kahn. At his side is Bagheera, wise and helpful, his mentor, who urges him on, for the panther knows that Mowgli’s life is in danger. Shere Kahn will never stop his relentless pursuit. Kids will lose themselves in this movie. It’s technologically breathtaking. But keep in mind that it can also be intense and may be a bit scary for youngsters under 8. There are moments when the animals confront one another and the outcome can be sad and final. “The Jungle Book” is a joy to watch for it is lush and energetic with scenes that are lighthearted and will make the kids smile. Enjoy. By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Apr. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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