Oscar-winner Julianne Moore elevates this eloquent chronicle of a woman's descent into the oblivion of Alzheimer's, serving up a restrained, delicately nuanced yet intense performance. Brilliant, beautiful, 50-year-old Alice Howland (Moore) is a renowned linguistics professor at Columbia University who suddenly starts to forget words during a lecture. A dedicated jogger, Alice next becomes confused about where she is, even though she's in the familiar environs of Central Park. When her neurologist diagnoses early-onset Alzheimer's, Alice's supportive husband, John (Alec Baldwin), a research physician, is at her side. In further testing, Alice learns that her particular strain is genetic, a discovery that profoundly affects her grown children: Lydia (Kristen Stewart), Anna (Kate Bosworth), and Tom (Hunter Parrish). Determined to end her life when her deterioration becomes unbearable, Alice systematically hoards sleeping pills, hiding them in a bureau drawer and posting a reminder on her computer. Alice's daily struggle to stay connected propels the film's tragic, character-driven plot. Working from neuroscientist Lisa Genova's 2007 novel, directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's compassionate, enlightening film was made for less than $5 million and shot over 23 days in Manhattan. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Finding Alice” cast and crew discussion on Alzheimer's disease (10 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “Directing Alice” making-of featurette (9 min.), an interview with composer Ilan Eshkeri (7 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this showcase drama for Oscar-winner Moore.] (S. Granger)
Still Alice
Sony, 101 min., PG-13, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, May 12 Volume 30, Issue 3
Still Alice
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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