Heights

(This is based on a preview screening -- movie may have changed). I went to this not knowing what to expect and came away wanting to see it again. The movie takes place over 24 hours in Manhattan and follows various characters whose lives eventually interconnect. Glenn Close seems to be playing a version of herself -- a NY stage and film actress -- and she's brilliant at it. And there's no Cruella or Stepford Wives mugging: she's real and vulnerable. The surprise, though, is that the younger actors hold their own against her -- James Marsden (it's nice to see him act without those XMen glasses), Elizabeth Banks (who I didn't know but was apparently Jeff Bridges' wife in Seabiscuit) and Jesse Bradford all carve out their own niches in the story. And it's a treat to see cameos by Isabella Rossellini, Rufus Wainwright (musical genius), Thomas Lennon (who is Dingle on Reno 911) and others. A really satisfying film.