RAILS & TIES

RYAN: Sorry you didn’t join me for the screening of “Rails & Ties,” especially since there was Q & A afterward with its two stars, Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden.

CAROLINE: I can’t say I’m that torn up about it, though I would have enjoyed the Q & A. This is a film directed by Alison Eastwood, daughter of Clint, and I’m sure it was really hard for her to break into the business. I’m not dying to see this film. How was it?

RYAN: It’s actually quite good, but it’s very, very sad. It kind of redefines “tearjerker.” It’s kind of slow burn and just very painful and difficult. Alison has taken a card from her dad’s deck and made a very serious film.

CAROLINE: She also got two of the stars from her dad’s movie, “Mystic River.”

RYAN: Actually, I learned during the Q & A that she didn’t even want them; she wanted to cast unknowns. But Kevin and Marcia Gay both fought for their roles because they believed in the script so much and wanted to work with her. Also of special note is the little boy in the film, Miles Heizer, who’s a relative newcomer. Some of his scenes are so incredible they make you cry. He’s only 12 or 13, and he blew me away.

CAROLINE: Is there anything you didn’t like?

RYAN: Oh definitely. Some things are really cliché, and the music is awful. There was a strummy guitar that sounded like they ripped off the theme from “Brokeback Mountain.”

CAROLINE: Ugh. This is a directorial debut for Alison Eastwood who’s better known as an actress. Did she make any rookie mistakes?

RYAN: Not really. The screenwriter is also a relative newbie, but I liked the screenplay a lot. And Kevin Bacon talked about how he and Marcia Gay had a lot of input in the writing of their characters.

CAROLINE: Bottom line?

RYAN: I’m not necessarily going to recommend it. It’s got some great buzz around it, especially because of the little kid, but it’s not a must-see.