Nestled between the usual early summer blockbusters is Ladies in Lavender, a lovely story set in Cornwall, England just before the war, co-starring the wonderful Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench. These two cinema icons portray aging sisters who discover a nearly drowned young stranger on the beach near their home, nurse him back to health, then discover he’s a Polish violin prodigy. Natascha McElhone (of NBC’s replacement series Revelations) co-stars as the woman who eventually takes him to London to foster his career. The story evolves slowly, but tenderly. It bodes well for director/screenwriter Charles Dance, the elegant co-star of Swimming Pool, China Moon, and Pascali’s Island.

Christian Slater stars in The Deal, co-starring Robert Loggia, an ambitious political thriller. A get-rich-quick offer leads to recrimination and betrayal, illegal oil trading, and links to the Russian mafia. Law & Order alumna Angie Harmon is ludicrous as the villain — with a Russian accent straight out of Rocky and Bullwinkle. She’s better than that. Selma Blair portrays Slater’s co-worker and lover. The script is too weak to keep you interested very long.

In the comedy Kicking & Screaming, Will Ferrell stars as Phil, the “win-at-all-costs” coach of a kids’ soccer team. Phil’s entire childhood has been overshadowed by the fiercely competitive spirit of his dad, Buck, played by Robert Duvall. Phil views this coaching opportunity as his chance to finally win. The premise is lame, Duvall looks uncomfortable doing comedy, and there isn’t a laugh to be found. Ferrell continues portraying an over-grown adolescent, doing Jerry Lewis pratfalls which will bore even the most tolerant viewer. Mike Ditka (as himself) helps coach Phil’s kids against the competition, which turns out to be (you guessed it!)… a team coached by dear old Dad! It tells you something when Ditka is funnier than either of his co-stars.

Heights is an intelligent, deeply absorbing drama from first-time director Chris Terrio, a protégé of film makers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory. Over 24 hours, the film follows five New Yorkers whose lives eventually intersect. Glenn Close (long overdue for an Oscar), is magnificent as a famous stage actress instructing aspiring actors, including her daughter (played by the enchanting Elizabeth Banks). This is a convincing slice of NYC life with wonderful, intimate moments.

Second Best is an off-beat but deeply absorbing movie featuring a group of frustrated, 50-ish New Jersey men trying to come to terms with their unfulfilled dreams. Written and directed by Eric Weber (whose previous claim to fame was penning the initially self-published book How to Pick Up Girls), it features Joe Pantoliano as Elliot, a former publishing exec and struggling writer now working in a clothing store. Nightly, he and his drinking buddies meet in a local restaurant, where he shares writings from his blog — about losers like them and their loser lives.

Don’t dismiss this, sight unseen, as self-indulgent or depressing. Pantoliano is so right for the role, and he understands it so thoroughly, that every emotion is plausible. Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines plays his oldest friend, Richard, now a successful Hollywood producer and in from the “Left Coast.” Jennifer Tilly is Carole, an available crossing guard (watch for the cameo of Patty Hearst as one of her friends). Shot in digital video (DV), Second Best is a delightful surprise.

Dominion, Prequel to the Exorcist, held from release for two years by Morgan Creek, is directed by Paul Schrader (writer of Taxi Driver). This is the original prequel to the 1973 demon-possessed Linda Blair film, The Exorcist. (It was almost entirely reshot by director Renny Harlin and released in 2004 by Warners Bros. under the title Exorcist: The Beginning). The difference in focus between the Harlin and Schrader versions seems to be horror (Harlin) vs. religious angst (Schrader). Both films star Stellan Skarsgard as Father Merrin. The year is 1947; the setting, British East Africa. On a sabbatical and working as an archaeologist, Father Merrin uncovers an ancient Byzantine church, which turns out to be… a cover for the lair of Lucifer! Despite this set-up, the film is never scary, but isn’t being scared the point of another Exorcist movie?

Tony Talk...

The Tony nominations held few surprises. Two-time Oscar winners Jessica Lange (The Glass Menagerie) and Denzel Washington (Julius Caesar), who both got mixed reviews for their starring stage roles, were predictably ignored. As it should be; the work onstage, not the screen reputation, is what counts. But Jeff Goldblum, another movie star overlooked, was superb in The Pillowman. (At least Billy Crudup, also in from Hollywood, was honored for that play.)

I found Spamalot mostly infantile Monty Python schtick. A few pleasing performances, maybe, but nothing unforgettable. Numbers don’t lie, however; Spamalot dominates the Tonys this year with its incredible 14 nominations.

Kathleen Turner, looking born to portray Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, in my opinion, will win. So should James Earl Jones, for reinvigorating On Golden Pond with a poignant sense of fading power.

Laura Linney, nominated for her role in the play Sight Unseen (which opened last spring), gave an amazingly honest performance as a young woman rejected, and later re-visited, by her artist lover.

Democracy, which closed a few weeks ago but was nominated for Best Play, was an intelligent, riveting drama. This true tale of espionage and inner-circle intrigue chronicled the early 70s chapter in history when Gunter Guillaume, personal assistant to West German Chancellor Willy Brant, was actually a spy for East Germany.

The Tony Awards never garner Oscar-like ratings, but this New Yorker hopes the rest of the country tunes in. For some viewers, it’s their first, or only, contact with the theatre. For others, it might be the magic that lures them to a career onstage. Appropriately, the Tony telecast remains “the class-act” award show.