Cave of Forgotten Dreams

— Started watching "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" this morning and could tell it was wonderful, but I was unwilling to invest the time. Beautiful and fascinating, yes, but after a bit of the beauty, I was ready to just read a magazine article about the discovery. Maybe it's my mood because it really seems like something I'd like.

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[2010. 90 min. Directed Werner Herzog. Featuring Werner Herzog, Jean Clottes, and Julian Monney.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/cave-of-forgotten-dreams-2011

Like Crazy

— Saw "Like Crazy" and kind of liked it. Understand the charm and went along for the ride, but I think I favor films with scripts.

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[2011. 90 min. Directed Drake Doremus. Starring Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/like-crazy-2011

Hugo

— Saw “Hugo 3D” yesterday and was pretty taken by it. The 3D Melies sections were particularly interesting and I think Scorsese’s love of cinema is downright endearing. Also saw “Beginners” and, although a bit slow, it was a good look at various loves and losses, and the place between the two. (Happy to see an occasional Jack Russell Terrier subtitle—always wanted to know what Eddie was thinking in Frazier!)

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[2011. 126 min. Directed Martin Scorsese. Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Christopher Lee.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hugo-2011

Melancholia

— Caught "Melancholia" and can't believe I'm not suicidal. So many gorgeous, lush scenes, whether looking at a lavish wedding party or moonlight on forest foliage and soft skin. Something oddly uplifting about this gentle, beautiful, sad film about depression, anguish, and apocalypse. Well worth seeing.

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[2011. 136 min. Directed by Lars von Trier. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/melancholia-2011

Margin Call

— Saw "Margin Call" yesterday and was very pleased. Great performances in a writer/director's first time feature. 24-hours in an investment firm doesn't sound riveting, but it was. Also nice to see a little more gray oozing into today's world where many now characterize anyone on wall street as evil. In "Margin Call", no one's innocent, but most aren't the devil incarnate either.

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[2011. 107 min. Directed J.C. Chandor. Starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Penn Badgley, and Simon Baker.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/margin-call-2011

Win Win

— Watched "Win Win" over the weekend. Very nice little film that lives in the gray area where everyone's less than perfect, but that just means they have room to improve.

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[2011. 106 min. Directed Thomas McCarthy. Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, and Jeffrey Tambor.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/win-win-2011

Bad Teacher

— “Bad Teacher” came to the top of my Netflix queue. Embarrassing to have even added it to my list, but now it’s on its way, I’m looking forward to that kind of raucous, raunchy romp…in the privacy of my own home with the blinds drawn so only my Facebook friends will know!

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[2011. 92 min. Directed Jake Kasdan. Starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, and Justin Timberlake.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bad-teacher-2011

Drive

— "Drive" is a slick and somber film with a great cast, but being finely crafted isn't enough and I'm pretty sure I'll forget most of it pretty quickly.

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[2011. 100 min. Directed Nicolas Winding Refn. Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/drive-2011

Moneyball

— I'm not much of a baseball fan but I didn't need to be to enjoy “Moneyball” which gets you thinking about the value of clinging to old ways instead of grabbing a ride on new waves and about decisions based on money or on emotion.

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[2013. 133 min. Directed by Bennett Miller. Written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Starring Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Chris Pratt.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/movies/brad-pitt-in-moneyball-by-bennett-miller.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Sarah’s Key

— Saw another film based on another novel I should have read. Thank you, Michael, for recommending that I see “Sarah’s Key”. I know some critics weren’t thrilled with the two stories, one weightier than the other, but there’s no denying Kristen Scott Thomas managed to keep them from seeming too off-balance in the telling, and I was certainly moved. It was a wonderful film!

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[2010. 111 min. Directed Gilles Paquet-Brenner. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Melusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, and Frederic Pierrot.]
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/article_c7da1444-2b68-5841-87da-bc8218add363.html

Contagion and
The Robber

— Saw “Contagion” yesterday and agree it did what it does really well, and kept me focused throughout, grateful for Soderbergh’s direction and a great ensemble cast, but I may have enjoyed Thursday night’s flick, Benjamin Heisenberg’s “The Robber” more. Maybe I was just more perplexed by it.

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[Contagion: 2011. 106 min. Directed Steven Soderbergh. Starring Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Bryan Cranston.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/movies/contagion-steven-soderberghs-plague-paranoia-review.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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[The Robber: 2010. 101 min. Directed by Benjamin Heisenberg. Starring Andreas Lust, Franziska Weisz, and Florian Wotruba.]
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/06/entertainment/la-et-the-robber-20110506

Sound of Noise

— Enjoyed "Sound of Noise" last night. Grateful to live in a town with a theater showing international films...and that they pair such films with wines from the film's country of origin (Pierre Boniface Apremont last night--very tasty)! Feel a little guilty to live such an easy life while so many people we know are dealing with fires or floods.

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[2010. 102 min. Directed Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjarne Nilsson. Starring Sanna Persson, Magnus Borjeson, and Johannes Bjork.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/09/movies/sound-of-noise-from-sweden.html

The Debt

— Not much in regular theatres this weekend. Ended up at “The Debt”, knowing Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson almost always please. Good espionage film that relies on good acting and editing instead of special effects, something I applaud. Oh, and then there’s Jessica Chastain who’s certainly very capable, proving herself in “The Tree of Life”, “The Help”, and now “The Debt”. I’m betting she’ll shine in “Wild Solome” too.

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[2010. 113 min. Directed John Madden. Starring Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington.]
http://www.vulture.com/2011/09/movie_review_the_debt.html

Cold Weather

— Missed “Cold Weather” in theaters so watched DVD yesterday. Irritatingly slow unfolding of nearly transparent layers involving self-centered, young Portlanders whose view expands somewhat amidst gorgeous, rainy, nearly stagnant scenes. I didn’t much like the people, wished it would move more quickly, questioned if there even was a plot, and thought the music eventually sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard, but it all came together, loosely, into something very nice.

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[2010. 96 min. Directed Aaron Katz. Starring Cris Landenau, Raul Castillo, and Robyn Rikoon.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/apr/14/cold-weather-film-review

Cowboys & Aliens

— Enjoyed "Cowboys and Aliens". Much more what I want from blockbuster summer fare than most of this year's mainstream releases. Nice to escape in AC with a fun film.

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[2011. 119 min. Directed Jon Favreau. Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison ford, and Olivia Wilde.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/cowboys-and-aliens-2011

Potiche

— Watched "Potiche" and fell in love with Catherine Deneuve all over again, just like it was 1967 when "Belle de Jour" was in theaters. Find it irritating that previews on subtitled DVDs are almost always only for subtitled films. Seems kind of pigeonholing.

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[2010. 103 min. Directed Francois Ozon. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Fabric Luchini, and Karin Viard.]
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/25/entertainment/la-et-potiche-20110325

The Tree of Life

— Saw “The Tree of Life” yesterday & the images are still floating through my head. I never expected such an ambitious film to be so successful. It felt like I was wandering through a shared, free-form, 1950s experience (Brad Pitt is great) inside Malick’s mind, but the gorgeously photographed spiritual & evolutionary sections made me wish my mind got more routine exercise. I can’t imagine anyone not loving or hating the film. I loved it.

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[2011. 139 min. Directed by Terrence Malick. Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Pean.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-tree-of-life-2011

Midnight in Paris

— I really liked "Midnight in Paris". Very funny, thanks in part to my college education.

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[2010. 94 min. Directed Woody Allen. Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Sheen.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/midnight-in-paris-2011

Water for Elephants

— Saw “Water for Elephants” and thought it was gorgeous to look at, set in a wonderful era, and based on what I bet was a really good novel. Reese Witherspoon’s very good, but Robert Pattinson’s only slightly better than I’d imagined, and Christoph Waltz is a little over the top. Even so, it was rather enjoyable. Who can resist running away (or back) to the circus!

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[2011. 120 min. Directed Francis Lawrence. Starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz.]

Another Year

— "Another Year" is a wonderful, subtle, psychological look at the lives of the less youthful. Lynch may hit too close to home as we all think of our disappointments, lost dreams, and despair in the face of growing isolation. Made me yearn for the disappointments of youth.

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[2010. 129 min. Directed Mike Leigh. Starring Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, and Lesley Manville.]

The Arbor

— “The Arbor” was really interesting/different. The director had spent a couple of years gather audio interviews to use British playwright Andrea Dunbar, who died young and of one of her now adult daughters. Scenes with actors lip-syncing the edited audio interviews were separated by scenes for Dunbar’s play, “The Arbor.” Really a fascinating technique that worked.

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[2010. 94 min. Directed Clio Barnard. Starring Manjinder Virk, Christine Bottomley, Natalie Gavin, Parvani Lingiah, and Danny Webb.]

Nowhere Boy

— I watched "Nowhere Boy" over the weekend. Interesting docudrama that makes me wish I knew a bit more of John Lennon's pre-Beatles life so I could separate the fact from frill.

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[2009. 98 min. Directed Sam Taylor-Johnson. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, David Threlfall, and Anne-Marie Duff.]

Blue Valentine

— Saw "Blue Valentine" yesterday. Good film but not a good fit with Valentine's Day!

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[2010. 112 min. Directed Derek Cianfrance. Starring Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, and John Doman.]

Animal Kingdom

— "Animal Kingdom" is an amazing first film for Australian David Michid and Jackie Weaver's acting is great. Worth checking out.

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[2010. 113 min. Directed David Michod. Starring James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, and Jacki Weaver.]

The King’s Speech

— The audience really did applaud when "The King's Speech" concluded...and rightly so. Wonderful film.

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[2010. 118 min. Directed Tom Hooper. Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey rush, and Helena Bonham Carter.]