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.]