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