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.]

Black Swan

— Saw "Black Swan" and, well, it was really, really dark and really good (and really had a lot of ballet). Riveting, but with a constant uneasiness, like being among the first people to come across a roadside accident and knowing not everyone survives.

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[2010. 108 min. Directed Darren Aronofsky. Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder.]