And The Winner Is . . .

Kinamand ("Chinaman")

Following are the movies we watched between mid-February and August 1st, 2009. Kinamand was our favorite. Slum Dog Millionaire was really good, but the brevity and simplicity of Kinamand . . . the sweetness, I guess, won over the complexity, audacity and shock value of Slum Dog. It's supremely more difficult to pull off something simple really well, I think, than to do something that is dazzling. Kinamand succeeded.


In Burges was surprisingly entertaining. Borat was simply out of hand ridiculous; the definition of sophmoric, yet infinitely memorable.

Le Cercle Rouge *** (2-16-09)

Late Spring ** (2-23-09)

Intolerable Cruelty **** (2-25-09)

WALL-E **** (3-09-09)

Mongol *** (3-16-09)

Le Samourai *** (4-20-09)

Tell No One **** (5-11-09)

Slumdog Millionaire ***** (6-1-09)

Cranes Are Flying *** (6-16-09)

In Bruges **** (6-19-09)

Kinamand ***** (6-20-09)

Borat **** (7-12-09)

Seduced and Abandoned **** (7-24-09)

Jellyfish *** (7-31-09)

Love Actually *** (8-1-09)

Divorce Italian Style ****

Italian, with English sub-titles

Ferdinando is in love with his cousin Angela, who lives across the garden. She's 16 and he's 37. But age disparity is not a problem. Being surrounded by family and lacking privacy is annoying, but most annoying is the fact that Ferdinando is married! As his desire for Angel grows, so do fantasies of doing away with Rosalia, his overbearing wife. Eventually he concocts a scheme . . .

A genuinely amusing comedy start to finish.

U-571 ***1/2

World War II thriller. An American submarine crew is dispatched to recover an Enigma machine from a disabled German U-boat in hostile waters. The Enigma is a code machine that kept the German's one step ahead of the Allies during WWII. Suspenseful and tense, with great sound effects, but essentially a formula movie.

Fascinating information about the Enigma here: ENIGMA

Diva **1/2

French with English sub-titles

A young postal worker surreptitiously records a concert of the diva who refuses to be recorded. Another tape ends up in his bag and soon he is involved with Parisian mob killers, a corrupt police captain, and a mysterious guy who helps save the day. Intricate and stylish thriller that, although full of holes and utter improbability, was likely considered very cool in 1982.

The Bicycle Thief *****

Ladri di Biciclette - Vittorio De Sica's 1948 masterpiece.

Italian with English sub-titles

Unemployment is rampant in postwar Italy and Antonio is ecstatic when he lands a job as a poster hanger. The catch is that the job requires that he have a bicycle. The family is virtually penniless, but his wife gathers together all the bed linens and sells them so Antonio can buy a used bike. While he is busy hanging posters, someone steals the bike. A frenzied search ensues in the streets of Rome with the aid of his young son Bruno.

This is an incredibly simple plot, with no distracting sub-plots or extraneous devices. It is a simple, linear movie about a man struggling to keep his job, to keep his family fed, and to regain his dignity. In one moment, he's on top of the world. In the next, and it happens within seconds, he is reduced to utter desperation. It's heartbreaking to watch as fear and anger undermine his relationship with his son. The movie reminds us that in an absolutely desperate situation, we will stop at nothing in order to survive. A tragic and memorable movie with a poignant ending scene. Don't miss it!

Shooter *1/2

I like to see an action flick from time to time. The Dark Knight filled the bill recently. This movie has action, but other than that, it's about as forgettable as one can imagine. The plot: Ex-sniper is sought out by the government to help prevent the assassination of the President. Instead, the Pres gets knocked off anyway and the protagonist finds that he has been set up and the subject of a manhunt. Unless you are stuck on a runway and have no other options, don't waste your time . . .

Before Sunrise ***

An American tourist meets a pretty fellow traveler on a train heading Vienna. He persuades her to disembark spend the night (his last in Europe) walking the streets with him. The movie was nicely filmed, but overall somewhat boring. I can't bring myself to watch the sequel, Before Sunset.

The Dark Knight ***1/2

In this sequel to Batman Begins, Batman teams with Lt. James Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent in the battle to dismantle Gotham City's criminal organizations. But the Joker, a psychotic villain who stops at nothing, takes control of the situation. Good action flick!

Russian Dolls ***1/2

Various languages, with English subtitles

Written and directed by Cédric Klapisch, Russian Dolls picks up where his 2002 comedy, "L'Auberge Espagnole" ended. The same characters are played by the same actors. Smart, sexy, educated young Europeans who have hit their thirties and are being to experience anxiety about their lives and love.

There are many interesting, playful uses of video editing employed that I enjoyed. I saw L'Auberge Espagnole, but didn't blog it, and had the same overall impression: Entertaining, but unbelievable.

See trailer HERE.

La Belle Noiseuse ****

French with English subtitles 1991

I saw this movie shortly after it was released to video stores in the U.S. and it has remained with me ever since.

The plot involves reclusive, retired painter who lives with his wife in a large château in the south of France. One day, a young artist and his girlfriend visit the aging painter. Somehow (I can't recall the details) the young woman agrees to model for the painter, who is inspired to resume painting. The movie documents the process of creating art more perfectly than I have ever seen in film before. It's arduous, long and painful and the director employs unbelievably long takes to show the painting emerge on the canvas. The movie is very long and slow, yet appropriate to the topic and plot.

Vantage Point ***

Premise: The President of the United States is assassinated while giving a speech in Spain.

We watch what happened from 8 points of view. Lots of action but the acting is less than expected.

21 **1/2

A college professor teaches a team of brainy college whiz-kids to count cards at blackjack and flies them to Las Vegas on the weekends. Inspired by a true story. Unfortunately, the movie is weak.

The Bank Job ***

Inspired by the infamous 1971 robbery that took place at the Lloyds Bank in Marylebone London, LIONSGATE's ® The Bank Job stars Jason Statham (Transporter, Snatch, Crank, Italian Job) and Saffron Burrows (Klimt, Enigma). The... Inspired by a 1971 robbery that took place at the Lloyds Bank in Marylebone London. This high energy thriller weaves a story of high-level corruption, murder and sexual scandal.

Blood Simple ****

Written by both brothers, Joel and Ethan Coen, this is the first movie directed by Joel Coen (1984). It's been nearly 25 years since I saw this movie and when I came across the name this morning I reminisced what a terrific piece of film noir it is. It predates Fargo by 12 years and it's darker and bloodier by far. Every entertaining, but be prepared.

Roger Ebert, in his review of the 15 year anniversary Director's Cut, included this:

In my 1985 review, I tried to explain that: "It keys into three common nightmares: (1) You clean and clean but there's still blood all over the place; (2) You know you have committed a murder, but you're not sure how or why; (3) You know you've forgotten a small detail that will eventually get you into a lot of trouble." Those feelings are so elemental that the movie involves us even though we know the Coens are laughing as they devise their fiendish complications. In a strange way, the contrivances also help excuse the blood and gore. If you are squeamish, here is the film to make you squeam.

For a complete review by Roger Ebert, click HERE.