Moon: hypnotic
My biggest disappointment about the Oscar nominations this year is that Sam Rockwell didn't get nominated for Best Male Performance on this slow-paced but consuming film. In this lunar adventure, he plays the single character(s), unravelling after a long-term solitary mission on the Moon. Kevin Spacey does the computer companion voiceover. Incredible cinematography throurought. (2009, director: Duncan Jones, UK) |
District 9: visionnary
In the spectrum of the successful odd and unpredictable (which in my world means good) films, District 9 comes in the same category as Slumdog Millionnaire: the added value here is aliens, guts and a budget. An enthralling storyline about an government agent who becomes infected by an alien liquid turns him into the best romantic antihero we have seen in years. (2009, director: Neill Blomkamp, South Africa) |
The Hurt Locker: in with the war
The Hurt Locker is the best and most truthful war film I've seen since Full Metal Jacket. It takes a completely unbiaised view on the daily routine of a bomb squad team, risking their lives everyday in a country and a war they do not have much of a grasp on. Directed by Katheryn Bigelow, James Cameron's ex-wife, I'm praying that this film gets an Oscar over her exe's big bucks Avatar fantasy. It would make me feel right about the world again. (2008, director: Kathryn Bigelow, USA) |
Anvil! The Story of Anvil: rocks!
Anvil! is a documentary that lives somewhere in the gray area between self-parody and the triumph of human spirit. It documents the struggle to rock-stardom of real-life Canadian metal band "Anvil", and follows Steve "Lips" Kudlow (singer/guitarist) and Robb Reiner (drummer), who met at school and made a pact to rock together forever. We find them at 50, as they make a last ditch effort to fame. (2008, director: Sacha Gervasi, Canada) |
Changeling: harrowing but true
Changeling brings us to a beautifully recreated 1920's era Los Angeles, to tell a true story about woman who is reunited with her kidnapped son—only to realize he is an fake. After confronting the authorities with her beliefs, she is vilified as an unfit mother and branded as delusional in the medias by corrupted politicians. Changeling features one of Angelina Jolie's best career performance, amazing cinematography and a great script that manages never to fall into melodrama despite the difficult scenes it portrays. (2008, director: Clint Eastwood, USA) |
Religulous: no nonsense
Religulous is a comedy/documentary film that sets up incongruous encounters between mystics all around the world and comedian Bill Maher, who won't stand religion as a rational way of explaning anything. This makes for some enlightening viewing about the mentality of various religious leaders and also makes us wonder why anyone still believes in any of this nonsense. (2008, director: Larry Charles, USA) |
Happy-Go-Lucky: giggly
Happy-Go-Lucky is a light-hearted comedy that takes a look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her. She encounters a series of intriguing characters, including a less-than-ordinary driving instructor (Eddie Marsan). Sally Hawkins absolutely shines in the lead role. (2008, director: Mike Leigh, UK) |
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is based on the memoir of Jean-Michel Bauby, a French magazine editor who suffered a massive stroke, aged 43. He then has to live with a condition called the "locked-in syndrome", and he can only communicate with the outside world through the blinking of his one, unparalysed eye. An imaginative use of the camera is made to recount this unusual story. (2007, director: Julian Schnabel, France-USA) |
Death at a Funeral: hilarious
Death at a Funeral is one of the funniest black comedies I have seen ever. The story involves a dead man and his two sons, who are trying to mourn him but instead having to fight off bunch of deranged guests, including a dwarf gay lover and a relative who unwittingly finds himself out of his mind on LSD. A classic British dark sense of humour underpins the great script of this film, which is a good laugh supported by fantastic acting. (2007, director: Frank Oz, UK) |
Into the Wild: spellbinding
Supported by an incredible soundtrack by Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), this film takes you into the mind of Christopher McCandless, a student who abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life. Emile Hirsch does a fantastic job of carring the lead role. (2007, director: Sean Penn, USA) |
Once: for music lovers
Once is the story of a street busker and an immigrant flower-seller, who meet in the streets of Dublin to discover they have a shared passion for music. This film avoids all the cliches of the "musical" genre and has the most refreshing, beautiful soundtrack. Small budget and naturalistic acting from the two non-actor leads complete the picture for an honest, likeable and smile-inducing film. (2006, director: John Carney, Ireland) |
The Lives of Others: a quiet thrill
Winner of the best foreign film Oscar last year, The Lives of Others is a slow-burning but strangely engrossing thriller about East Germany's secret police, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The plot follows a writer, his actress lover and the surveillance agent who finds himself incapable to betray them. (2006, director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany) |