Best Foreign Films of the Decade

February 3, 2010 --

While I still have a few more 2009 releases to see before finishing my annual Top Ten List, that will not stop me from wrapping-up the decade just past (2000-09--I hate the phrase "the naughts") in film. For starters, here are the 15-Best Foreign Films of the Decade:


But First! I have to single out Europe for providing a steady stream of exceptional films, namely:
Germany -- The Educators, Goodye, Lenin!, A Woman in Berlin (and two movies I failed to see: Downfall, and The Baader-Meinhof Complex);
France -- A Very Long Engagement, La Vie en Rose, La Veuve de St. Pierre);
Scandinavia -- After the Wedding, Let the Right One In, Reprise, Saraband.

15. [3-way tie!] Each of these directors deserves recognition for their work this decade, so here are 3 representative samples: Amelie (FRA: Jean-Pierre Jeunet); In the Mood For Love (HK: Wong Kar-Wai); and Volver (ESP: Pedro Almodovar).

14. The Piano Teacher (2001 D: M. Haneke)
13. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring (Korea 2003)
12. A Secret (FRA 2008)
11. The Sea Inside (ESP 2004)
10. The Lives of Others (GER 2006)
9. Caché (2005 D: M. Haneke, again)
8. The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (FRA 2007)
7. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (CHN 2001)
6. City of God (BRA 2002)
5. Y tu Mamá, también (MEX 2001)
4. To be and to have (FRA 2002) -- the only doc. to make the list, it is far more insightful than the more-recent, much-heralded "The Class"
3. Amores Perroes (MEX 2000)
2. The Best of Youth (ITA 2003)

and the #1 Foreign Film of the decade is ....


1. PAN'S LABYRINTH (MEX/ESP 2006)

Invictus

Invictus

Dir: Clint Eastwood

If Morgan Freeman gets an Oscar nomination for his stilted exercise in hagiography as Nelson Mandela, it will be a crime. He sleepwalks through this movie (which he also co-produced), delivering wise maxims rather than authentic dialogue (the screenwriter shares the blame for this). Sadly, the entire movie is as lifeless as Freeman's performance: Matt Damon does his best in a decidedly supporting role as the South African rugby team captain, but he doesn't deserve a nomination, either.

Director Eastwood is too reverent of his subject to delve into the messy reality of the first years of Mandela's presidency, so he takes the easy way out by: 1) not bothering to cast, or even refer to, the radical members of the ANC or even Mandela's troublesome wife, Winnie; and 2) depicting everyone else as so damn noble! In place of a complex depiction of race relations, we have to suffer through a microcosm of distrust and reconciliation inside the cramped office of the Black and Afrikkaaner security detail assigned to guard the President (again, not convincing), and a throw-away scene of Damon's family's long-suffering (we assume she's long-suffering, because she's not given much to say) black housekeeper, who gets a ticket to the Final, so she can enjoy the game right next to her white employers!

Where Eastwood fails most miserably is in the climactic final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup (which naturally involves South Africa's "Springboks" versus those crazy New Zealand "All-Blacks"). He obviously doesn't know much about the sport, and has no interest in edifying his audience in even the basic rules. So we are left clueless as the game action plays out -- as clueless as the extras employed to play the crowd. Compare this with the best of the three sports movies released this year (I'm referring to the British import "The Damned United"): in that movie the scenes on the British soccer pitch are as authentic as the crowd's reaction to them.

Here, Eastwood gives us endless reaction shots of 'ordinary' South Africans glued to their TVs: but this crowd of extras (black and white, natch) might as well be watching election results for all the intensity they show. Their emotions run the gamut from A to B: from uninvolved silence to wild cheering (when Eastwood gives the cinematic cues to cheer--not a second before!). It would have been so easy to overlay the action with commentary from unseen announcers, to at least give us some sense of why the referee kept pointing to the ground and stopping play. But that would have interfered with the overbearing, uplifting score -- composed by, who else?, one of Clint's kids! (another Eastwood son plays one of the Springboks --quite well, because at least the rugby players all look like athletes). The simplicity that runs throughout the rest of the movie doesn't do us (the audience), South Africa (the nation), or most-importantly the sport of rugby any service.

A movie about a director (non-musical)

Me & Orson Welles

Dir: Richard Linklater

This is a very entertaining movie! I am surprised, not because of the talent involved (Slacker-extraordinaire Linklater, the lovely Claire Danes) but because it received so little buzz. Remember when Tim Robbins directed that dreadful work about the Manhattan theater scene in the Thirties -- "Cradle Will Rock" (1999)? This movie is everything that forgettable failure wasn't: it gets the zeitgeist right! New York in the Thirties: you are immediately drawn into the exciting world of live theater when Orson Welles was an impetuous, unproven genius -- pre-Citizen Kane.

All of the real-life supporting players are there: John Housman (Eddie Marsan), Joseph Cotton (that guy from 'Men in Trees'), Norman Lloyd, and other, less well-known members of his acting troupe (Ben Chaplin, the lovely redhead Kelly Reilly). All are excellent because they are totally committed to their roles. But the movie wouldn't work if the man himself was unconvincing. Instead, Christian McKay as Orson Welles is brilliant. If he's not nominated for an Oscar, there is no justice! Oh, and Zach Ephron is the star. So why didn't this movie get more attention?

A movie about a director (musical)

January 04, 2010 --

NINE
Dir: Rob Marshall

I must set aside my sentimentality to review this movie, for -- as with "Evita" -- I had a memorable family experience traveling to New York City to see the original Broadway production of this musical, too many years ago to count (I'm asking you...don't count!). Hearing the soundtrack again brought back those memories, but I don't expect today's filmgoer (you) to be familiar with the source material at all. It is a somewhat obscure choice for Rob Marshall's follow-up his well-deserved hit "Chicago." [Might it be a last tribute to the late Anthony Minghella, who co-wrote the screenplay?]

At the outset, let me say that composer-lyricist Maury Yeston is no Kander & Ebb, certainly no Sondheim, hell, he's not even Andrew Lloyd-Webber! So the weaknesses of the original are evident in the film version: namely, a disjointed collection of varying musical styles, covering a thin plot. Marshall works his magic with the material he has: the movie's opening number is essentially the greatest Victoria's Secret fashion show ... EVER!, and he gets the most from a stellar cast, confirming his talent for turning anyone into a singing-dancing-acting 'triple-threat' (remember what he did for Richard Gere & Renee Zellweger?).

Credit to all the actresses who orbit around Daniel Day-Lewis's intense performance as Italian director "Guido Contini" (think of Marcello Mastroianni in Fellini's "8-1/2" on which this musical is based). First and foremost is the lovely French actress Marion Cotillard, playing his long-suffering wife, Luisa. Both her acting and singing are superb: she goes toe-to-toe with Day-Lewis in the dramatic scenes, and delivers a heart-breakingly beautiful solo with "My Husband Makes Movies" (the best song in the original show, and thanks to MC, the best moment in the movie).

Aside from her, all the other actresses are given supporting roles (in most cases, a couple of scenes and one song), but each makes an impression. Penelope Cruz as Carla has the most-provocatively sexual number in the show (I remember fighting with my sister over our binoculars during that number), but surprisingly, it is Black-Eyed Pea singer Fergie who steals the show (and my attention) with her turn as the voluptuous prostitute Saraghina. Marshall obviously devoted most of his time and talents to her "Be Italian" number--it's the song you will be humming as you leave. Cruz's more notorious song, "A Call From the Vatican," while energetically performed, seemed over much too quick. =(

Nicole Kidman brings her customary cool glamour to the role of Claudia, yet her part is reduced to almost nothing (she proved herself adept at muscials in Moulin Rouge--why not give her another song, at least?). I suspect Marshall was protecting his male lead, clearly not a professionally-trained singer, from having too many musical numbers. That is a shame, for as Tim Burton proved with Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd, a gifted actor doesn't have to be a great singer for his performance to work. If anyone else can pull that off, surely it must be Day-Lewis!

Kate Hudson adds much-needed youth and exuberance to this 1980s-era musical by energetically performing one of the 'new' songs. Dressed in a Sixties go-go outfit, she looks every bit the spitting image of her mother (Goldie Hawn, in case you forgot). As for her material, "Cinema Italiano," suffice to say Yeston hasn't improved much as a lyricist in the intervening 25 years (but the music is catchy).

Sadly, the odd-woman-out is the great Judi Dench (I'm not sad that she was not part of the Victoria's Secret show!). Don't get me wrong: her role in the film as Guido's confidante is vital; her musical number, however, desperately needed to be cut! On the stage, "Folies Bergere" was a highlight of the show. Here, it falls flat--partly due to her laying on a thick French accent (that inexplicably disappears when she delivers her speaking lines), but more because Marshall doesn't seem invested enough in this particular number to give it his customary visual flair (my recollection is that the whole number was filmed in medium and long shots). Considering all the other numbers he trimmed from the show, his fear of Dame Judi must have gotten the better of him.

My review reads like I watched a collection of musical numbers, which is essentially what I did. As a whole, they were very entertaining numbers, which is why this movie will end up in my "saw & enjoyed" category for 2009.

Who doesn't belong in this picture?

Talking Foxes!

December 14, 2009 --

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Dir: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson can do no wrong in my book. His movies are so unapologetically human (you know, those flawed, imperfect humans you hear about), that I cannot help but be capivated by the quirks of the Rushmore hero, the Darjeeling Limited brothers, all the Tenenbaums, and Steve Zissou. He brings this same trait to all the main characters in his first animated feature--except they aren't human at all! Instead, they are a community of stop-motion animated foxes, beavers, and opossums, living ordinary lives in a world that is more akin to Wallace & Gromit than Shrek. [That is to say, in an animated movie that doesn't try to cater to two audiences simultaneously.] Rather than laying on a hipper-than-thou ironic detachment with a few winks to the adults in the audience (I'm talking about Shrek--hated it!), Anderson creates a universe of his own that is more authentic because it doesn't cater to anyone.

With a dream cast of actors (their voices are so distinctive that their mannerisms are infused into their animated counterparts), and a smart, witty script, you will be enchanted by this nuclear family of foxes. Ironically, the human characters are the one-dimensional ones.

Anti-Christ

Dir: Lars von Trier

Believe it or not, the previous film is not the only one this year that features a talking fox. "Chaos Reigns." That's the only line delivered by a denizen of the creepiest woods you are likely to see anywhere outside of Deliverance country (I hope!). But this fox's warning comes a little late for us viewers, who have already endured an exhausting build-up of tension between a couple who have escaped to these woods to get over the grief of losing a child to their own negligence.

That scene of their child's accidental death comes at the beginning of this aptly-titled film (any scene depicting a child dying violently is a cinematic no-no), serving notice to everyone brave enough to buy a ticket that you are about to be taken to a place you've never been before. The first clue I had was in the soundtrack: the opening scene of this married couple (Charlotte Gainsbourg and, who else, Willem Dafoe) having sex is filmed in slow-motion black and white, to the strains of the beautiful Handel aria "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Rinaldo (I'm listening to it as I write this review!) The words are instructive:
Let me lament / my cruel destiny /and yearn for liberty.
May grief, in its mercy, / shatter the bonds / of my torment.

The device was used most-recently in Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" -- start the film with a beautiful piece of music to contrast it with the depravity to come. Oh, and the depravity does come. But von Trier has a deeper purpose in taking his audience further and further into this Dante-esque hell, and it is not to titillate: it is to depict nothing less than mankind's struggle between good and evil in visceral, stomach-churning terms. In scenes that defy description, both horrible and beautiful, you realize this director is striving to reach something profound.

I am going to stop right here to warn my readers that I am not recommending you see this film. To paraphrase a far-different film: "You can't handle the Anti-Christ!" It is too dark and unsettling for everyone but the hardest-core film buff. Not only does it show more full frontal nudity than any non-pornographic film seen by this reviewer (me!) -- it goes so far beyond the unwritten pact a filmmaker has with the public (loosely, to be 'entertained'), that it renders conventional criticism pointless. You have never seen anything like it, and very probably will wish you never had.

The Road

Dir: John Hillcoat

Chaos reigns in a big way in this film: a 2-hour slog through a post-apocalyptic hellscape (filmed in Pennsylvania ... I'm just sayin'!). This Cormac McCarthy-penned yarn is bleaker than "No Country For Old Men" by a country mile. Imagine the overriding concern of the surviving inhabitants of a post-nuclear world being the best way to commit suicide so you won't get eaten by cannibals, and then imagine it not being played for laughs (cf. 'Welcome to Zombieland.') Throw in a few big-star cameos (covered in mud), and that's the movie, right there.

I'm a big fan of Viggo Mortensen, and nobody does grungy like him. He does have some nice scenes with his son (also well-played), when they are not being chased by cannibals. Charlize Theron is good at grungy, too, but she walks out of the movie (literally), so maybe she knows before we do that this Road isn't leading anywhere. Don't let the uplifting ending fool you into thinking this trip was worth the effort: it wasn't (I'm just sayin').

There you have my holiday movie reviews -- God Bless Us, Everyone!

Quick reviews before the Christmas rush

December 4th:

These 2009 films slipped through the gaps in my reviews --

(500) Days of Summer

Finally, the tweeners have their "Annie Hall." That is high praise from me (and deserving) for this light and breezy rom-com* uses all the tricks in the book to spice up the story of one young man's obsession with the girl. Animation, out of sequence scenes, and a smart, at times witty screenplay all hark back to Woody Allen's classic. (There is even a song and dance number!) [*rom-com = romantic comedy]

None of this would work without leads who can capture the Allen-Keaton chemistry. Joseph-Gordon Levitt and the lovely Zooey Deschanel (a better actress than her sister Emily, star of "Bones" on tv), are perfectly matched, with chemistry and spark to match. On the downside, the obligatory male sidekicks don't make much of an impression, and Summer's 'replacement' can't hold a candle to Zooey, who is a worthy successor to Parker Posey as America's 'Indie Princess.'

The Informant!

Steven Soderbergh and the courageous Matt Damon (he plays an overweight schlub of a character!) team up for this comedic take on a true story: an Archer-Daniels Midland whistleblower who turns out to be a compulsive liar. When the extent of his delusions are finally revealed, however, it's not so much funny as sad. Nevertheless, the whole thing is played for laughs, sustained by Damon's committed performance. He is in almost every scene, and he nails the character and carries the movie past its shortcomings. Soderbergh is having fun with the material, too, turning southern Illinois circa 1990 into a landscape of bad fashion and ill-fitting hairpieces that look more like the 1970s (starting with the opening credits). He even uses both Smothers Brothers in key cameos. I could have done without Marvin Hamlisch's cheesy, over-the-top score, which only serves to call attention to itself. But if Soderbergh's intent is to create a parallel between the Watergate era the more-recemt sordid history of corporate crimes and cover-ups, he succeeds brilliantly.

Three (very different) films about England

November 22, 2009 -

Bright Star

Dir: Jane Campion

I will start with the best film of the three, by far. This film deserves a fuller review than I can give it now (I need to see it again to refresh my opinion), but here are a few notes:

- The soundtrack should be a leading contender for a "Best Original Score" Oscar (would you expect anything else from the director of "The Piano"?)
- I'm a big fan of Paul Schneider's acting ("Lars & the Real Girl"; "Assassination/JJames/Ford") but as John Keats' confidante and fellow poet "Mr. Brown," his thick Scottish brogue comes and goes. (It is a distraction from an otherwise solid performance). Why couldn't Campion find a British actor for this pivotal role?
See it if you can, and I will write a full review in time for awards season!!

The Damned United

Screenplay by Peter Morgan (The Queen; Frost/Nixon)

Starring Michael Sheen (ditto)

I am not familiar with the director, but the prestige of the cast and writer are enough to convince that there is more to recommend this film than a mere 'sports story' -- even if the sport is British 'soccer' (there can never be too many soccer movies out there). If that doesn't sell you, how about the presence of Academy-award winner Jim Broadbent??

The titular United is the once-mighty Leeds United (now relegated to second division status, alas), and the time is the free-for-all Sixties, when United was king of hill in English Football. Enter a cocky player turned manager of lowly Derby County who has a vendetta against Leeds and their manager (played as a meany by Colm Meaney). Michael Sheen has a knack for believably portraying real-life figures (not by relying on impersonation), and at the end of this movie, when news footage show the real characters in this drama, you realize how much Sheen has nailed it yet again.

The drama builds to a face-to-face confrontation on television (shades of Frost/Nixon??) that ends up being more sad than dramatic. An entertaining film, nonetheless, all the more so if you love Brits and soccer! And Jim Broadbent!!

An Education

Screenplay by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity)

Starring Peter Saarsgard and Carey Mulligan

A well-written screenplay and fine performances from the principals cannot save this rather predictable, young woman's coming-of-age story set in 1960s Britain (again!) from its inadequate director (a Dane I had never heard of, Lone Scherfig). One can see the plot developments coming from a mile away, and the small role by Emma Thompson is badly-played.

Another word or two about the cast. Newcomer Carey Mulligan is indeed a treat in the lead as a precocious teenager eager to dive into the world of sophisticated adulthood offered by the older, smooth-talking Peter Saarsgard. [He is an American actor who can sustain a decent British accent!]. She is a natural, in the same vein as the great Sally Hawkins in last year's "Happy Go Lucky" (who not only was robbed of Oscar recognition, but also is deserving of more than the one-scene cameo she is given by this Danish director!) Don't get me started ! ...

Two (very different) movies about WWII

Sunday, October 11, 2008 --

Inglourious Basterds

Dir: Quentin Tarantino

You never would guess it judging from the previews, but it turns out that the Inglourious Basterds are bit players in their own movie! I wonder if the opening weekend crowd who made it the #1 movie in America left disappointed when that fact dawned on them. I know I did, after expecting another extreme, skull-bashing good time from the enfant terrible of American cinema. Alas, the pace of this movie is more "Jackie Brown" than "Pulp Fiction." In other words...it drags.

In breaking-up the film into five chapters, Tarantino (QT) highlights the fact that he is trying to cram two movies into one: the first involves a 'Dirty Dozen'-like crew of Jewish soldiers out to wreak havoc behind German lines (if you've seen the previews, you have seen all of the good scenes). The second is the story of a young, Jewish refugee hiding out in Paris and planning her revenge against a brutal Nazi commandant who killed her family (a deliciously evil Christoph Walz). The film is chock-full of cinematic references only a true cinephile would love (down to a cameo by the great silent film star Emil Jannings, multiple Leni Riefenstahl references, and a brief disquisition on the UFA film studio under the Nazi regime!) But really, did the opening weekend crowd appreciate them??

The film is populated with excellent character actors--the best scene in the film involves Diane Kruger as a double agent, Michael Fassbender as a British spy, and August Diehl as a skeptical Nazi, sitting together in a French restaurant, each trying to con the other. Each actor takes full advantage of the generous screen time they are given. The build-up is amazing, but like every other prolonged scene in this movie, the payoff is unsatisfying.

The film descends into a ridiculous Jewish revenge fantasy, that I will only reveal is not historically accurate. I hate movies that aren't historically accurate (see my review of "The Miracle of St. Anna"). But the filmmaking is first-rate, so I am willing to give QT a pass, even though I can't recommend his latest.

Anonyma - Eine Frau in Berlin

(A Woman in Berlin--US title)

Whereas the previous film was fantasy, this film is unrelenting in its realism. The true story of one woman's survival in Berlin, after the Russians invade the city, is brutally honest in its depiction of life under occupation. It is commendable both in its verisimilitude -- the Russian soldiers speak and act like Russians (not like actors asked to imitate Russians) -- and in its unblinking confrontation with a past that has been ignored and denied for a generation (the woman who published her diary in 1959 was met with such scorn she withheld her name and any further publication until after her death).


At the center of this film is a scorching performance from Nina Hoss as the title character, 'Anonyma.' Her beautiful face is etched with every degradation she is forced to endure, and hardens every time she walks past the leering, jeering soldiers, whose catcalls she alone comprehends (being one of the few Russian speakers in Berlin). It is in those rare times that her ever-present frown breaks into a smile that you realize how the daily misery of survival has worn her down.


What is striking in this German film is that it doesn't claim any moral high ground: yes, the atrocities against the civilian population of Berlin were horrific--but the soldiers who perpetrated them had just come from a horrific experience themselves (a fraction of the atrocities the Nazis committed in Russia are described, but not depicted).


As with another recent film that was criticized (unfairly) for being sympathetic to, or "too soft" on the Germans ("The Reader"), this film is not an attempt at rehabilitation or sympathy for those Germans who lived and prospered under the fascist regime of Adolph Hitler. It is simply a depiction of those lives caught in the vortex of the worst criminal in human history. It is brutal and nuanced and very true.

Two people I wish would just go away!

Sept. 9, 2009 --
One of these two is bound to shock longtime readers!

1. Sandra Bullock: No one (I mean NO ONE) was more 'smitten' with Ms. Bullock when she was at the height of her career (I'm talking the While You Were Sleeping/Speed years). I can still loan to anyone who wants them my VHS copies of every movie she appeared in from "That Thing Called Love" through "Forces of Nature." [That includes "Demolition Man" (opposite Sylvester Stallone himself) too!.]

But a disturbing trend has developed this year: she has 'come out of retirement' to do more of those lame 'romantic comedies' we've come to expect from her -- only now she is starring opposite leading men who are half her age! First came The Proposal, opposite that 'I don't get why he is popular' Ryan Reynolds nonentity. Now we are treated to All About Steve with heart-throb du jour Bradley Cooper (Loved him in Alias!). I don't deny SB still has the clout to 'open' a movie (Steve was No.3 on its opening weekend!) But really, shouldn't these roles be going to younger actresses like Amy Adams and Rachel McAdams? (Lord knows they need the work!) =)

First, SB has never been that gifted at slap-stick (anyone see her appearances on the lame George Lopez TV show?) Second, she is a better actress than this material -- as evidenced by her roles in Crash and Infamous. That's what she needs to do: go away for now (here is an idea: chill out with me & McConnaughey in Austin!) and wait for that next Crash role to come along. That's my career advice. Or she can continue to cash that big paycheck by appearing in immediately forgettable movies.

2. Sarah Palin: No one was more 'smitten' with that maverick-y newcomer to the political scene -- all winking and aw-shucks -- than FFG. [Or am I thinking of Tina Fey? 2008 was such a long time ago.] Nevertheless, I remember thinking during the VP debate: "She is adorable!" [Full Disclosure: I love Joe Biden.] I even took her side during the clothes controversy (alongside the irrepressible Elisabeth Hasselbeck), and later when those sore-loserman McCain hacks* started taking potshots at her (as if their lousy, idea-less, negative campaign had a chance to win anyway...As if!).

*Nicole Wallace, you are better than that!

But did you listen to her farewell address from Alaska? I couldn't understand a word she was saying! What was she rambling on about with the 'merciless rivers'?? I just didn't get it! And then, she goes on to 'tweet' those lies about Obama's "Death Panels"? The one chink in her armour during the campaign was she didn't have a grasp of national issues (I may be understating it a tad). So, her first act as an Ex-Governor is to provide more ammunition to those claims. She needs to follow the advice she gave 'the media' when she quit: stop lying!

Now we see how she plans to 'make a difference' outside of government: by going on Facebook? (we all know what a time-waster that is!). I wish she would just go away. (But something tells me she is tweeting at this moment, the same night that President Obama outed her in front of a joint session of Congress ... in front of a bunch of weak-willed Republicans sitting on their hands, too cowed by Fox News to even applaud for the concept of truth over lies (I loved it!)

The two best movies of 2009 (so far)

THE HURT LOCKER

Dir: Katheryn Bigelow

Longtime director Kathryn Bigelow (Blue Steel, Point Break, Strange Days) has always been a Hollywood enigma: an under-appreciated female director who depicts macho swagger with more authenticity (i.e., balls) than hacks like Tony Scott and Michael Bay COMBINED! Yet these guys are continually given obscenely-budgeted glamour projects, and Bigelow is forced to film in Jordan on an indie budget to bring her latest to the screen.

She gets the last laugh, however, by defying convention (and recent history) to create not only her best film by far, start-to-finish, but without a doubt the definitive movie about the 2nd Iraq War. That it has garnered more critical acclaim than any other movie of the summer is icing on the cake. The secret to her stunning success? she avoids any 'big picture' pronouncements about this misbegotten war, and instead stays on the ground with the soldiers who fight in it.

She does this by following the daily routine of a bomb disposal unit deployed in the streets of Baghdad through a series of unrelated episodes, all fraught with the tension that is the daily plight of the soldiers deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Every encounter they (and the audience) experience is fraught with two dangers: 1) the painstaking work of disarming an IED that can take out a city block at any moment, while 2) surveying the surrounding buildings and streets (teeming with the urban populace who live amid this daily nightmare), trying to distinguish the innocent bystander from the terrorist ready to set-off the bomb. Don't expect Bigelow to give you any cues or clues as to which of the Iraqis -- the cab driver, the man with a video camera, kids on a balcony, or a friendly English-speaker -- are the enemy.


The film brings the ongoing reality of this war to us complacent, 'I'm sick of hearing about this war' Americans. It is in-your-face, unrelenting, and visceral (Bigelow doesn't flinch at showing us how the enemy puts bombs in corpses...I told you she had balls!). Don't get me wrong: The Hurt Locker is also a heart-pounding, edge of your seat experience that leaves you exhilarated by the end of its grueling 2-hour, 10-minute length, while giving the world an important look into this ongoing, yet too quickly dismissed, tragedy.

MOON
Dir: Duncan Jones

Finally, someone makes a watchable version of SOLARIS (that impenetrable, 3-hour Russian sci-fi that not even George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh could salvage). What's more, it pays cheeky homage to that other film masterpiece of the genre: Kubrick's 2001. To the director's credit, he acknowledges the debt all science fiction films owe to Kubrick three separate times, most explicitly in the form of a talking computer (a "HAL 2.0") voiced by a soothing Kevin Spacey. That this first-time director is none other than the son of David Bowie, you have to give him credit for aiming high.

Sam Rockwell ably carries the movie as virtually the only actor, playing Sam Bell, the lonely crew member at the end of a three-year mission to mine the moon for an energy conglomerate. It is a vision of the future that is both frightening and all-too plausible: if there is a way to make money out of moon rocks, you know a multi-national is going to exploit it (and the workers it sends to mine it). The movie hits on another topical debate in the space program: how astronauts cope with years of isolation (Russia just completed a 150-day experiment with seven participants). In the movie, Sam copes via taped video messages from his wife, horticulture, hobbies, and Bewitched re-runs.

This is the set-up for an captivating plot that takes Sam on a mind-bending roller coaster as he uncovers the big corporate secret and the true extent of his exploitation. Jones only makes two missteps in carrying off this unexpectedly good suspense story: the first is the self-indulgent opening credit sequence; the second is the totally unnecessary voice-over on the final image of the movie. Each serves to call attention to itself, needlessly taking us out of the moody universe that Jones and Rockwell worked so hard to create.

and here is one more, since you've made it this far...

TETRO

Dir. Francis Ford Coppola

Spanish actress Maribel Verdu is one hot Latina woman! (whether she is wise enough to sit on the Supreme Court is beyond the scope of this review). That she was also the star of the two of my favorite Spanish-language movies of this decade -- Pan's Labyrinth and Y tu mama tambien -- gives her a special place in my heart. Working with FF Coppola no doubt adds luster to her filmography, even if his latest effort, Tetro, is a pure exercise in cinematic style.

Coppola, of all the great directors still active, has earned the right to experiment (much like Steven Soderbergh...see his latest). It is a cineaste's dream that he has decided to experiment in black and white, channeling British directors Michael Powell & Emeric Pressberger (If those two names are unfamiliar to you, this movie is NOT FOR YOU!). The film shows excerpts from their unwatchable "Tales of Hoffman" (I had to walk out of a screening--seriously!) then proceeds to outdo the duo with a pastiche of music, dance and an operatic plot not seen since ... Godfather 3!

But he has assembled a stellar cast, both in front of and behind the camera (music and cinematography are exceptional) to depict a Buenos Aires brimming with life and excitement, due in large part to the Spanish acting talent he has assembled. It truly feels like a Fellini film set in Argentina.

I must give credit to the Man for incorporating dance into this enterprise. To some in the audience, I expect it will seem laughaby out-of-place, but I think it is very effective in relaying emotion (when his actors are not up to the task, i.e., Vincent Gallo). Another Spanish acting legend, Carmen Maura, is wasted in a role that is truly laughable, but hey, she has a lustrous resume anyway, so she can experiment, too!