tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42352625395003150402012-01-26T08:43:10.193-07:00by himselfZaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.comBlogger7301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-69797666061217775312012-01-09T22:04:00.000-07:002012-01-09T22:04:48.245-07:00

The Celebration is a cross between Monsoon Wedding and Gosford Park with some Noah Baumbach and Lars Von Trier thrown in. The setting is a Danish country mansion where family and friends have gathered to celebrate the 60th birthday of Helge - a successful restauranteur and freemason. We learn quickly of the family's disfunction and several sparks have already flown by the time the real fuse is

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-65200920085439261172012-01-05T12:26:00.000-07:002012-01-09T22:06:43.033-07:00

I saw this movie because Clint Eastwood directed and Leonardo DiCaprio starred, not so much because I have a fascination with J. Edgar Hoover. Apparently, critics have disliked the movie for all that it left out of this iconic and powerful figure of the 20th century. My hunch was that the film makers didn't want to overshadow the story of the man with details of the FBI - I was right. J. Edgar

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-45904609170435911532012-01-05T12:09:00.001-07:002012-01-05T12:09:26.788-07:00

Win Win is a superb film with plenty of flawed (but very entertaining) characters. The collision of two families each with a unique struggle who then lean into the other is a picture of communion and love. Paul Giamatti plays another semi-neurotic character, but more subtle and relatable in the role of a small town lawyer. His counterpart Kyle, a loner and gifted teen, is played by a newcomer -

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-59222792403088479992012-01-05T11:59:00.001-07:002012-01-05T11:59:30.683-07:00

What a heartbreaking film! A desperate labourer is robbed of his bicycle and spends the next day trying to find his bike and thus save his employment in postwar Italy. The film was a powerful display of what life is currently like in many parts of the world and I was surprised at how similar late 1940s Rome looked to current Guatemala City. As painful as the story is, it is a beautiful image of

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-46800690150720659652012-01-05T11:52:00.004-07:002012-01-05T11:52:49.668-07:00

Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways) walks us through letting go and hanging on at the same time. The Descendants  is fresh and old at the same time, an unromantic look at some upper crust folks in Hawaii. George Clooney plays a lawyer, father to two daughters, husband to a wife in a coma, and heir to family land - and he does so comically and pathetically. What I discovered thinking about

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-31974305415014347562011-12-29T11:15:00.001-07:002011-12-29T11:15:39.251-07:00

What sheer pleasure this film was. Adventure in one of its purest forms. Tintin proves that he is as much a super hero as the American variations by his unwavering tenacity. Peter Jackson (prod.) teamed up with Steven Spielberg (dir.) to make this animated feature and they complement each other very well. The camera placement/movement, animation and motion capture are so stunning that any

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-57002925389191033972011-12-23T11:45:00.001-07:002011-12-23T11:45:47.820-07:00

A great skill was used to develop the film I just watched. It paints the portrait of celebrated and groundbreaking 19th century Norwegian artist Edvard Munch - famous for "The Scream." For three hours and forty minutes we survey scenes from Munch's life filmed as though it were a documentary where the characters are aware of the camera. Some characters are interviewed. Munch's diary is read as it

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-54757517885671250802011-12-23T11:45:00.000-07:002011-12-23T11:45:24.792-07:00

A clever and dark, superbly executed animation. The creatures of the desert are brought to life and given such detail just in their appearance that it is almost unnecessary to have a story - but it does, and it's a gooder. Self named lizard Rango stumbles into the western settlement of Dirt, a town struggling to maintain subsistence levels of water. He decides to reinvent himself as a real tough

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-6797897449584118752011-12-23T11:38:00.000-07:002011-12-23T23:45:04.430-07:00

Definitely the worst film I've watched all year. Incoherent. Unintelligible (a bunch of polish actors pretending to be in the wild west). Ridiculous. Beware. The film goes by two names: Summer Love and Dead Man's Bounty. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-23536081148839287022011-12-23T11:35:00.000-07:002011-12-23T11:35:05.628-07:00

Brilliant animated feature! What could have been a very dark film is light, refreshing and full of hope - especially if those who are quite put off by the murky depths of the grave simply look at it as a parable (I could include myself in this category sometimes). Tim Burton leads a troop of puppeteers and stop-motion animators to tell the tale of a Victorian fella named Victor who is betrothed

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-56092702674068344892011-12-23T11:22:00.001-07:002011-12-23T11:22:43.391-07:00

While I think this is terrific film making, I'm pretty dismayed with the message it promotes: we can hear from the dead. If we believe this, then we open ourselves up to extortion, theological heresy, and a life that can be interfered with by the dead. The film itself tells of the struggle of three individuals all connected to this otherworldly dimension. One is a medium who wishes he could turn

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-24394562326756591322011-12-23T11:20:00.002-07:002011-12-23T11:20:59.646-07:00

Authentically tense with some raw strength in both the characters and the gripping narrative. Ree has to track down her dad who is out of prison on bond. If he doesn't show up for his court date, she loses the family land and house. The back hills of Arkansas aren't the most welcoming place to be poking around, in fact it's quite terrifying. Blood is thicker than water. Jennifer Lawrence is

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-81583481845483005492011-12-23T11:15:00.001-07:002011-12-23T11:49:47.092-07:00

This is another adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story (Minority Report, Blade Runner, Total Recall) - written as usual to challenge people's ideas about free will. David Norris has a promising political career that suddenly goes awry, but he manages to fall in love on the night of his election defeat. What happens next though is far more outrageous: agents prevent him from meeting the girl again.

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-20888153339174610372011-12-23T10:58:00.001-07:002011-12-23T10:58:31.889-07:00

Once again, Ang Lee's versatility is stunning. Here he takes on the American Civil War by focusing on a rag tag group of Confederates in Missouri. The state doesn't have a formal militia, so they are formed ad hoc to defend the South's principles and autonomy. Jake, a "duchy" or German immigrant's son, is as young and innocent as they come. He joins with a rich man's son, another friend and a

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-11409542612084015622011-12-23T10:49:00.001-07:002011-12-23T10:49:05.246-07:00

We get a fascinating historical look at the early 1970s in this cat and mouse thriller. A detective uses all means possible to thwart an elaborate plot to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. There is a bit of melodrama, but essentially the film is saved by the sleepless detective who has an army of people in several countries combing through paper files as they try to identify the hit

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-25271679978039976462011-12-23T10:38:00.005-07:002011-12-23T10:38:58.377-07:00

This is what I love about European dramas (the not shocking ones) - ordinary people facing ordinary struggle in ordinary time. This French film focuses on an immigrant transit train conductor and the people in his life. Rather than focusing on racial tensions that are commonplace in Paris, it relies on his humanity and the dynamics of his relationships - particularly with his daughter.

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-56065887838322413552011-12-23T10:27:00.004-07:002011-12-23T10:27:32.386-07:00

This drama is based on actual events that were only recently recorded and acknowledged. The grim account of a massacre outside of Gainesville, Florida in 1923 that was essentially ignored by the state government and police. A relatively affluent black town neighbours a white town and while racial tensions persist, they coexist peacefully until a woman makes a grave accusation that she was beaten

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-63371088137753287672011-12-23T09:50:00.002-07:002011-12-23T09:50:42.824-07:00

Vincent was fired from his job in the finance sector a few months ago, but he still hasn't told his wife. Instead, he departs on lonely "business" trips and returns with lies for his wife, children, parents and friends. The lies become elaborate and rehearsed. He begins extorting his friends and family as a means of maintaining his illusion. Time Out is a brilliant depiction of the emasculation

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-41238147085225792482011-12-23T09:43:00.000-07:002011-12-23T09:43:04.976-07:00

Fanny and Alexander is one of Ingmar Bergman's most celebrated films. It is the intimate account of a brother and sister born into the aristocracy of 19th century Sweden. The story begins at Christmas time where opulence is exposed as a deep root for the sadness in the family. It carries through a death into the bleak and cheerless world of a bishop's manse. The third chapter of this grand film

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-73511530142270458332011-12-23T09:24:00.002-07:002011-12-23T09:24:38.877-07:00

A tale of an innocent (but tough) man struggling with the duty of liberating the lost women of London streets. George is the antithesis of Simone and they each draw the other up, a beautiful story of concern for the other. I like the relationship between George and his buddy who helps him get onto his feet at the start of the film when George has just gotten out of prison. They both like mystery

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-30803094559678856512011-12-23T09:23:00.000-07:002011-12-23T09:23:18.581-07:00

The large meta-narrative of Britain and it's use of nationalism and violence to dominate in the world is replayed in the life of a young boy who is caught up in the skinhead movement of the 1980s. Mourning the loss of his father in the conflict of the Falkland Islands, Shaun is drawn in by the kindness of skinhead punks in backwater England. I was particularly moved by the lack of pretension

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-18876948802835922832011-12-23T09:22:00.000-07:002011-12-23T09:51:07.599-07:00

One of Joel and Ethan Coen's greatest films (and their first), Blood Simple carries us through the major splash created by an adulterous affair followed by a murder. The setting is a small town in Texas and the protagonist is the wife of an embittered bar owner. She decides to carry-on with one of the bartenders and they both become the target of a hit man. The Coen's help us through the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-40164045345698532292011-12-23T09:08:00.000-07:002011-12-23T09:08:53.157-07:00

Woody Allen offers up another comedy about the insane consequences of participating in serial relationships and the constant hope and openness toward meeting someone more satisfying. We have two couples who become four couples. There isn't much else to say, if you like Woody Allen, you'll like this one. It's silly, but riddled with truths (and debunked lies). Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-12188185834571788352011-12-20T10:52:00.000-07:002011-12-20T10:52:14.679-07:00

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-19917144630986973922011-12-20T10:51:00.000-07:002011-12-20T10:51:37.151-07:00

Oh Tron. So unbelievable, but oh, so luminescent. Disney cashes in on 3D, Jeff Bridges popularity, and a cult classic by releasing this souped up version of a movie based on an arcade game. Kevin Flynn's son enters the videogame a couple decades after his father disappeared only to find that the dominant microchip force is bad and is looking for a way out of the videogame world and into the real

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-32117455379422267772011-12-20T10:06:00.002-07:002011-12-20T10:51:53.253-07:00

Sweet, sweet nostalgia in romantic Italy with a fairytale ending - what could be better? Toto's father is killed in the war and is sort of adopted by the local projectionist at the village theatre. The two form a close bond and we watch Toto mature and ultimately leave the village only to return decades later. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-89019811941870721272011-12-19T11:37:00.000-07:002011-12-19T11:37:15.135-07:00

Danny Boyle and James Franco tell the gutwrenching tale of an outdoorsman who is trapped with no prospect of rescue in the remote wilds of Utah. It is a formidable film and the final sequences are stellar! The film lovingly captures the sacredness of life. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-84440702992849993542011-12-19T11:23:00.000-07:002011-12-19T11:23:29.632-07:00

Yet another bleak contemplation on violence, hopelessness, and the inexplicable nature of what causes people to give up and how it must be linked to our increasingly secluded society from Michael Haneke. The Seventh Continent - literally Australia, but symbolically it is death - follows the unceremonious daily routine of a family of three, then it shows their deliberate march into oblivion. Not

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-26660600050886739872011-12-19T11:10:00.000-07:002011-12-19T11:10:40.427-07:00

Empathy confronts free will in this sorrowful tale of hopelessness. A taxi driver, Solo, is contracted to drive a man one-way to a cliff on an upcoming date. Solo recognizes that this is essentially assisting this man's suicide, so he works towards befriending the aging and cranky man. The dynamic between the upbeat Solo and the vacant William is superb - a contest of influence of wills,

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-83063156875464987712011-12-19T10:58:00.000-07:002011-12-19T10:58:44.157-07:00

In the Loop is a crass parody of international relations between Britain and the United States. There are plenty of noteworthy quips, but most of them are not-repeatable. It's fast moving, cynical and quite smart. You won't come away from the film inspired, but you may have laughed depending on your attitude towards vulgarity (the best lines reference hobbits though, so you might be OK). IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-24321700425010488402011-12-19T10:41:00.000-07:002011-12-19T10:41:30.019-07:00

Asa has big ears and because of this he can not find a wife. He lives on the steppe in Kazakhstan (the real one, not Borat's) with his sheep herding brother-in-law and family. Asa is torn between the big city life (personified by his peddling buddy) and his current rural life. The promise of a wife does not seem to be on his horizon. The desolate and remote setting and characters eclipse the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-71892312789603769132011-12-19T10:03:00.001-07:002011-12-19T10:03:48.057-07:00

This movie stays clear of sentimentality as it deals with a couple really broken people. The first is a homeless video store clerk. The other is one of his patrons - a hermit who rents porn. He becomes fascinated with this hardened woman to the point of obsession, but in a good way. Helping her helps him grow out of his slump (plus he can crash at her place). It is ultimately a story of

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-18652684821530720682011-12-19T09:49:00.000-07:002011-12-19T09:49:10.802-07:00

This biopic of legendary DJ Frankie Wilde is wacky and colourful - like it's subject. Thematic elements about this self-indulgent star only serve to contrast his transformation after he goes deaf and is resurrected by the honest love of a caring woman. It's kind of a disturbing start to what becomes a glorious finish. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-14581224944733818492011-12-19T09:42:00.004-07:002011-12-19T09:43:39.754-07:00

Cyrus is a momma's boy - home-schooled by his single mom and very coddled. When his mom starts to date, Cyrus becomes quite possessive and subversively sabotages this threatening relationship. There is some fantastic acting here, just really sincere characters. The story is comedic, but carries enough sentiment to give it a little bit of a lingering reflective quality. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-24205904420790175102011-12-19T09:34:00.001-07:002011-12-19T09:34:53.709-07:00

This is such a lovely, fresh film that I can't help but give it my full endorsement. The animation is themed after the illuminating art in the Book of Kells - Celtic production of the four Gospels circa 800 AD. The story focuses on an Irish monastery where this special book is being guarded and produced under constant threat of invading clans. A young boy left in the care of the monks is so drawn

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-92132022423184623502011-12-19T09:22:00.000-07:002011-12-19T09:27:11.114-07:00

This classic film about class struggle pulled out all the stops to generate a bleak, futuristic world where the masses were simply cogs in the wheel of progress (or at least labourers in an unfriendly factory). There are plenty of dials and steam in this analog future and not many smiles. Director Fritz Lang incorporates plenty of grouped choreographed movement and solo modern dances to

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-76314903294656269582011-12-16T10:50:00.001-07:002011-12-20T08:19:05.636-07:00

"I wanted to know what it [reality] was like." Benny watches or makes movies in every spare moment and can't seem to come to grips with his own culpability or any kind of empathy. Michael Haneke delivers another haunting picture about guilt, the media, violence, and society's broken connections with each other. The film is set in Austria and Egypt. The acting is outstanding considering the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-32014183490828137832011-12-16T10:48:00.000-07:002011-12-16T10:48:32.683-07:00

Woody Allen's masterpiece! Here we get a sense of the struggle of man without any moral direction juxtaposed with a man searching for eternal answers (albeit comedically, and perhaps facetiously). A man is attracted to his wife's sister. Another sister laments her loneliness and inability to find success at the level of her sisters (in life and love). And finally, Hannah, who lives a virtuous

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-66822452157533110442011-12-16T10:27:00.000-07:002011-12-16T10:27:33.170-07:00

Part Norweigian myth, part generational commentary, and part romance, Québec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve recounts the downward spiral of a woman's life and what it takes to bring her back to life. The luminous resurrection of a woman who has lost all hope is inspiring. As a film, it is life affirming. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-26656660964255480672011-12-16T10:14:00.001-07:002011-12-16T10:14:12.925-07:00

Gut wrenching and superb. The film is a poem and a song. A sad sad poem and a sad sad song. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-15200223838806470182011-12-16T09:40:00.000-07:002011-12-16T09:40:35.937-07:00

Robert Downey Jr. gets stuck driving across the USA with Zach Galifianikis. The antics: simply ridiculous. I'm not sure if this was a more self-conscious version of Planes Trains and Automobiles, but it failed to surpass it's predecessor in comedy and sentiment. It did beat it with crude content. That said, I did laugh. I didn't cry. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-31880406336066149362011-12-16T09:37:00.002-07:002011-12-16T09:37:41.840-07:00

I was eager to see what Miranda July would give us after Me and You and Everyone We Know. Sadly, this film disappointed me. It tackles some good ideas, but the characters are just too weird and self-interested that I really didn't care what happened to them. And the talking cat was the worst part of the film -and the strange for the sake of being strange dance July does. Why??! I guess it

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-59167102159120283932011-12-16T09:30:00.002-07:002011-12-16T09:30:15.120-07:00

Ang Lee is remarkable in how diverse his projects are and this one pushes into remarkable territory. While he maintains the sensitivity that most of his films have, he captures americana during an era of transformation in a collision between rural and urban, the hippy and silent generations, and the peace that was necessary between all of the shifting tectonic plates of the 1960s. Taking

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-21600072754362308082011-12-15T14:14:00.002-07:002011-12-15T14:14:49.660-07:00

This film focuses on the conflict between development projects and the protection of a water table in Austin Texas. The Edwards Aquifer becomes under threat when huge suburban subdivisions are planned. Civic minded residents and aquifer appreciators go into battle on behalf of the land and water and wildlife. I picked this documentary up because Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, The Tree of

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-85837766644795838912011-12-15T13:37:00.002-07:002011-12-15T13:37:37.430-07:00

What a pleasing film experience is Get Low! Robert Duvall and Bill Murray give tremendous performances, fleshing out a glorious and tragic story. Felix Bush, a fearsome hermit, seeks the assistance of a funeral parlour in order to throw a funeral party for himself while he is still alive. The reason for the odd request is sought out and the film concludes with an emotional hush. Official Site |

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-74699235237781095542011-12-15T13:29:00.001-07:002011-12-15T13:29:30.084-07:00

Not ever being a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise or having ever seen the TV series or the following movies, I didn't know what to expect in relation to the actual storytelling in this pre-quel, but my expectations were low. I watched this movie mainly for the stunning computer graphic renderings of the apes. The story - pretty lame, including some super cheesy performances. The visual

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-62482324623543365902011-12-15T13:21:00.002-07:002011-12-15T13:21:25.925-07:00

The makers of this documentary display a two pronged story pairing the burgeoning low budget high profit film industry in Nigeria with the prosperity gospel being preached in Nigerian mega churches. It is a fascinating look at what are often one dimensional issues. We learn of how the video industry started and it's relationship to animist witchcraft and then we follow it is being used to

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-285660043855522592011-12-15T13:09:00.002-07:002011-12-15T13:09:18.392-07:00

This is a National Film Board produced documentary about a family retracing famed novelist Farley Mowat's journey's through much of Canada. A couple and their toddler leave Canmore Alberta in a canoe and head east switching up their modes of transportation several times to end up at Farley Mowat's home in Nova Scotia. Along the way they visit several remote settings for Mowat's books. Finding

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-82856147088950598312011-12-15T13:00:00.005-07:002011-12-15T13:00:42.149-07:00

Truly funny. I watched this on a plane and really enjoyed it. The "schmucks" are so far out that there is very little predictability making the film quite engaging. My favourite scene is when primary schmuck Barry meets a Swiss investor and declares that he speaks Swiss and imitates the muppet Swedish Chef. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-54332875726230367982011-12-15T11:16:00.000-07:002011-12-15T11:16:11.120-07:00

One of my favourite film makers delivers this masterpiece of cinema - a poetic account of one boy's struggle with meaning juxtaposed with images of the cosmos and eternity. Absolutely stunning camera work, realism blended with childlike wonder and real emotional pain and joy. The pace is slow, but the characters are engaging and the 139 minutes pass as though a dream. Categorically perfect

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-42380423512253628192011-12-15T10:44:00.000-07:002011-12-15T10:53:37.261-07:00

George Clooney plays a professional hit man who has to hide out for a while in Italy. It's ofttold story, one questioning if even the most hardened man can be redeemed. What makes this one unique? It's an American set in Europe. That and the director is an established European photographer: Anton Corbijn and that makes the film far more poetic than what we have seen in the past. All considered,

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-44896283851338076482011-12-15T10:40:00.000-07:002011-12-15T10:40:57.522-07:00

This is a sappy and rather unfulfilling story of humility and being less self-interested. In a society that prides itself on questionable principles like independence and self-satisfaction, this film at least pokes some holes into those straw men. A pharmaceutical rep keen to make gobs of money meets a beautiful sex-addict and while the two promise not to become emotionally attached, the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-7122756085760226542011-12-15T10:26:00.000-07:002011-12-15T10:26:59.558-07:00

The Social Network is a hipped up version of Mark Zuckerberg's rapid and ruthless rise to wealth and power as the founder of Facebook. The remarkable thing is that even if you don't care about Facebook or Zuckerberg, the film stands on its feet as an innovative and a supercharged pace narrative about relationships. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-53995572148186682432011-12-15T09:56:00.001-07:002011-12-15T09:56:21.080-07:00

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the final installation of the Millenium series and it culminates with the recovering and mysterious Lisbeth standing trial for murders. The trilogy moves from a mystery disconnected to our heroine in book/movie I to a focus on the identity of our heroine in book/move III. As I mentioned in the last review of Played with Fire, the implausibility of the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-55091728182673730332011-12-15T09:22:00.000-07:002011-12-15T09:22:25.003-07:00

The intense follow up to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth is now the tracked as she is accused of murders related to a sex trafficking ring. She keeps her ally from the first movie at an arms length as they both search for the real culprits. The Girl Who Played with Fire continues the theme of independence, strength, and justice only to demonstrate again that none of these is completely

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-41134089411840338682011-12-15T09:08:00.001-07:002011-12-15T13:01:24.547-07:00

To complete my first viewing of The Matrix films, I watched this collection of animated shorts that flesh out some of the side stories from the live action films. Each of the nine animations are produced by a different production company and carry very different styles with them. It is clear that some of the films direct their efforts to emphasize very different aspects of the Matrix flicks:

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-37555867491536728142011-12-13T20:05:00.000-07:002011-12-13T20:05:10.016-07:00

This is a terrific animated tale of heroism and self-sacrifice. It is a further contemplation of how our pursuit of technology and so-called progress can blind us from most virtues. A collection of special rag dolls seek to redeem the world from a tyrant robot in a post-apocalyptic landscape. The dolls are mostly naïve, childlike giving the film a great tone. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-73536884877545270972011-12-13T13:20:00.002-07:002011-12-13T13:20:49.785-07:00

Another typical, melodramatic, upperclass picture of extreme Americanism gone wrong (as though it can go right). Michael Douglas' life is skidding out of control despite having once had a family, wealth and moderate local fame and power because he chooses to live life as an entitled brat. We all hope for his redemption. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-13851825838440498092011-12-13T12:54:00.000-07:002011-12-13T12:54:21.365-07:00

No redemption here, just a reminder that we live in a fallen world and that we are all capable of the worst and best. Casey Affleck does a fine job as the selfish, psychotic protagonist. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-36988438002186474502011-12-13T11:25:00.001-07:002011-12-13T11:25:59.522-07:00

Film makers J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg created here is an homage to sci-fi pop films of the 1970s and 80s where children are the stars and magic is in the air (think E.T. meets The Goonies). The movie is appropriately straddles the two decades as it is set in 1979. The young actors are set on making their own movie on super 8 film and inadvertently draw attention to themselves when they are

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-49085493307739543712011-12-13T11:14:00.000-07:002011-12-13T11:14:37.411-07:00

Darren Aronofsky gives us another psychological thriller, more in the genre of Requiem for a Dream and Pi than The Wrestler. This time rather than the drug underworld, the academic underworld, and the wrestling underworld, he brings us to the flashy ballet underworld. Natalie Portman plays a dedicated dancer who longs to be featured as the solo dancer in the upcoming performance of Swan Lake.

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-20812088275425620002011-12-13T11:03:00.000-07:002011-12-13T11:03:10.450-07:00

This Russian adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment paces itself like the book, taking ample time inside protagonist Rodya Raskolnikov's head. It is done in black and white and the lack of colour adds the only other real joyless feature to the film beyond the glorious performances by the actors - who are unknown to the west. Raskolnikov is pained by the conflict of his philosophical

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-59811444543293534522011-12-13T10:48:00.000-07:002011-12-15T09:36:09.496-07:00

Let the Right One In is an intimate and gory tale of revenge and love. It is far less glamourous than other vampire movies made - kind of gritty like the Night Watch and Day Watch films from Russia - perhaps because it comes from Sweden, not the United States. A boy, low on the social status at school, befriends a new neighbour girl who doesn't leave her apartment much. Her father involves

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-14543538485407157992011-12-13T10:33:00.000-07:002011-12-13T10:33:41.154-07:00

This is really quite a brilliant film in that it layers the character of this retired British hit man who is captured and being transported to where he will be executed by his former boss. The layers come in the form of his two captors - one a ruthless career man and the other an upstart trying to prove himself. The doomed veteran demonstrates his charisma and skill at every turn, showing that

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-3349074510923404642011-12-13T09:40:00.000-07:002011-12-13T09:40:47.606-07:00

Again, looking at these old crime thrillers is like looking at an era of innocence, and some of the earliest iterations of mystery film mechanics. Hitchcock is emulated so much today that very little that we see in his movies seems original today. A case of mistaken identity throws Carey Grant into a dangerous spy game. He is on the run from both foreign spies and American police and guided by

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-14133179511135289372011-12-09T14:00:00.000-07:002011-12-09T14:01:11.242-07:00

The film was much less disturbing than I expected. It focuses on a dolphin slaughter in a remote part of Japan. Dolphin meat is highly toxic and yet it is peddled as other types of fish and so the act, while not illegal, is still practiced despite much public pressure. As a documentary, it is more personal than most. The producer is in on the stunt of trying to get film and audio footage in this

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-41209299721770320562011-11-08T11:38:00.000-07:002011-11-08T11:38:42.971-07:00

Pure cheddar! And the American patriotism drips off of it like butter on corn. Pretty hilarious to watch. Two brothers attempt a gruelling cycling race in Colorado, one of them hiding a bad illness. They've both got sexy girlfriends and there are 2 villains - a former racing partner and the Russian competitor - scary! IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-17479061751279478782011-11-08T11:35:00.001-07:002011-11-08T11:35:07.473-07:00

Plenty of fun, brilliant animation and even a lesson on materialism! And how scary was that monkey eh? Yikes! Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-50735141651928555722011-11-08T11:33:00.001-07:002011-11-08T11:33:23.395-07:00

Midnight Express is based on the true story of a man who was caught smuggling heroin out of Turkey in the 1970s. From the beginning we are shown that Billy's decision to board a plane with drugs strapped to his body was a clear mistake and not one he made of sound mind pushing us to want clemency for him. The Turkish authorities decide to use him as an example - I guess to keep the drugs in their

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-55648006481933598312011-11-08T10:07:00.001-07:002011-11-08T10:07:27.850-07:00

I can't imagine how long it took to edit this film. Originally intended as a memoir film for a child about his dead father consisting of dozens and dozens of interview with the deceased's friends and family, it becomes a film about a grave injustice and gut wrenching tragedy. An independent documentarian travels the U.S. and Britain to tape interviews and ends up in Newfoundland where Zachary,

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-34460352525173472092011-11-08T10:03:00.000-07:002011-11-08T10:03:24.707-07:00

Tough to follow, but oddly gripping, Steven Soderbergh stars in this psychological film experiment. Fletcher Munson works in a generic office setting where he does virtually nothing while at the same time trying to climb the promotion ladder and satisfy vague demands by his supervisor. At home, his marriage is falling apart and he ends up living in an alternative universe - I think. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-50665507817642188882011-11-08T09:57:00.000-07:002011-11-08T09:57:47.151-07:00

A friend of mine recommended this teenage boy level mockumentary about a white American becoming a music superstar in the Latin scene. It has a couple laugh out loud bits, but on the whole become quite tiresome as the actors are on par with a Mexican telenovela and the circumstances are way over the top. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-42531407236830681172011-11-08T09:55:00.000-07:002011-11-08T09:55:12.373-07:00

Bela Fleck is an American banjo virtuoso. He travels to Uganda, Tanzania, Gambia, Senegal, and Mali in search of the roots of the banjo. What he finds is a remarkably similar style to what bluegrass is in North America. Fleck records songs with local celebrity musicians and with entire villages producing a beautiful fusion of sound. The music is certainly the best part of the film. The other

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-88162275260183507602011-11-08T09:50:00.000-07:002011-11-08T09:50:40.178-07:00

Definitely the worst movie I've seen this year. Hoping for some genuinely clever stunts and comedy, all I got was filthy and gruesome jokes. This parody on MacGyver maxes out during the trailer and the SNL skits it is based on. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-71003784885652687162011-11-08T09:47:00.000-07:002011-11-08T09:47:12.883-07:00

This Christian documentary takes a politically and spiritually informed look at the trauma-induced poverty in Guatemalan slums. As a former resident of Guatemala, the stories were familiar and the history still heart breaking. The film recounts the stories of some dedicated people working towards restoring their communities one person at a time. A well produced film by a small group of

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-43351949799378923362011-11-08T09:44:00.002-07:002011-11-08T09:44:28.367-07:00

Michael Cera plays a dual role - perhaps for the first time in his film career. The first character is an awkward, far too self-aware teen who falls in love with a temptress while on holidays. The second character is a caricature of what he believes his girlfriend wants him to be: French, risqué, and very bold. It turns out to be a hilarious film with just a couple moments of real tenderness and

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-2874835696165108332011-10-27T13:41:00.000-06:002011-10-27T13:41:26.237-06:00

This polemic puts the microscope on the food production industry of the United States of America. We learn, not so surprisingly, that it is rife with huge lobby groups and corporations that continue to muscle their way over the small farms. Oh, we also learn that corn is in everything. Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-49407537264048577892011-10-27T13:36:00.000-06:002011-10-27T13:36:21.008-06:00

The Human Condition, a Japanese saga lasting 9 hours 39 minutes, gives a sobering look at empirialism, socialism, and humanism. It is set during the 2nd World War in Manchuria where the Japanese have set up labour camps among the Manchus. Kaji, the lead character, is young and idealistic believing that the world can be better and people will respond well if they are only treated with basic

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-68358911338259864222011-10-27T13:35:00.000-06:002011-10-27T13:35:47.185-06:00

This is perhaps my favourite of director Michael Haneke's films. The persistent darkness surrounding the good family lifts for such brief moments that the light is dazzling when we see it. A family on holidays finds itself trapped in a lawless part of France where no one is allowed in or out, food and water are scarce and shelter is negotiated. We see the fallen associate with the image bearers.

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-34441234457994280002011-09-19T01:01:00.000-06:002011-09-19T09:36:27.478-06:00

Another 21st century presentation on relationships - how they begin, hold together, fall apart and sometimes come back together. The film looks at one couple's demise by contrasting the good times and the bad - in a less comedic and dreamy way than 500 Days of Summer. It shows strength, but tends at times to melodramatize (one scene in particular with the peanut butter and jam just didn't seem

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-14178587640874133012011-09-19T01:00:00.000-06:002011-09-19T09:28:32.627-06:00

From another time - generational angst that defined the 1960s. Chock full of anti-establishment, lust, and recklessness. A cop killing Frenchman pines over a blond American girl trying to get her to escape with him. She half-heartedly gives in to his advances only to half-heartedly flee. There is a back and forth that shows they both really don't know what they want. The movie is a classic and

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-36821445216951660212011-09-13T01:02:00.000-06:002011-09-13T09:35:07.876-06:00

Splendid telling of a personal struggle of a public man. The acting in the film is so good, I have trouble reconciling that Colin Firth wasn't the actual King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.A commoner is solicited to help a prince with his speech impediment. The resulting relationship crosses the lines of tradition, status and doctor/patient.Very inspiring - as the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-68902219864602866362011-09-13T01:01:00.000-06:002011-09-13T09:29:32.639-06:00

You know, I've warmed up to this movie since I saw it last spring. The story is pretty ridiculous: a mid-twenties man tries to build on his high school dream of having an a cappella group record an album despite his abysmal failure in his high school musical (The Wiz as Tin Man - a role I had in high school!!). But the point that students are told how amazing they are and how much potential they

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-12822377307388077822011-09-13T01:00:00.000-06:002011-09-13T08:59:45.429-06:00

An odd and quirky flick with a very dark story line from Amelie maker Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The stuff that comes out of France is often so different than what comes out of North America that it takes a major shift in being able to appreciate it fully, but it is definitely worth the effort. In a food scarce future in France, a man finds work as a handyman in exchange for room and board. The catch,

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-3642625359288294392011-08-11T02:02:00.000-06:002011-08-11T13:38:29.370-06:00

Remarkably funny flick about feeling inadequate. Jay Baruchel does a great job playing an honest and meek guy dating an outrageously beautiful, wealthy, high-class, educated woman. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-55035430626927498922011-08-11T02:01:00.000-06:002011-08-11T13:35:36.561-06:00

Well, I can't say I had much of a clue as to what was going on as I watched this stylish bio pic on Giulio Andreotti, a corrupt Italian parliamentarian. But I thoroughly enjoyed this visual feast! IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-86206474309440438032011-08-11T02:00:00.000-06:002011-08-11T13:30:37.843-06:00

Some keen actors gather for a mediocre script with a predictable ending. An ex-con gets pegged with a murder and has to work hard to clear his name while the cops (and some crooked businessmen) try to track him. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-34691021004082812982011-08-11T01:02:00.000-06:002011-08-11T11:11:43.991-06:00

Kevin Kline is fun to watch, but the story is so muted the film is not as enjoyable to watch as the trailer. Despite it's slow pace, there are moments of tenderness worth watching. Kline plays a gigolo training his new roommate played by Paul Dano, a struggling writer. Everyone is a strange bird. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-8096325252759318122011-08-11T01:01:00.000-06:002011-08-11T11:07:48.185-06:00

This is a very well made documentary in that it reveals information in such incremental and emotionally charged ways that the viewer can not dismiss anyone's point of view. A father and son are accused of molesting children in their basement as they offered computer classes. The film documents the accusations and through home movies it also follows how the accusations and sentences affected the

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-68245066872618374782011-08-11T01:00:00.000-06:002011-08-11T11:02:54.655-06:00

This documentary was distributed with an intent to educate and raise concern for a relatively recent plight of one of our foundational agricultural components. Bees began vanishing a few years ago without any recognizable reason causing concern for beekeepers and crop owners as bees pollenate their crops. The film focuses on a few possible causes, the main one being new strains of pesticides

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-90642874508961841672011-08-08T01:06:00.000-06:002011-08-08T15:01:09.608-06:00

I wonder what film maker Michael Haneke would say if he knew I watched both versions of Funny Games. This horrifying presentation of violence is meant to provoke and interact with the viewer. The American version is almost scene for scene a replica of the German one. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-32533892995811057272011-08-08T01:04:00.000-06:002011-08-08T14:57:54.958-06:00

Wim Wenders's Wings of Desire is a lovely contemplation of the human condition and it's need for redemption. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-83477971289425352352011-08-08T01:03:00.000-06:002011-08-08T14:54:39.538-06:00

Orphaned brother and sister try to heal despite their wounds. Some of the best dramatic actors around (Laura Linney especially)! IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-49942323298137112442011-08-08T01:02:00.000-06:002011-08-08T14:52:05.210-06:00

A powerful film from Argentina about vengeance and justice, corruption and persistence. I enjoyed that no one was guiltless and the lack of closure at the end. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-34410895750711608472011-08-08T01:01:00.001-06:002011-08-12T16:35:53.257-06:00

Spike Lee's crime drama shows how infused the hood is with drug and crime culture. A wonderful meditation on the humanity and fragility on the streets of NYC and the need for redemption. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-11011475875833694602011-08-08T01:00:00.000-06:002011-08-08T14:44:38.490-06:00

Al Pacino at his very best, playing a desperate man on a suicide mission to save his lover. Based on a tremendously tragic story. IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-5186933377475577512011-06-08T01:01:00.000-06:002011-06-08T10:09:47.355-06:00

The Fighter bares the essence of what it means to relate one person to another - as gracious, broken people who can't give up.Based on an extraordinary true story, stellar actors take on the roles of Dicky and Micky Ward and their family. The boxing brothers hail from lower income Massachusetts and deal with family pressure and inner struggles.What I really liked about the film is the characters'

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-61700010469144708822011-06-08T01:00:00.000-06:002011-06-08T10:09:23.281-06:00

The Crying Game still haunts me even though I saw it nearly 2 decades ago. Its director delivers this true tale of an Irish transvestite's coming of age in a time of political, familial and religious turmoil. Cillian Murphy convincingly plays Kitty who is in search of his mother in London and meaning in his life.Quite a beautiful film.Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-52325756588476077262011-06-07T01:00:00.000-06:002011-06-07T14:23:08.438-06:00

Adam has asperger's syndrome, lost his job, and his dad just died. Fortunately, the woman who moved in nearby thinks he's sweet. The film explores honesty and what it is like living (and dating someone) with a disorder on the autism spectrum. It's a romantic film that doesn't leave you covered in sap.Official Site | IMDB

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4235262539500315040.post-53875071029230294682011-06-05T01:07:00.001-06:002011-06-05T14:20:15.542-06:00

I was really pleased with this funny collaboration between Belgium and Canada. A Belgian man discovers that he was adopted from Québec and as he faces joblessness and irrelevance, he seeks out his origin in the farmlands of eastern Canada. Belgian Congo works its way into the story too.While taking a break from pitching an invention, Michel has a providential encounter with people in a town where

Zaak Robichaudhttps://profiles.google.com/100246499665358577052noreply@blogger.com0