Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

This is a really unique documentary that kind of fell into the lap of Banksy, the notorious graffiti artist. A very amateur documentarian asks to film graffiti artists who are actually engaged in social commentary and gets caught up in the culture so much that he decides he is an artist as well. What is so remarkable is that the film becomes more about the videographer and his hours and hours of footage and what his art represents than the amazing art we see him trying to emulate.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Ah! The overly dramatic dramas from the 50s! A reputation is on the line in this scandal layered story of a media tycoon and his flunky who is starting to develop a conscience. This is one of the great films that set a standard for morally ambiguous, down and out protagonists trying to do right. Plus it stars Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

Moneyball (2011)

I wasn't drawn to this story initially as it seemed like it was based on a theory book more than actual human pathos. Watched it anyway based on reviews and lauded performances and was pleasantly surprised. Sure there was a human element, but I took away the theory part more than their personal struggles: you can use formulas to make great ball teams out of low cost players whose total is far greater than the sum of each athlete's individual ability.

Un prophète (2009)

One of the greatest films I have ever seen.

The opening scene is a young offender being transferred to an adult prison - no family, we don't really know where he comes from at all. Shortly, he is seconded into the service of the organized crime ring where he climbs the ranks.

A Prophet is powerful and raw with simple though energizing dialogue.

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Shichinin no samurai (1954)

Japanese master director Akira Kurosawa presents Seven Samurai, a 3.5 hour epic film set in 19th century rural Japan.

A peasant village is at the mercy of marauding seasonal thieves, so they hire people of great moral fibre (at least that is their intention) and military prowess to come and protect them.

I really enjoyed this film over 2 nights. The characters were colourful, flawed and unpredictable. The setting was thoroughly original and it was interesting just seeing agrarian Japan.

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Deep Water (2006)

Deep Water is such a compassionate account of a cornered man who disgraces himself. This documentary follows a competitor in a solo yacht circumnavigation of the globe back in 1968. It is a gripping story told with passion and balance. Highly recommended.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

In anticipation of the film which I got advance tickets for about 3 weeks before the opening night, I reread The Hobbit. This is the first time I reread it since the first time back in 1987. I thoroughly enjoyed the book though I wish Tolkien had been encouraged to write an adult version of events following the publication of The Lord of the Rings. I was deeply moved by Bilbo's goodness.

To the film now. I was worried about the high frame rate (48 frames per second is twice as many as traditional film) and there was some trepidation in regards to 3D - would it be gimmicky? I fretted without reason - neither was a hindrance, in fact the film was so crisp, engaging, warm, and real feeling that I was immediately sucked in. As an aside, if you don't like 3D or high frame rate, then see it in 2D at 24 fps.

The jovial nature of the children's tale was maintained with plenty of slapstick and one-liners. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. The character flaws were front and centre in every scene except when they became heroic - then it was a little over the top. It would be unkind to highlight any single character, hero or villain, as they were all magnificent.

Another worry I had was the caricaturization of the 13 dwarves with their wild hair, tattoos, beards and bling. The looks suite the characters and I was very pleased with their onscreen personas.

I plan on seeing the film in theatre at least 2 more times. It's candy.

[I'm 64 films behind in my reviews, so I thought I'd offer my 2 cents on this ahead of when I would reach it in April]

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Dr. No (1962)

Very funny, what with all the getups that Ursula Andress wears, the villain's lair, and Sean Connery's one liners. Despite it's efforts, I was not moved to flinch or quiver.

Agent 007 heads to Jamaica to investigate the death of another MI6 agent only to uncover a plot to destroy a space program. Lots of beach scenes.

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Animal Kingdom (2010)

This film is too over the top I think, but maybe I just don't know the Australian trailerpark crime culture well enough. The crime and the response to crime seems cartoonish without trying to be.

An orphaned teen cousin ends up living with his criminal uncles and ringleader grandmother. The police will go to any lengths to get them and they will do anything to avoid getting caught. Some rather horrific stuff really.

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Wanderlust (2012)

Just a comedy about a commune in the spirit of Funny Farm or The Great Outdoors - city folks are just funny out of their urban environs. This film is full of cliché and one-liners.

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Lovers in a Dangerous Time (2009)

I really enjoyed this Canadian indie romantic comedy drama - a lot of qualifiers, but the more something resembles real-life, the more it's going to reflect all of these. The film stars the same pair who wrote and directed the feature and according to DVD extras, it took three years to complete the project - which is set over a summer and fall in the small mountain town of Creston, BC.

A young woman returns to her hometown for a class reunion, but more to see her old best friend from high school. The two buddies spend time resolving personal struggles and awkward mutual attractions.

The realism in the movie (the actors aren't super gorgeous, the situations appear natural, the tension is not overdone and complex) brings a certain humility to the characters, reflecting the Canadian trait of being self-effacing. I hope the filmmakers get another shot at making another great film.

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Hors de prix (2006)

Audrey Tautou portrays a skillful gold digger on the French Riviera in Priceless. After a misunderstanding which leads to a tryst with a bartender, she makes it clear that she is not interested in pursuing a relationship that doesn't produce pricy gifts and extravagant holidays.

The bartender is willing to bet his entire savings and credit on winning her over though and so goes the tale. The film does a great job of making you suffer with the poor man's weakness in spending money so to win over his cruel muse.

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Dare mo shiranai (2004)

Nobody Knows is loosely based on true events of four children who are abandoned by their mother in Japan. The siblings are cared for by the oldest as they manage to elude discovery by the outside world. This is a very sad story, making the plight of abandoned children around the world more accessible as it is set against a first world backdrop.

Children need to be loved.

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Inside Job (2010)

This is the detailed account of how the wealthy financial sector is robbing the world. The details are calmly presented in a clear, well connected way to draw us to a very dismal conclusion. In fact the film is absolutely infuriating. It covers a lot of the same ground that Michael Moore covers in Capitalism: A Love Story, but it is perceived as much less polemic.

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All the Little Animals (1998)

This film brought to mind the quote at the beginning of my film:

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace. - Albert Schweitzer

Surely, one can see that cruelty towards animals is a sure indicator of the perpetrator's character. This film brings the idea that love of the lowliest of creatures is an indicator of real humanity, but it also presses the idea that man is the cruelest of animals deserving the least respect. I disagree with this posit, but it made for an interesting contemplation.

The film is driven by a young Christian Bale who plays Bobby, a simpleton whose trust fund is controlled by a cruel stepfather. He runs away and finds an off-grid kindred spirit whose mission it is to give proper burials to road kill.

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The Two Escobars (2010)

When I saw the opening credits state that this was an ESPN Film, my hopes dropped. Wow! Was I ever impressed. This documentary chronicles the lives of two of Columbia's most prolific men: Pablo Escobar the drug lord and Andrés Escobar the soccer star and the amazing symbiotic relationship they both had with their nation and each other.

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The Bicycle Thief (1948)

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 a family working hard to make ends meet.

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The Descendants (2011)

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 this movie afterwards is that his character has quite a bit of moral strength that was simply disengaged - this narrative shows him putting everything into gear, testing his fabric.

I quite enjoyed it.

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The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

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 childish aspects of the story are dwarfed (not that the screenplay is lacking, it's just a really simple story).

In one scene we see Captain Haddock and you can see the yarn that makes up the sweater and it looks so real. The advantage to digital animation is that the camera can be placed wherever you wish and so Spielberg kept it moving throughout the film. I don't think it was still for a moment.

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Winter's Bone (2010)

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 fantastic, but who is this director? Debra Granik? She's awesome!

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