Horrible Bosses (2011)

Just a bunch of awkwardness, followed by slapstick. No substance, not even that smart. Some funny though.

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.

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Woody Allen's treatise on how the wicked go unpunished while the good live difficult lives - also a question as to the existence of God. The film is a masterpiece mainly due to its ability to pose (and attempt to answer) very difficult existential questions while at the same time making you laugh until your abdomen hurts.

A powerful and wealthy doctor tries to cover up his affair through murder while at the same time a geeky documentary film maker tries to flirt with other women hoping for an affair. The two of them suffer different consequences.

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Etz Limon (2008)

A government official moves to the edge of one of Israel's borders with Palestine. One the Palestinian side, a lemon grove grows right to the border of the back yard and this is seen as a security risk by the Israeli government as a sniper could easily hide in the grove and harm the official. So the grove is ordered to be cut back with significant impact to the grove's owner, a Palestinian widow.

This David and Goliath battle happens in the press and in court.

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The Pool (2007)

The Pool is a gracious look at the severe class divisions in India. A hotel worker becomes infatuated with a wealthy family's pool and then the family itself. The relationship between the two parties grows and understanding starts to form.

I quite enjoyed it, mostly because the poorer characters were so interesting and risk-taking.

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L'illusionniste (2010)

The Illusionist is a lovely tale from the makers of The Triplets of Belleville - this one is far more melancholy and far less violent.

A French illusionist ends up on the road in a rustic and remote island off of Scotland. There he picks up a loyal fan who has is urbanized slowly when they settle in Paris. The film centres on his resourcefulness, her quaintness, and their devotion to each other.

The animation is lively which is good because the film is rather slow. Great story telling though and you will find yourself responding out loud with the emotional movement.

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Revanche (2008)

This Austrian film takes a look at entitlement through the lenses of a thief and a childless mother. The two stories converge on one event where a police officer kills the theif's girlfriend as they flee a crime; the officer's wife has no kids. The thief retreats to the country to help his grandfather with preparations for the winter. While he's there, he plots his revenge on the officer.

I had trouble empathizing with any of the characters except the officer and the grandfather as they seemed to exhibit the most natural types of emotions. The others thought they deserved more than what life had dealt them. The film has a wonderful ending though and the pace is enjoyable.

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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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Barney's Version (2010)

Mordecai Richler's semi-autobiographical book is performed by Paul Giamatti and some lovely ladies. The story tells of Barney, a TV producer in Montreal, the women of his life and how he loses them. He is riddled with faults and still draws a lot of empathy because of his fierce love and honest confessions.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, mostly due to the emphasis on character, but also for the rich dialogues throughout.

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J. Edgar (2011)

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 traces a couple strands of the first and long lasting FBI director's life. His relationships with his mother and two very close secretaries combined with his determination to both keep the FBI funded and in his complete control. There are plenty of references to some of the defining events in his career (Lindberg kidnapping, Dr. King, and the communist pogroms), but the focus of the film is his obsessions, indiscretions and desire for defining his own legacy.

An intricate and detailed film with a steady pace and tremendous acting.

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Win Win (2011)

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 - a real live wrestling prodigy. The five main supporting actors add great humanity and comedy to this beautiful story.

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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 Adjustment Bureau (2011)

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. What agents? Well from the Adjustment Bureau of course - a sci-fi organization who makes sure everything is staying on track, God's agents, angels with hats if you please.

The film really can't be taken seriously since the story is full of holes and is actually quite ridiculous, but as a parable about free will, it can't be ignored. I was quite disturbed by it's conclusion actually.

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35 Rhums (2008)

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.

Punctuated at times with tragedy and selfishness, the film is more of a celebration of life, the great reasons to raise your 35 Shots of Rum.

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L'emploi du temps (2001)

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 that has taken hold in the west. Men are no longer men, they are tools in an economy devoid of meaning.

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Mona Lisa (1986)

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 stories and their interplay demonstrates the sweetness of children which brings out George's innocence towards some of the abuse he witnesses in Simone's world.

We don't really understand the degree of the atrocities with which we are associated just as George doesn't know how wicked his former boss is. An awakening to this knowledge should spur us into an action of redemption too.

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You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

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).

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Cinema Paradiso (1988)

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.

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The Seventh Continent (1989)

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 a picker upper. About as haunting as they come.

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Goodbye Solo (2008)

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, especially considering Solo's personal problems and the enormous possibilities for failure in his own life.

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