The Hidden Face
Adrián, the young orchestra conductor of the Bogota Philharmonic is distraught by the breakup of his girlfriend who has recently left him. Belén has split but not before imparting with a filmed farewell video message for Adrián. “I’m leaving… don’t look for me and don’t hate me.” She resented his flirtations with another woman. They […]
Kaboom
Gregg Araki is a polarizing filmmaker. He’s guaranteed to alienate at least slightly conservative tastes even before we begin to make sense of the plot. On the one hand, Kaboom is a frivolous comedy highlighted by the warm glow of a brightly colored visual palette. The enthusiastic, youthful cast engenders a playful mood that attracts […]
War of the Arrows
A skilled archer and his sister are the sole survivors in a family that has been branded traitors. Nam-yi’s singular purpose in life is to keep his sister safe from harm. 13 years later, on the day of his sister’s wedding, their village is attacked by the Qing Dynasty of China. His sister Ja-in is […]
We Bought a Zoo
Matt Damon is Benjamin, a widower who is grieving over the loss of his wife. He struggles to nurture a happy family with his two kids: perky and precocious 7-year-old daughter, Rosie and moody, 14-year-old son Dylan who registers one emotion, annoyance. Benjamin looks for a fresh start in a new home by purchasing one […]
Headhunters
Every now and then a film comes along so quietly, without fanfare, that when it manages to entertain in such a consummate way, I walk out of the theater like a zombie shocked at how great it was. Headhunters is one of those pictures. Not only is it one of the best of the year, […]
The Intouchables
There’s scene in The Intouchables where unlikely caregiver Driss lets loose to Earth Wind and Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland” in front of a staff of domestic workers and classically trained musicians. The display is such an expression of joyful abandon, it was at that moment I fell in love with this movie. Granted it’s a bit […]
J. Edgar
Sometimes the free promotional Blu-rays that Warner Brother’s sends, gives me the opportunity to view a picture I have never seen. J Edgar is one such flick. I guess I was more interested in seeing Immortals the weekend this was released. Apparently so were a lot of other people. This only grossed $37 million in […]
The Skin I Live In
Repulsive portrait of a doctor that is, to put it mildly, without a moral compass. Dr. Robert Ledgard is a renowned plastic surgeon that has just developed a new more durable synthetic skin. He’s testing this breakthrough on an attractive young woman named Vera in his vast mansion. The movie is puzzling from a dramatic […]
Monsieur Lazhar
Monsier Lazhar is a quiet unassuming little drama. Our story begins after an elementary school teacher commits suicide. She hangs herself in the very classroom where she teaches her students. From that shocking, but tastefully presented event, we are introduced to Bachir Lazhar. He’s an immigrant from Algeria who applies for the position of teaching […]
The Kid with a Bike
Brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne wrote, produced and directed this account of a young boy. Cyril’s bum of a father has placed him in foster care because he doesn’t want to deal with the responsibility of raising his son. Samantha, a woman who works at a beauty salon is touched by his plight and offers […]