PART 3 - USA / BRITAIN

Here's the English language movies I've seen in the theatres this year. I'll start it off with the ones I saw in BA, and finish with what i've seen in my two months back here in Chicago. Watch out for the best of the year list(s) coming tomorrow and Thursday. BUENOS AIRES MEEK'S CUTOFF I've seen "wendy and lucy" and also "old joy" which i thought were great, uncomfortable and intimate personal stories. This is her newest film which I saw at BAFICI, the Buenos Aires International Film Fest. It was slow, and I'll admit I was bored a decent amount of the time. But it raised issues and probed at questions that you don't often get to think about watching movies. And that was cool and admirable and brave. Cheers, Kelly. Keep making that ole feminist shit that's not too preachy or mean-spirited but it's just a triumph for the underdogs. And keep the old west alive, albeit unconventionally! PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN - STRANGER TIDES It's Hollywood fare, and mediocre fare at that. But there's one impressive scene that involves dolphins and an almost always dazzling and charming Johnny Depp as Captain jack. It does lag, and it's probably a C+, but it was worth seeing, and I saw it for free, which made me leave the theatre not feeling guilty. Not bad. Can't complain. BLUE VALENTINE Hey, I'm not gonna lie. I really liked this movie. It was quirky but confident in its quirkiness. I read an interview with the director where he had Cassavetes' films like twenty times. It's definitely got that raw, up close and personal Cassavetes vibe. And the performances are really gripping. Williams and Gosling have impeccable chemistry. I saw it twice in the theatres. At the great Cine Lorca on Corrientes. Good memories. And a great movie. One that sets the bar for twenty first century indie fare. RABBIT HOLE I don't remember this one too well. But I remember I was moved. And that's not easy. Definitely worth a viewing, maybe not on the big screen but back home for sure. I don;t think you can go wrong with Nicole Kidman. ANOTHER YEAR I'm still thinking about this one. The relationships are so real, the characters so well fleshed out. THe ending quarter of the movie I thought fell kind of flat, but besides that I thought it was great. Impeccable acting performances and strong emotions. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS: PART 2 "Welcome to 21st Century Hollywood at its best." That;s the quote I mcame up with after leaving the theater here. Warner Brothers made its mark at the beginning of the film, and throughout the fun and dazzling magical ride of mortals and monsters, I smiled and cringed and left wanting to perform magic spells with my friends. PLANET OF THE APES: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES This one actually packed a good amount of worthwhile philosophy in to the first half, and an overwhelming amount of CGI animal mayhem in the second half. Half intellectual exploration and half over the top action caper. This one definitely had its moments. The ape riding on the horse on the GOlden Gate Bridge. Classic status. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS OK, I didn't love Woody Allen's latest. But it didn't hurt that I got high and rode on the old fashioned Buenos Aires subway car, purely coincidentally, while getting to the movie. I saw Owen Wilson in the Dallas airport before I left for BA, and that was cool. I like Owen Wilson, and I like him in this movie. If anything, it inspired me to want to be among the early/mid twentieth century literary giants, which can only be a good thing, right? Since I was in Argentina, I thought of Borges, and wanted to chill with him. TREE OF LIFE Um, I almost rebelled against going to see this. It just looked so, entitled? But, I went and I was a bit bored and even snickering a bit in the beginning of the film, over its serious grandeur and lame narration. But it grew on me, mostly for the great performances by the kids and by Brad Pitt. The Sean Penn part was not very necessary I thought. At least I didn't buy in to it. I didn't understand its purpose. And let's give credit where credit is due - goddamn that movie looked beautiful. CHICAGO BLACKTHORN Sam Shepard holds his own as being the lone cowboy Butch Cassidy in this Spanish directed film that asks the question, "What if Butch Cassidy survived in Bolivia?" Interesting premise. And wonderful Bolivian landscapes that reminded me why I love that country, having spent significant time there in 2007. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE I suppose this would classify as an indie darling right alongside "Blue Valentine." It's really well done, subtle, and thrilling. Keeps you on the edge of your seat, and does so with style and awkwardly compelling shots, premise and editing. Top notch young directing. Young, beautiful girls to boot (maybe a creepy old man comment, but it's true. that helps the movie!) Great movie with a maybe disappointing ending, depending on how you look at it. MONEYBALL I'm a baseball fan, so I wanted to see this. My aunt had seen it and recommended it. Surprisingly compelling for the subject matter. And one of the few flicks where I actually noticed that the editing was really strong. Taking a subject like the business of baseball and making it highly entertaining is tough, and the film had a great rhythm. Jonah Hill was sometimes hard to take seriously, but he did a great job. A very satisfying picture, and you learn a lot about the business of baseball. And two others that I did not like at all. I found them boring and just not that interesting. J. EDGAR and THE DESCENDANTS. Not worth the effort of a taxing write up. Also, saw the reprint of RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK. Fun, but definitely adolescent wet dream type of stuff. A Spielbergian/Lucasian case of imagining your ideal childhood heros and putting them up on screen. Don't get me wrong, Spielberg and Lucas at their best are straight up masters of the Hollywood film medium. But this was one was quite ridiculous. Fun ride if you just take it for what it is, I guess.