I take pleasure in films that represent the dysfunctionality of families with quirky, lovable characters (i.e. Little Miss Sunshine, Family Stone, Juno). Andy Garcia, Emily Mortimer, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Ezra Miller (who uncannily resembles korean american actor/model, Daniel Henney)...all the characters were fantastic in their roles and there were many scenes that left me roaring in laughter. It's unfortunate this film received little distribution. Poor marketing? Well, I don't want to spoil the movie nor mislead you with any exaggerated expectations but I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed this film. I cannot wait to see it again!
Mr. Nobody
Mr. Nobody is a whimsical, imaginative, science fiction, love story which demonstrates the infinite possibilities drawn from the choices we make. Unable to choose whether to live with his father or his mother, Nemo (Jared Leto) decides on both paths which begins his complex journey, allowing him to live different lives and experience the consequences of those decisions. The film enlightens us about quantum physics, chaos theory, the butterfly effect; illustrating the concept of time and how choices affect our results. I commend Jaco Van Dormael for his beautiful direction and thought-provoking script which is magnified by the musical score/soundtrack. I definitely recommend this one.
I'll come running
I don't know how to discuss this film without spoiling it... Basically, the story revolves around a texan waitress who meets a dane, Pelle (Jon) passing through Austin while on vacation. Shortly upon meeting, they hook up over the course of the next few days until the unexpected occurs. As a result, Veronica makes a series of impulse decisions that leads her on a journey to Denmark whereupon she meets Pelle's friend, Soren (Christian). The shift in environment affects the shift in tone, and emotions unravel as the characters deal with tragedy. And while, the film was initially heavily cliched, it developed into something engaging and memorable with a compelling story and noteworthy performances by Melonie Diaz and Christian Tafdrup.
Chloe
I love Atom Egoyan's work but Chloe pales in comparison to his previous films and having seen Nathalie, Chloe did not impress me at the level I was expecting. So, I tried to focus on the performances alone and of course, Julianne Moore is unfaltering. She commands the screen effortlessly and Liam Neeson, in his brief feature, was just as memorable. I'm a little disappointed Amanda Seyfried's character wasn't entirely fleshed out (no pun intended). Well, to keep this short...Catherine (Julianne) suspects her husband (Liam) is cheating, so she hires a prostitute to seduce him to test her suspicion which soon leads to dangerous consequences. Rather predictable, really. Aside from the fact I'm familiar with the script. Haha
Agora
"The chief reason to see this film is for Rachel Weisz's performance as Hypatia the philosopher. She is the main character and she gives an excellent performance. Whenever she is on screen you are riveted to the screen. Her excitement at discovery, her endless desire to learn, her ability to figure out the mysteries of the universe are fascinating and she makes them feel exciting even though we know it all already." There is a scene where Synesius (the bishop) tries to convince Hypatia to give into Christianity, wherefore she replies, "Synesius, you don't question what you believe, or cannot. I must." Overall, the film was ambitious but lacked execution.
Transsiberian
A taut, hitchcockian thriller with clever twists and a remarkable performance by Emily Mortimer. It's enhanced by the complexity of each individual and the beautiful yet grim, snowy, desolate backdrop of the film. There are a few minor quibbles but I will refrain from focusing on them. Do give this one a try!
The Killing Room
"Let me start by saying that a lot of what you're about to read may seem like spoilers, but all of the following plot information is given within the first 10 minutes of the movie. In this movie, the CIA's secret "MK-Ultra" mind-control experiments of the '70s (which really did occur) seem to still be in operation. Four civilians answer a classified ad seeking volunteers for medical testing, only to be locked in a room together and subjected to psychological and some physical torture, plus a little death. This is not "torture porn" though, and aside from a couple of run-of-the-mill gunshots, it actually doesn't involve much graphic violence at all. While there have been many "locked in a room together for a mysterious and violent experiment" movies, this one is different in that it's told primarily from the perspective of an observer: a doctor who is interviewing for a position at the organization. She has no idea what she's about to observe when she arrives, so she joins the audience in horror as the various aspects of the experiment are revealed. This movie has a lot of problems. The writing, mainly the dialog, seemed a bit lackluster, but the competent acting compensated somewhat for that. I also found the use of the shaky camera a little annoying, as was the use of a few little fake-out sequences meant to make the audience go, "Oh, she was only imagining that." You know the kind. Also, the employees operating the experiment would communicate via crackly radio, using lots of military mumbo-jumbo ("echo-2 commence stimulus foxtrot, wilco"), which seemed almost laughably inappropriate, and disproportionate to coordinating closed-room experiments. It sounded like they were an airport tower trying to land planes in a blizzard. It struck me as overly melodramatic, trying too hard to make it sound like a military operation. But for all its problems, this movie will surprise you in the end with its relevance. I'm still feeling it sink in. The ending made this movie entirely worth watching (if not good), which I'm glad I did. There isn't much I can say about it without spoiling it, so I'll just say that it's often our artists -- our filmmakers, our writers -- who tell us where we might be headed. Sorry if that sounds cryptic. You'll have to watch the movie. :)"
This reviewer perfectly describes my experience with the film. I would like to encourage you to give this one a chance.
Severance
If you are a fan of gore and humor (simultaneously at that), I suggest you give this one a whirl.
p.s. I've watched so many more but I don't keep track of them. I should start listing all the movies I watch. Also, sorry for the brief reviews.
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