The Artist

Movies to See Right Now

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BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

The brilliantly made Louisiana swamp fable Beasts of the Southern Wild enters the life and imagination of a child and celebrates her indomitability.  It’s on my list of Best Movies of 2012 – So Far.

The wistfully sweet and visually singular Moonrise Kingdom is another must see. Adults will enjoy Brave, Pixar’s much anticipated fable of a Scottish princess, and it’s a must see for kids.   If you can still find it, I recommend the romantic character study Take This Waltz, starring the great Michele Williams in an exploration of attraction and fulfillment from a woman’s perspective.

Continuing a very long run, the story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is a proven crowd pleaser. Men In Black 3 is delightfully entertaining, as Will Smith time travels back to 1969 and meets the young Tommy Lee Jones (nailed by Josh Brolin).

To Rome with Love is an amusing Woody Allen comedy, but not one of Woody’s masterpieces. Prometheus is a striking and well-acted sci fi adventure with a horror film tinge; I recommend it for sci fi fans.  If you really like Neil Young, then see Neil Young Journeys.

Magic Mike has male stripping, but no magic. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has blood-sucking, irony and not enough of either to justify watching it.   Your Sister’s Sister wastes a promising premise and a superb performance.

I haven’t yet seen Dark Horse, The Dark Knight Rises or Farewell, My Queen, which open this weekend.  You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the documentary This Is Not a Robbery, the true story of a nonagenarian serial bank robber.

Movies to See Right Now

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TAKE THIS WALTZ

The romantic character study Take This Waltz stars the great Michele Williams in an exploration of attraction and fulfillment from a woman’s perspective.  Take This Waltz is only going to be widely available for one more week – so see it now! The brilliantly made Louisiana swamp fable Beasts of the Southern Wild opens this weekend and more widely next weekend.  Both are on my list of Best Movies of 2012 – So Far.

The wistfully sweet and visually singular Moonrise Kingdom is another must see. Adults will enjoy Brave, Pixar’s much anticipated fable of a Scottish princess, and it’s a must see for kids.  

The story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is much more than a fish-out-of-water comedy. Men In Black 3 is delightfully entertaining, as Will Smith time travels back to 1969 and meets the young Tommy Lee Jones (nailed by Josh Brolin).

To Rome with Love is an amusing Woody Allen comedy, but not one of Woody’s masterpieces. Prometheus is a striking and well-acted sci fi adventure with a horror film tinge; I recommend it for sci fi fans.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has blood-sucking, irony and not enough of either to justify watching it.  Your Sister’s Sister wastes a promising premise and a superb performance.

You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the hockey comedy Goon.

Movies to See Right Now

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Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams in TAKE THIS WALTZ

I’ve seen both Take This Waltz and Beasts of the Southern Wild.  They are special movies and each is worth the effort to see as soon as you can.  It’s easy to find Waltz right now, and Beasts opens more widely next weekend.

The wistfully sweet and visually singular Moonrise Kingdom is another must see. Adults will enjoy Brave, Pixar’s much anticipated fable of a Scottish princess, and it’s a must see for kids.   Turn Me On, Dammit! is a wise, sympathetic and funny Norwegian coming of age comedy.

The story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is much more than a fish-out-of-water comedy. Men In Black 3 is delightfully entertaining, as Will Smith time travels back to 1969 and meets the young Tommy Lee Jones (nailed by Josh Brolin).

To Rome with Love is an amusing Woody Allen comedy, but not one of Wody’s masterpieces.  Prometheus is a striking and well-acted sci fi adventure with a horror film tinge; I recommend it for sci fi fans. 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has blood-sucking, irony and not enough of either to justify watching it.  Your Sister’s Sister wastes a promising premise and a superb performance.

You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick last week was the recent Oscar Winner for Best Picture, the magical almost-silent romance The Artist.

This Week’s Movies To See Right Now

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MOONRISE KINGDOM

Elena, a vividly dark and brilliantly acted Russian drama that simmers throughout, is one of the best films of 2012, but now getting hard to find in a theater.  The wistfully sweet and visually singular Moonrise Kingdom is another must see.

The Intouchables is a crowd pleasing odd couple comedy from France.  Adults will enjoy Brave, Pixar’s much anticipated fable of a Scottish princess, and it’s a must see for kids.

Bernie, a very funny dark comedy by Richard Linklater, shows off Jack Black’s talents in a whole new light. The story of aged Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is much more than a fish-out-of-water comedy. Men In Black 3 is delightfully entertaining, as Will Smith time travels back to 1969 and meets the young Tommy Lee Jones (nailed by Josh Brolin).

Prometheus is a striking and well-acted sci fi adventure with a horror film tinge; I recommend it for sci fi fans. Rock of Ages is a lighthearted and funny musical that makes the most of a self-mocking Tom Cruise and the hair bands of the 80s.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has blood-sucking, irony and not enough of either to justify watching it.  Oslo August 31 is the utterly authentic portrait of a suicidal Norwegian junkie that doesn’t pay off enough to justify the the grim inevitability. Your Sister’s Sister wastes a promising premise and a superb performance.

I haven’t yet seen Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love, which opens this weekend.  You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the recent Oscar Winner for Best Picture, the magical almost-silent romance The Artist.

DVD of the Week: The Artist

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If you still haven’t seen the Best Picture Oscar-winning The Artist, you don’t have any excuse because it’s now available on DVD.  It’s a magical romance that writer-director Michel Hazanavicius gives us through the highly original choice of an almost silent film.  Set in Hollywood from 1927 through 1929, it is the story of a silent film star who is left behind by the startlingly immediate transition to talking pictures.

The French actor Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Oscar as the silent star, a charismatic and ever-playful guy whose career is trapped by the shackles of his own vanity.  While on top, he treats an ambitious movie extra (Berenice Bejo) with kindness; she remembers when she becomes a star of the talkies.

Dujardin’s star, whose films resemble those of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.,  is a joker with a knack for the grand gesture.  He also has an adorable Jack Russell terrier that serves as his companion and co-star.

Hazanavicius is so skillful that audiences that have never seen a silent film soon become enraptured by the story and invested in the fates of the characters.  It’s a visually and emotionally satisfying film.

John Goodman and James Cromwell are excellent in supporting roles. 

(BTW, in real life, Berenice Bejo has two children with Michel Hazanavicius.)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvifS2QOun4]

And, courtesy of photographica in the Movie Gourmet’s LA bureau, here is co-star Uggie the Jack Russell terrier celebrating Uggie Day in Los Angeles.

Movies to See this Week

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Gianni Di Gregorio (right) and his wing man in THE SALT OF THE EARTH

The Kid with the Bike is an extraordinary film that tells a riveting story of unconditional love. It is emotionally powerful without being sentimental and is gripping without stunts and explosions.  It’s now topping my list of Best Movies of 2012 – So Far.  It may be out in theaters for only another week or to, so see it now.

The Hunger Games is a well-paced, well-acted and intelligent sci-fi adventure fable with excellent performances by Jennifer Lawrence and Stanley Tucci.

The Deep Blue Sea is well-crafted and deeply, deeply sad tragedy of a woman (Rachel Weisz) who loves too much.

The Salt of the Earth is a gently funny and insightful Italian comedy about men of a certain age.

In Footnote, a rising Talmudic scholar sees his career-topping prize accidentally awarded to his grumpy father. This potentially comic situation reveals the characters of the two men.

The searing and brilliantly constructed Iranian drama A Separation won the Best Foreign Language Oscar. The Best Picture Oscar-winning The Artist is still playing in theaters.

I haven’t yet seen Monsieur Lazhar, which opens this week. You can read descriptions and view trailers of these and other upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is The Descendants, a family drama with superb performances by George Clooney and Shailene Woodley.

Movies to See this Week

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THE KID WITH THE BIKE

Don’t miss The Kid with the Bike, an extraordinary film that tells a riveting story of unconditional love. It is emotionally powerful without being sentimental and is gripping without stunts and explosions – one of the year’s best.

The Hunger Games is a well-paced, well-acted and intelligent sci-fi adventure fable with excellent performances by Jennifer Lawrence and Stanley Tucci.

The Deep Blue Sea is well-crafted and deeply, deeply sad tragedy of a woman (Rachel Weisz) who loves too much.

In Footnote, a rising Talmudic scholar sees his career-topping prize accidentally awarded to his grumpy father. This potentially comic situation reveals the characters of the two men.

The drama Detachment features a top-rate performance by Adrien Brody as a teacher in a hellish school system that decays teachers’ souls. In a sizzling performance, Woody Harrelson plays a corrupt and brutal LA cop trying to stay alive and out of jail in Rampart. The searing and brilliantly constructed Iranian drama A Separation won the Best Foreign Language Oscar. The Best Picture Oscar-winning The Artist is still playing in theaters.

I haven’t yet seen The Salt of the Earth, which opens this week.  You can read descriptions and view trailers of these and other upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the edgy game changer comedy Young Adult.

Movies to See This Week

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THE KID WITH THE BIKE

The Kid with the Bike is an extraordinary film that tells a riveting story of unconditional love.  It is emotionally powerful without being sentimental and is gripping without stunts and explosions- one of the year’s best.

In Footnote, a rising Talmudic scholar sees his career-topping prize accidentally awarded to his grumpy father.  This potentially comic situation reveals the characters of the two men.

The drama Detachment features a top-rate performance by Adrien Brody as a teacher in a hellish school system that decays teachers’ souls. In a sizzling performance, Woody Harrelson plays a corrupt and brutal LA cop trying to stay alive and out of jail in Rampart. The searing and brilliantly constructed Iranian drama A Separation won the Best Foreign Language Oscar.  The Best Picture Oscar-winning The Artist is still playing in theaters.

You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick this week is the documentary Project Nim, the extraordinary story of a chimpanzee that was taught American Sign Language and then sent off to an assortment of post-placements, some terrifying.

Movies to See This Week

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It's not going well for Adrien Brody in DETACHMENT

The gripping new drama Detachment features a top-rate performance by Adrien Brody as a teacher in a hellish school system that decays teachers’ souls.

In a sizzling performance, Woody Harrelson plays a corrupt and brutal LA cop trying to stay alive and out of jail in Rampart.

The searing and brilliantly constructed Iranian drama A Separation won the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Joshua Marston, writer-director of the brilliant Maria, Full of Grace has made a fine drama set in Albania, The Forgiveness of Blood.

Safe House is a fine paranoid action spy thriller with Denzel Washington and the director’s pedal jammed to the floor. Thin Ice is a Fargo Lite diversion.

The Best Picture Oscar-winning The Artist is still playing in theaters.

I have also commented on  the biopics My Week with Marilyn (thumbs up) and The Iron Lady (thumbs down).

You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick of St. Patrick’s week is the Irish comedy Waking Ned Devine.

Movies to See This Week

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Writer-director Asghar Farhadi's real life daughter Samina plays the daughter at the center of A SEPARATION

In a sizzling performance, Woody Harrelson plays a corrupt and brutal LA cop trying to stay alive and out of jail in Rampart.

The searing and brilliantly constructed Iranian drama A Separation won the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Joshua Marston, writer-director of the brilliant Maria, Full of Grace has made a fine drama set in Albania, The Forgiveness of Blood, which opens this weekend.

Safe House is a fine paranoid action spy thriller with Denzel Washington and the director’s pedal jammed to the floor. Thin Ice is a Fargo Lite diversion.

If you still need to catch up on the Oscar winners, you can see the Best Picture Oscar winning The Artist and the rockem sockem thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,

I have also commented on Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, the sex addiction drama Shame, the biopic The Iron Lady, the feminist action thriller Haywire and Ralph Fiennes’ contemporary adaption of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.

You can read descriptions and view trailers of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.

My DVD pick of (last) week is the fine political drama The Ides of March with Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and George Clooney.