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Adapted from a one-act play by Lucy Alibar, Beasts of the Southern Wild is an imaginative, otherworldly visual feast with a plucky young heroine. Hushpuppy, the young narrator, lives in abject poverty with her father in a bayou of Louisiana called the "Bathtub" because it's cut off from the mainland by the levee. He drinks and is sometime absent, but he loves her. The Bathtub has a strong sense of community despite the squalor and dysfunction. It's Hushpuppy's gritty resilience and wonder-filled imagination that make this film so compelling; this is a story, or a fable really, about the strength of a child's spirit. If Lewis Carroll had been from a different place and time, his Alice might have looked a lot like Hushpuppy. | |
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This entry in the superhero movies is a pleasant throw-back to old school action/adventure films. We've got our hero and we've got a baddie. Captain America's origin story is laid out. Dating back to WWII, which maybe why it calls to mind an earlier era of Hollywood, we are introduced to Steve Rogers, an underdog if ever there was one. Rogers is transformed into Captain America by way of a military science experiment, and while he starts out as more of a poster boy, he soon grows into his role as hero. While the story is your classic good defeats evil with some superpowers thrown in, it is refreshing in the way it is told. Undoubtedly there will be follow-ups to this Avenger's story, and if they are all as well-made, they will be welcome additions. | |
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Chronicle |
Three young friends end up with telekinetic powers after climbing into a deep hole out in some field and uncovering something that may in fact be otherworldly. Amazing and impressive as these new tricks may be they are possibly more than the threesome can handle when one's actions take a dark turn. Disturbed teen, super human powers, captured on shaky video cameras add up to some creepy stuff sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. |
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Drive |
Ryan Gosling plays an unnamed driver. By day he's a movie stunt driver and mechanic. On the side, he's a getaway driver for small-time heists. That's about all that's revealed about this stoic and mysterious guy. He keeps to himself and lives simply. When he gets drawn in by a single mom and her son it seems more of his back story will emerge, but it is not to be. The film takes a dark turn when the woman's husband is released from prison and returns to his family. Intense, surprising and it has to be said, shocking in some of the violence depicted, this film is completely engrossing. Stylized for sure and with a nod to other classic car films, it also presents likeable, nuanced characters superbly portrayed by the full cast. To say that this will keep you on the edge of your seat is to say the very least. |
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At the start of this award-winning Belgian film, a 12-year-old boy in foster care is searching for his absentee father and his bike at the apartment where they used to live. When the authorities discover him, he flees to a nearby doctor's office and clings to a woman in the waiting room. As the story goes on, we are asked to consider just what place this friendly stranger has in the boy's troubled life and whether she'll be able to help him. Shot in a naturalistic, low-key style, this story is nonetheless constantly moving forward, like the kid himself, who's always running or zooming around on his bike. A moving and inspirational journey. | |
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Martha Marcy May Marlene is a supremely unnerving psychological drama. It opens with a communal dinner with young men and young women in a rustic house. The viewer may wonder if they are Amish or from another time period, and then realize there is just something not right about the scene. One of the members of the commune, Martha, leaves, or rather, escapes and moves in with her estranged sister Lucy. But as Martha tries to return to normal life, she exhibits unhinged behavior. With each flashback, it becomes clearer that the commune is a cult led by a charismatic and sadistic man. And then there's the foreboding feeling that Martha's been followed. It's an understated, nuanced film with some outstanding acting that will get under your skin. | |
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Director Wes Anderson's latest is a sweet gem, a nostalgic summer-camp romance delivered with his inimiable style. The young leads turn in sweetly heartfelt performances, with real skill in handling the script's deadpan comedy. (They clearly learned a thing or two from Bill Murray while on set together.) The supporting cast is rounded out with some pretty amazing adult actors, including the always-excellent Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, a wry Bruce Willis, and Edward Norton, who's never been more charming, despite (or perhaps partly due to?) being dressed like a scoutmaster from the early 60s. Working on an indie budget, Anderson has ironically turned out one of his biggest hits, one that pleased movie audiences throughout last summer and will continue to entertain for a long time to come on DVD. | |
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My Week with Marilyn may come to be known as the movie which launched Michelle Williams's career. While she's been around for some time, she garnered much praise for capturing the essence of the iconic actress and received a Golden Globe for her performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. The sory centers on the filming of the 1957 movie The Prince and the Showgirl in which Marilyn starred opposite Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). It's told from the perspective of Colin Clark, a young man just getting his start in show business. Marilyn takes a shine to Colin and he is tasked with escorting the starlet during the filming. Based on two accounts by Clark, it perfectly captures the feel of the era and the excitement surrounding the beautiful and tragic Monroe. This a great film for fans of Monroe or classic Hollywood. | |
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Pina Bausch was a great European choreographer of modern dance. After she met director Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire, Buena Vista Social Club), he was so impressed that he wanted to make a documentary about her. Tragically, she was diagnosed with cancer and died abruptly just as the project was gearing up to begin, and so the film evolved into more of a memorial to Pina and her work. So don't expect a lot of talk and interviews. Instead, the film records and presents many of her most celebrated modern dance pieces as performed by her dance company Tanztheater Wuppertal, who clearly loved her deeply. A visually stunning tribute to a modern artist's vision. |