DVD Review - Libertarias

Vincente Aranda's Libertarias (Freedom Fighters) is a powerful film about the latter part of the Spanish Civil War. It focuses on a group of anarchists where everyone, men and women, are equals. But truth be told, most of the film is about those brave women.

Maria (Ariadna Gil) is a nun who has to leave her convent before the rebels burn it. The Church is implicated in many crimes against the people. Maria hides out in (of all places) a bordello. But the bordello is liberated by a group of rebel women led by the fiery Pilar (Ana Belen). Soon Maria finds herself fighting alongside the anti-fascists. Another woman to join the rebels is the feisty Floren (Victoria Abril). The film shows us how a real egalitarian collective works. And this is before anyone ever heard of the word feminism.

Libertarias is an important film and is very well made. Aranda makes us feel as if we are actually on the battlefield with the rebels. The acting is very good with the above mentioned all of the above actresses outstanding. Also of note are Jorge Sanz and Jose Sancho as a father and son fighting for freedom.

If you like political films (as I do) and are also interested in history and true feminism then this film is for you.

Down with capitalism - up with the people!

SAG Awards

Screen Actors Guild

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Little Miss Sunshine

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Helen Mirren - The Queen

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls

No big surprises here. I do hope that there is at least one surprise at the Oscars. I think that it will be in the Best Picture category. I do not think that Little Miss Sunshine will win because (at least in part) the directors were not nominated an Oscar.

All of the Best Actress contenders were wonderful (and I absolutely love Judi Dench) but I do so want Helen Mirren to win. And I am almost certain that she will.

Forest Whitaker was excellent in The Last King of Scotland but I would love it if Peter O'Toole won for Venus. It doesn't look likely but one never knows (that would be a great surprise).

Both Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were good in Dreamgirls but I wouldn't mind it if someone else in both categories picked up the big prize.

The Oscars are exactly four weeks from tonight so we will not have to wait too long to find out who will win.

DVD Review - Chaos

Coline Serreau's (she wrote and directed it) film Chaos is a melodrama, comedy, thriller and social commentary all rolled into one. The films starts off with a well to do couple named Paul (Vincent Lindon) and Helene (Catherine Frot) driving to a party. A prostitute, Noemie a/k/a/ Malika (Rachida Brakni), is running away from three men who are chasing her. She stops the car and begs for help but Paul and Helene lock the doors. The men beat Noemie and bash her head against the front window of the car. They leave her for dead. Helene wants to call an ambulance but Paul tells her that they shouldn't get involved.

Helene is feeling very guilty and decides to help Noemie heal. Paul doesn't agree with this but he is an uncaring brute. He treats his mother (Line Renaud) with disrespect. And it should be noted that his and Helene's son Fabrice (Aurelien Wilk) treats his mother the same way.

Helene and Noemie form a close bond. They also get close to Paul's mother Mamie. We eventually find out about Noemie's life and how she ended up becoming a prostitute. There are several mini-stories that run throughout the film. But they all basically have the same theme in common - the various ways that men exploit women. But I don't consider this a men-bashing
film. It just points out some facts that need to be stated.

Serreau has a keen eye for direction and her script is very sharp. All of the actors are good but the best one is Brakni. My heart went out to her character right from the start. Chaos is entertaining and involving. I highly recommend that you rent it.

Of note - I understand that Serreau will be directing an American produced English language version of the film which will star Meryl Streep as Helene and Aishwarya Rai as Noemie. Streep is a good actress and I can see her in the role. But I have doubts about Rai. In any case, I think that the remake is totally unnecessary and I hope that the producers change their minds (I highly doubt that they will).

Venus

Maurice (Peter O'Toole) and Ian (Leslie Phillips) are two successful but aging actors. They spend their time talking about their careers and their ailments. They are sometimes joined by another friend Donald (Richard Griffiths). Ian's niece has decided that he needs some assistance so she sends her daughter Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) to help him. Ian finds Jessie rather coarse and doesn't care for her at all. But Maurice sees something beautiful in her.

Some people might think that Venus is just a story about a dirty old man going after a much younger woman. But it is much more than that. It is about a man who knows that he is getting closer to death (as one in their 70s or older must know) but finds something that makes him feel really alive. This is Maurice's last chance to let his emotions flow. He apparently was quite a womanizer in his day. He left his wife Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave) and kids for someone else but we never find out much about that. This story is about the present not the past.

The versatile Roger Michel directs the film with flair. Hanif Kureishi has written a film that is filled with humor. I found myself frequently laughing out loud. But the script contains pathos as well. The cast is wonderful. Redgrave and Griffiths are wonderful in their small roles (there is a tender scene between O'Toole and Redgrave that just melts your heart). Whittaker is a real find and I predict a good future for her in the acting world. Phillips is just sensational as the forever complaining Ian. But the film truly belongs to O'Toole. His performance will make you laugh and cry at almost the same time. He is an actor extraordinaire.

The Oscars are about a month away (and the SAGs are tomorrow). As much as I loved Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland I do hope that the Academy does the right thing and gives O'Toole the award. But whatever the outcome is this was definitely one of the best performances by one of the greatest actors of our time.

DVD Review - Edmond

Stuart Gordon directs this film, which is an American urban nightmare. The screenplay is written by David Mamet that he adapted from his play of the same name. And this film has Mamet written all over it.

William H. Macy plays Edmond Burke, an ordinary businessman who has unusual desires. Edmond is very taken with a card reading that he has on his way home from work. The card reader tells Edmond that he must change his life. When he gets home he tells his wife that he is leaving her forever. She in turn tells him that he got it wrong - she is leaving him. After he leaves his apartment he becomes involved with the seamier side of New York City - thieves, prostitutes, etc. He also has a brief encounter with a waitress (Julia Stiles) which becomes the pivotal turning point in his life.

All of the actors do a good job even though most of them aren't on screen for very long. The supporting cast includes Joe Mantegna, Rebecca Pidgeon and Mena Suvari. But the film belongs to Macy. He is in every scene and he is just outstanding. His Edmond is quite frightening and out of touch with reality.

The film itself is very short (82 minutes) which is perfect. It consists of several monologues and wouldn't work as well as if it was longer. The film sometimes gets a bit stagey and it is obvious that it was adapted from a play. And once in a while things get a bit heavy handed. The dialog is pure Mamet so those of you who enjoy his work will like this film.

Edmond is not by any means a perfect film. But it is always interesting to watch. And Macy's performance as man on the way down is worth the price of the rental fee.

Comedy of Power

I always enjoy watching a new Claude Chabrol film and Comedy of Power is no exception. Chabrol does a very good job of directing the film. The intelligent screenplay is written by Chabrol and Odile Barski.

Magistrate Jeanne Charmont-Killman (Isabelle Huppert) is going after corrupt businessmen of the highest order. The first man she wants to bring down is Michel Humeau (Francois Berleand). And bring him down she does. After all, she has Jacques Sibaud (Patrick Bruel) on her side (or so she thinks). But the big boys don't like what Jeanne is doing to them. They try to stop her more than once but they don't succeed. One of their ploys is to hire another judge to help her with the case - a woman named Erika (Marilyne Canto) - but the two women become allies (it seems that men many think that two intelligent women will rip each other to pieces).

Jeanne's obsession with work is causing problems in her marriage to her husband Phillipe (Robin Renucci), who is a doctor. But she finds a close confidant in her nephew Felix (Thomas Chabrol). The dialog is sharp and one should listen very carefully in order to understand what is going on. And by the way, although there is humor in the film it is not a comedy. Someone told me that a French person (who saw the film when she did) told her that actual translation of the title is Drunk with Power. That makes much more sense to me.

All of the acting is very good. But this is Huppert's film. She is so natural in her role and you can tell just how much she enjoys playing this part. She is truly one of the finest actresses working in cinema today (and for so many years). The film was beautifully shot by the great Eduordo Serra.

Comedy of Power is based on an actual case of corruption involving oilmen in France. It certainly sounds familiar. The whole world is bathed in corruption. But as long as filmmakers continue to make films about power and corruption we will not forget just how crooked most corporations and politicians are. Three cheers to Claude Chabrol for making this film.

DVD Review - Sherrybaby

Sherrybaby is writer/director Laurie Collyer's first feature film. And it is a noble effort but it doesn't always work.

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Sherry Swanson, a young woman just released from prison. Sherry served time for robbery and was also treated for drug addiction. She desperately wants to get her life back together but that isn't so easy.

Sherry has a daughter Alexis (Ryan Simpkins) who is living with her brother Bobby (Brad William Henke) and his wife Lynette (Bridget Barkan). Bobby and ,especially, Lynette don't think that Sherry is ready to take care of her daughter and this causes a great deal of conflict. Sherry also has issues with her father (Sam Bottoms). Along the way Sherry meets a fellow recovering addict named Dean (Danny Trejo) who wants to help her get her act together.

I think that the plot could have been better developed. Sherry came from a well to do family so how did she wind up becoming an addict? And I certainly would have liked it if the movie went into more depth about her relationship with her father (it is obviously not a healthy one). The whole cast is fine but it is Gyllenhaal who stands out. She is superb as Sherry. Her performance is raw (and brave). She just oozes pain. So despite the fact that this film is far from perfect I am recommending it on DVD because of the amazing Ms. Gyllenhaal.

Oscar Nominations

BEST PICTURE
Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Babel
Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Clint Eastwood - Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Paul Greengrass - United 93

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forrest Whitaker - Last King Of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Cate Blanchett - Notes of a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Babel
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat
Children Of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes On A Scandal

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
After The Wedding
Days Of Glory (Indigènes)
The Lives Of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Water

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Deliver Us From Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq In Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country

ANIMATED FILM
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

ART DIRECTION
Dreamgirls
The Good Shepherd
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
The Prestige

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Black Dahlia
Children Of Men
The Illusionist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Prestige

COSTUME DESIGN
Curse Of The Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
The Queen

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Blood Of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing A Dream
Two Hands

FILM EDITING
Babel
Blood Diamond
Children Of Men
The Departed
United 93

MAKEUP
Apocalypto
Click
Pan's Labyrinth

MUSIC (SCORE)
Babel
The Good German
Notes On A Scandal
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen

MUSIC (SONG)
"I Need To Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth
"Listen" - Dreamgirls"
Love You I Do" - Dreamgirls"
Our Town" - Cars
"Patience" - Dreamgirls

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
The Danish Poet
Lifted
The Little Matchgirl
Maestro
No Time For Nuts

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Binta And The Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)
Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)
Helmer & Son
The Saviour
West Bank Story

SOUND EDITING
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Flags Of Our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

SOUND MIXING
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Dreamgirls
Flags Of Our Fathers
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns

Producers Guild of America winner

And the winner is...Little Miss Sunshine

This is a charming and well acted film. But in my mind it is not a Best Picture type of movie. But it is almost definite that it wil be nominated for an Oscar Tuesday morning.

DVD Review - Three Times

Hou Hsiao-hsien's latest film was raved by the critics. But after seeing it I don't know why. And after reading regular filmgoers postings on Netflix I found out that I am in the majority.

Three Times tells three different stories set in Taiwan. Time for Freedom takes place in 1911 where the main characters are a man who wants political change and a prostitute. Time for Love takes place in 1966 and the main characters are a hostess in a pool hall and a man who is in the army. Time for Youth takes place in 2005 and the main characters are a rock singer and a photographer. In all three stories the main characters are played by Shu Qi and Chang Chen. Qi is good (although a bit too old to play the character in Time for Youth) but I found Chen quite stiff.

All three stories focus on love, some of it unrequited. The film is beautifully shot and the music adds a lot of atmosphere. The problem is that the three stories add up to a big fat nothing. I've seen another film by this director (Millennium Mambo) that I liked. But this one just left me cold. It reeks of pretentiousness. I am not recommending it at all. I just wonder what all of the critics saw that I (and many others) didn't see. Or perhaps it is just so "in" to like certain films and dislike others. But we shouldn't put too much importance on the opinion of others as all of us who love film are critics as well.

Letters for Iwo Jima

Several months ago I went to see Clint Eastwood's film Flags of Our Fathers. This film showed the American side of the battle of Iwo Jima. It also showed us what happened to the soldiers who raised the flag. The film was well made and boasted a terrific performance by Adam Beach as Ira Hayes. It also had some brutally real war scenes. But it lacked an emotional punch.

Eastwood also made a companion piece to Flags, Letters from Iwo Jima, which shows us the Japanese side of the battle. Letters is by far the superior film. In fact, I would say that it is close to a masterpiece.

The film is based partly on a book of letters written by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (which is edited by Tsuyoko Yoshido). Even though Kuribayashi was high ranking he had a compassionate side to him. He is played in the film by the marvelous Ken Watanabe. As good as Watanabe is even better is Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays a young soldier named Saigo. Saigo has many doubts about the war and constantly thinks about his wife and daughter back in Japan (he has never met his daughter as he left Japan when his wife was pregnant). He is the conscience of the film. There are other characters that we get to know. They are portrayed as real flesh and blood people and not cartoon characters or bloodthirsty madmen. Don't get me wrong - the Japanese soldiers aren't shown to be angels. But neither are the Americans. In both cases the men are following the orders of their respective governments.

Iris Yamashita wrote the screenplay based on a story she created with Paul Haggis. Tom Stern is responsible for the magnificent cinematography. You will notice that the colors are muted during the war scenes and brighter in the other scenes.

With this film Eastwood proves that he is one of the great masters of American cinema. Letters from Iwo Jima brought out great emotion in me. Several times during the film I had to reach for a tissue. And with Letters and Flags Eastwood makes a point that I have long believed in - war is futile. Ah, if we could all only learn to live with each other in peace. Maybe that sounds like wishful thinking but I can dream can't I?

DVD Review - La Moustache

Emanuel Carrere directs this film adaptation of his novel (he co-wrote the screenplay with Jerome Beaujour). And what an interesting film it is!

La Moustache starts off in the home of a (seemingly) happily married couple, Marc and Agnes Thireiez (Vincent Lindon and Emmanuelle Devos). Marc asks Agnes what she would
think if he shaved off his moustache. She tells him that she has never known him without it. While she goes out to buy food he decides to shave it off. When she comes back she doesn't even notice it. And neither does anyone else. Marc is told that he never had a moustache (even though he has pictures showing him with one).

Things get progressively worse and we start to wonder if Marc is going mad. Or perhaps it is Agnes who is. The film has a real Hitchcockian feel to it. And although it is not as good as Cache it is certainly very good.

Devos is a fine actress and she does a wonderful job of bringing Agnes to life. You feel sorry for her but you are also somewhat suspicious. And I was very happy to see that marvelous actor Mathieu Amalric in a small role as the couple's friend Serge. But the film belongs to Lindon. All of his tortured thoughts can be seen on his ruggedly handsome face. He appears to be a man who isn't sure of his identity.

Carrere does not give us any real explanation of what is actually going on. So at the end of the film you will have to draw your own conclusions about what has happened. And the more you think about it the more you might change your mind. And you might want to talk to others who have seen the film (I do). But the most important thing is that this film makes you think and that is more than I can say about many of the films that are released these days.

Golden Globe Winners (Film Only)

Motion Picture - Drama
Babel

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Helen Mirren – The Queen

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Forest Whitaker – The Last King Of Scotland

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Dreamgirls

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Sacha Cohen – Borat

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls

Best Animated Feature Film
Cars

Best Foreign Languge Film
Letters From Iwo Jima (Japan, United States)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese – The Departed

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
The Queen: Written by Peter Morgan

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
The Painted Veil (Desplat) : Composed by Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"The Song Of The Heart" – Happy Feet - Prince

DVD Review - Black Petr

Black Petr is the first film by acclaimed director Milos Forman. It is short (85 minutes) and it is basically a slice of life film. The life that it focuses on is that of Petr (Ladislav Jakim), who is seventeen years old. He has a job as a security person in a grocery store. But Petr doesn't seem to be able to follow instructions and messes things up much of the time. He doesn't have a lot of luck when he attempts to socialize. And he doesn't get along with his father (Jan Vostrcil) who is constantly lecturing him.

This is a good little film and definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of Forman's. Even at this early stage in his career you can see his potential. So now I have seen all of Forman's films with the exception of his latest one, Goya's Ghosts. The film still hasn't announced a US release date (or distributor) but, hopefully, we will find out something about that soon. Because no matter what, Goya's Ghosts has to be superior to some of the crappy films that get a wide release in the US.

The Italian

I saw a preview of this lovely but sad Russian film that will be released later this week. The film is the directorial debut of Andrei Kravchuk and it is, indeed, an impressive first film.

Little six year old Vanya (Kolya Spiridonov), has been abandoned by his mother and lives in a run down orphanage. But he now has the chance of a lifetime. A well-off Italian couple has decided to adopt him and take him away from this miserable place. Who wouldn't be happy? The older children in the orphanage have to steal in order to survive. Things are very bleak there.

But has a gnawing feeling deep down inside. He doesn't want to move to Italy but would instead like to find his real mother and have a chance to live with her (something happens to give him this idea but I will not give away what it is). One of the older boys, the tough Kolyan (Denis Moiseenko), tells Vanya that he contacted his birth mother and she slammed the door in his face. He is trying to warn Vanya about what might happen to him as well. But that doesn't make Vanya give up his dream. He learns how to read and devises a plan to find his mother. When he finally escapes he has the Headmaster (Yuri Itskov), Madam (Maria Kuznetsova) and Grisha (Nikolai Reutov) hot on his trail. They want to find him as soon as possible because they are all going to make good money on this adoption.

Does Vanya find his mother? Does he go off to live with the Italian family? I certainly will not answer those questions. You will have to see the film for yourself. I will say that I found this film very moving and the story was well written (thanks to Andrei Romanov). It tugs at your heartstrings. And it is a well acted film by all. But little Kolya as Vanya really carries the film.
He is so incredibly smart and determined. If you like films that show you another side of life
in a different locale then this film is for you (you will also see that alcohol is a big problem in Russia). The Italian to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking. But it has the ability to put a smile on your face as well.

Pan's Labyrinth

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro has created a fabulous combination of historical film (the Spanish Civil War) and fantasy.

The story takes place in 1944. Franco's army is victorious but there are still some rebels out there willing take them on. Ofelia Ivana Baquero) travels with her pregnant mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to rural Spain to live with her mother's new husband - the evil Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ofelia loves to read fairy tales and she lives through one as she tries to cope with living with a man who she will never accept as her father.

While she is there she seeks some solace from her father's maid Mercedes (Maribel Verdu). She even keeps Mercedes' secret - Mercedes is helping out the anti-Franco forces. Ofelia also makes the acquaintance of the creature Pan (Doug Jones) who tells her that she can work some magic if she just follows some instructions.

This film is not only totally original it is an absolute work of genius. It combines a political theme and a fable without a hitch. There are some scenes in the film that felt like Alice in Wonderland. Senor del Toro has such a magnificent imagination. And I should tell you that there are some scenes that are quite violent.

The acting is outstanding. Lopez is deliciously vile in his role as a man without morals. I wish that he was getting more awards attention but, sadly, he is not (he is better than most of the actors being mentioned for nominations). Young Ms. Baquero is fantastic as Ofelia. This is the best performance by a child actor that I have seen in a long time. Jones is magical as Pan and both Verdu and Gil are wonderful in their respective roles. And all of the other acting is also great.
Guillermo Navarro's cinematograpy is gorgeous and the original music by Javier Navarrete is beautiful.

Pan's Labyrinth is the second of a trilogy about The Spanish Civil War. I have read that del Toro is planning to make the third film after he makes Hell Boy 2. The first film in the series is The Devil's Backbone, which is also great. I highly suggest that you see that film either on DVD or cable (IFC sometimes shows it). And as for Pan's Labyrinth, I cannot recommend this film highly enough and I think that you should see it on the big screen. It will blow you away.

BFCA Awards

Critics' Choice Awards

BEST PICTURE
The Departed

BEST ACTOR
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren - The Queen

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
An Inconvenient Truth

BEST SONG
Listen - Beyonce - Dreamgirls

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Dreamgirls

BEST COMPOSER
Philip Glass - The Illusionist

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cars

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Little Miss Sunshine

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Letters from Iwo Jima

BEST WRITER
Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Elizabeth I

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Paul Dano - Little Miss Sunshine

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

BEST FAMILY FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Charlotte's Web

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

The Good Shepherd

Robert De Niro does a good job of directing this film which is all about how the CIA came into being. The story (based on truth) is told through the eyes of the fictional character Edward Wilson (Matt Damon). Wilson is first approached for the job when he attends Yale. He is a member of the famous Skull and Bones fraternity. Even as a young man he displays the traits of being remote and suspicious. As he gets older he grows even colder. It is almost as if he has no soul. His career may be booming but his personal life is almost non-existent. He is married to Margaret Russell (Angelina Jolie) but I wouldn't really call it a marriage. They have one son, Edward Jr. (played as an adult by Eddie Redmayne) who misses having his father around and wants to get to know him in the worst way.

Damon is very good as Wilson. He perfectly captures Wilson's chilly exterior. Jolie is also very good but her role isn't that big. There are a number of other great actors in the film. Instead of saying who played what role I will just give you a list of some of the actors in the film: Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, William Hurt, Joe Pesci and John Turturro. There are other amazing actors in the film as well. And De Niro has a small role as General William Sullivan. Everyone is up to par.

Eric Roth's has written an intelligent original screenplay (I'm not going to say much about the plot. You will have to see the film for yourself). You do have to pay attention to details but the payoff is rewarding. There are lots of clues and later on you will find yourself saying to yourself "I should have seen that coming." However, I don't understand it when people tell me that the film is confusing. If you pay attention you will have no problem following the story. This film doesn't have any explosions or car chases. If that is what you are looking for then this film is not for you. But if you want to use your brain then check out The Good Shepherd. You will be glad that you did.

BAFTA Nominations

British Academy Film AwardsNominations January 19, 2006

FILM
BABEL - Alejandro González Iñárritu/Jon Kilik/Steve Golin
THE DEPARTED - Brad Pitt/Brad Grey/Graham King
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND - Andrea Calderwood/Lisa Bryer/Charles Steel
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE*
THE QUEEN - Tracey Seaward/Christine Langan/Andy Harries

THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARDfor the Outstanding British Film of the Year
CASINO ROYALE - Michael G Wilson/Barbara Broccoli/Martin Campbell/Neal Purvis/Robert Wade/Paul Haggis
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND - Andrea Calderwood/Lisa Bryer/Charles Steel/Kevin Macdonald/Peter Morgan/Jeremy Brock
NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Scott Rudin/Robert Fox/Richard Eyre/Patrick Marber
THE QUEEN - Tracey Seaward/Christine Langan/Andy Harries/Stephen Frears/Peter Morgan
UNITED 93 - Tim Bevan/Lloyd Levin/Paul Greengrass

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film
ANDREA ARNOLD (Director) - Red Road
JULIAN GILBEY (Director) - Rollin' with the Nines
CHRISTINE LANGAN (Producer) - Pierrepoint
GARY TARN (Director) - Black Sun
PAUL ANDREW WILLIAMS (Director) - London to Brighton

THE DAVID LEAN AWARD for Achievement in Direction
BABEL - Alejandro González Iñárritu
THE DEPARTED - Martin Scorsese
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris
THE QUEEN - Stephen FrearsUNITED 93 - Paul Greengrass

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BABEL - Guillermo Arriaga
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Michael Arndt
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo del Toro
THE QUEEN - Peter MorganUNITED
93 - Paul Greengrass

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CASINO ROYALE - Neal Purvis/Robert Wade/Paul Haggis
THE DEPARTED - William Monahan
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - Aline Brosh McKenna
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND - Peter Morgan/Jeremy Brock
NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Patrick Marber

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
APOCALYPTO - Mel Gibson/Bruce Davey
BLACK BOOK (ZWARTBOEK) - Teun Hilte/San Fu Maltha/Jens Meurer/Paul Verhoeven
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Alfonso Cuarón/Bertha Navarro/Frida Torresblanco/Guillermo del Toro
RANG DE BASANTI (PAINT IT YELLOW) - Ronnie Screwvala/Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
VOLVER - Agustín Almodóvar/Pedro Almodóvar

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
CARS - John Lasseter
FLUSHED AWAY - David Bowers/Sam Fell
HAPPY FEET - George Miller

ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
DANIEL CRAIG - Casino Royale
LEONARDO DICAPRIO - The Departed
RICHARD GRIFFITHS - The History Boys
PETER O'TOOLE - Venus
FOREST WHITAKER - The Last King of Scotland

ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
PENELOPE CRUZ - Volver
JUDI DENCH - Notes on a Scandal
HELEN MIRREN - The Queen
MERYL STREEP - The Devil Wears Prada
KATE WINSLET - Little Children

ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
ALAN ARKIN - Little Miss Sunshine
JAMES MCAVOY - The Last King of Scotland
JACK NICHOLSON - The Departed
LESLIE PHILLIPS - Venus
MICHAEL SHEEN - The Queen

ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
EMILY BLUNT - The Devil Wears Prada
ABIGAIL BRESLIN - Little Miss Sunshine
TONI COLETTE - Little Miss Sunshine
FRANCES DE LA TOUR - The History Boys
JENNIFER HUDSON - Dreamgirls

THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD for Achievement in Film Music
BABEL - Gustavo Santaolalla
CASINO ROYALE - David Arnold
DREAMGIRLS - Henry Krieger
HAPPY FEET - John Powell
THE QUEEN - Alexandre Desplat

CINEMATOGRAPHY
BABEL - Rodrigo Prieto
CASINO ROYALE - Phil Meheux
CHILDREN OF MEN - Emmanuel Lubezki
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo Navarro
UNITED 93 - Barry Ackroyd

EDITING
BABEL - Stephen Mirrione/Douglas Crise
CASINO ROYALE - Stuart Baird
THE DEPARTED - Thelma Schoonmaker
THE QUEEN - Lucia Zucchetti
UNITED 93 - Clare Douglas/Christopher Rouse/Richard Pearson

PRODUCTION DESIGN
CASINO ROYALE - Peter Lamont/Simon Wakefield
CHILDREN OF MEN - Geoffrey Kirkland/Jim Clay/Jennifer Williams
MARIE ANTOINETTE - K K Barrett/Véronique Melery
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Eugenio Caballero/Pilar Revuelta
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST - Rick Heinrichs/Cheryl A Carasik

COSTUME DESIGN
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - Patricia Field
MARIE ANTOINETTE - Milena Canonero
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Lala Huete
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST - Penny Rose
THE QUEEN - Consolata Boyle

SOUND
BABEL - José García/Jon Taylor/Chris Minkler/Martín Hernández
CASINO ROYALE - Chris Munro/Eddy Joseph/Mike Prestwood Smith/Martin Cantwell/Mark Taylor
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Martín Hernández/Jamie Bashkt
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST - Christopher Boyes/George Watters II/ Paul Massey/Lee Orloff
UNITED 93 - Chris Munro/Mike Prestwood Smith/Douglas Cooper/Oliver Tarney/Eddy Joseph

ACHIEVEMENT IN SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
CASINO ROYALE - Steve Begg/Chris Corbould
CHILDREN OF MEN - Frazer Churchill/Tim Webber/Michael Eames/Paul Corbould
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Edward Irastorza/Everett Burrell
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST - John Knoll/Hal Hickel/Charles Gibson
SUPERMAN RETURNS - Mark Stetson

MAKE UP & HAIR
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - Nicki Ledermann/Angel De Angelis
MARIE ANTOINETTE - Jean-Luc Russier/Desiree Corridoni
PAN'S LABYRINTH*
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST - Ve Neill/Martin Samuel
THE QUEEN - Daniel Phillips

SHORT ANIMATION FILM
DREAMS AND DESIRES - FAMILY TIES - Les Mills/Joanna QuinnGUY 101 - Ian Gouldstone
PETER AND THE WOLF - Hugh Welchman/Alan Dewhurst/Suzie Templeton
SHORT FILM CARE - Rachel Bailey/Corinna FaithCUBS - Lisa Williams/Tom Harper
DO NOT ERASE - Asitha Ameresekere
HIKIKOMORI - Karley Duffy/Paul Wright
KISSING, TICKLING AND BEING BORED - David Smith/Jim McRoberts

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
EMILY BLUNT
EVA GREEN
NAOMIE HARRIS
CILLIAN MURPHY
BEN WHISHAW

The Writers Guild of America nominees

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Babel, Written by Guillermo Arriaga, Paramount Vantage

Little Miss Sunshine, Written by Michael Arndt, Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Queen, Written by Peter Morgan, Miramax Films

Stranger Than Fiction, Written by Zach Helm, Sony Pictures Entertainment

United 93, Written by Paul Greengrass, Universal Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd Phillips, Based on a Character Created by Sacha Baron Cohen, Twentieth Century Fox

The Departed, Screenplay by William Monahan, Based on the Motion Picture Internal Affairs, Written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, Warner Bros. Pictures

The Devil Wears Prada, Screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna, Based on the Novel by Lauren Weisberger, Twentieth Century Fox

Little Children, Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta, Based on the Novel by Tom Perrotta, New Line Cinema

Thank You for Smoking, Screenplay by Jason Reitman, Based on the Novel by Christopher Buckley, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Blood Diamond

With Blood Diamond director Edward Zwick has made an old fashioned action/adventure picture with a message.

The action takes place in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s. Solomon Vandy (Djimon Honsou) is a fisherman who lives in a village with his wife and children. He encourages his son to go to school so that he will have better opportunities then his father. But the rebels are at war with the government and before you can blink an eye the family is split up. Solomon winds up as a prisoner working in the diamond fields. The diamonds that he and the others are picking are known as conflict diamonds because they are sold for a lot of money in order to fund the civil war that rocks his country. One day Solomon finds a big pink diamond and manages to bury it in a spot without anyone seeing (or so the thinks).

Enter Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a diamond smuggler who lacks morals. While Archer and Solomon are both in prison Archer gets wind that Solomon has found a pink diamond. For reasons that benefit him, Archer makes sure that Solomon is released from jail the same time he is.

The third main character is Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist who specializes in writing about the world's hot spots. She meets Archer at a bar and there is an immediate attraction. She and Solomon help to turn Archer from someone who doesn't care about things to someone with a conscience.

With the help of Archer and Maddy, Solomon locates his wife and two daughters in a refugee camp. But where is his son? The boy has been trained as one of many child soldiers who are ready to shoot to kill. And that is all that I am going to tell you about the plot.

Blood Diamond is a good but flawed film. There are some cliches and also a bit of predictability. Nevertheless, I found myself engrossed in the story. Connelly is fine in her role but it isn't that challenging. DiCaprio's accent is okay and with this film and The Departed he has proven himself to be a really good actor. He has finally shaken that baby face look that he has had in most of his films. But the best one in the film is Honsou. You can really feel his character's pain.
And Eduardo Serra's cinematography of the African landscape is gorgeous.

Blood Diamond has an important message for all of us. Whether it is diamonds, gold or other items we should try to find out how they were obtained/manufactured. Although it is impossible for us to always be vigilant about these things we should do our best. Other people's lives depend on it.

DVD Review - The Great New Wonderful

Director Danny Leiner and writer Sam Catlin have created a sensitive and warm portrayal of people in New York City who are trying to get their lives back together after the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

The film consists of five stories that don't appear to be connected but really are. The first story focuses on pastry chef Emme Keeler (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Emme's is up for a big job with a rich family. But she has competition from Safarah Polsky (Edie Falco) who is known as the "Pastry Queen." Emme's greatest wish is to get this job.

The second story features a married couple named David (Thomas McCarthy) and Allison (Judy Greer) Burbage. David and Allison's sex life (and their life in general) has suffered greatly because of their mentally disturbed son Charlie (Bill Donner). Whenever they try to make love Charlie manages to do something disruptive and Allison feels that she has to attend to him. When they are called down to see Mr. Peersall (Steven Colbert), who is the school principal, they have to make a decision.

The third story is about Avi (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sharat Saxena (Satish) who are two friends working together in the security field. While Avi is a bit too carefree Satish always seems to have a chip on his shoulder.

The fourth story targets Dr. Trabulous (Tony Shalhoub) who is a psychiatrist. The doctor is working for a corporation trying to help those who might be suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome due to 9/11. He gets involved with one particular worker named Sandie. Sandie denies having any underlying negative emotions but the doctor feels otherwise.

The last story is about an senior named Judie Hillerman (Olympia Dukakis). Judie lives a humdrum life with her uncommunicative husband Henry (Ed Setrakian). One day she meets
someone that she hasn't seen in a long time - Jerry Bono (Dick Latressa). Judie and Jerry spend an afternoon together and although nothing romantic happens he makes her realize that something it missing in her life.

That, in a nutshell, is the film. There are some good performances - Gyllenhaal, Shalhoub, Dukakis, Colbert and Falco come to mind. And there are others as well. I also liked the fact that the film shows life outside the borough of Manhattan (there are four other boroughs but they usually get ignored). This is a slice of life type of film. And while this is not outstanding filmmaking it does connect you with your emotions and reminds you how you felt after that dark day that the forever changed the world.

DVD Review - Cows (Vacas)

Julio Medem makes very interesting films. Some of the ones that I have seen are Lovers of the Arctic Circle and Sex and Lucia (as well as a documentary about the Basque region). This films, Cows, is one of his older ones. But it is one of his that is available on DVD in the US and I was very curious to see it.

The story starts off in the Basque region in 1875. There is a civil war going on. Manuel (Carmelo Gomez) performs an act of cowardice towards his friend Carmelo (Kandido Uranga) which puts their families at odds for many years to come. Both families make do but they always seem to be in competition with each other. The older Manuel (Txema Blasco) passes the time by painting cows. The story goes until 1936, the dawn of World War II, and we have to pay close attention to understand what has happened to the two families (also of note, Gomez and Uranga, among others, play more than one role). It was also nice to see Pilar Bardem in a small role.

All in all, if you like unusual or offbeat world cinema then this film is for you. It certainly was a film for me.

The National Society of Film Critics awards

BEST PICTURE
*1. Pan's Labyrinth – 34 (Guillermo del Toro)
2. The Death of Mr. Lazurescu – 31 (Cristi Puiu)
3. Letters from Iwo Jima – 29 (Clint Eastwood)

BEST DIRECTOR
*1. Paul Greengrass – 21 (United 93)
2. Martin Scorsese – 15 (The Departed)
2. Guillermo del Toro – 15 (Pan’s Labyrinth

BEST NONFICTION FILM
*1. An Inconvenient Truth – 26
2. Deliver Us From Evil – 24
3. Shut Up & Sing – 13

BEST ACTOR
*1. Forest Whitaker – 9 in tiebreaker – 54 (The Last King of Scotland)
2. Peter O’Toole – 8 in tiebreaker – 54 (Venus)
3. Ryan Gosling – 37 (Half Nelson)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
*1. Mark Wahlberg – 28 (The Departed)
2. Jackie Earle Haley – 18 (Little Children)
3. Alan Arkin – 17 (Little Miss Sunshine)

BEST ACTRESS
*1. Helen Mirren -94 (The Queen)
2. Laura Dern – 32 (Inland Empire)
3. Judi Dench – 25 (Notes on a Scandal)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
*1. Meryl Streep – 25 (The Devil Wears Prada and A Prairie Home Companion)
2. Jennifer Hudson – 22 (Dreamgirls)
3. Shareeka Epps – 16 (Half Nelson)

BEST SCREENPLAY
*1. The Queen – 67 (Peter Morgan)
2. The Departed – 25 (William Monahan)
3. The Good Shepherd – 15 (Eric Roth)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*1. Children of Men – 66 (Emmanuel Lubezki)
2. Pan’s Labyrinth – 41 (Guillermo Navarro)
3. Curse of the Golden Flower – 10 (Xiaoding Zhao)

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM to David Lynch’s labyrinthine INLAND EMPIRE, a magnificent and maddening experiment with digital video possibilities.

FILM HERITAGE AWARD to Jean-Pierre Melville’s ARMY OF SHADOWS (1969), lovingly restored and released by Rialto Pictures for the first time in the United States.

FILM HERITAGE AWARD to the Museum of the Moving Image for presenting the first complete U.S. retrospective of French filmmaker Jacques Rivette, including the premiere American showing of the director’s legendary “Out 1.”

The results of the meeting were dedicated to the memory of Robert Altman.

Screen Actors Guild Nominiees (Film)

SAG Nominees

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Best Actor
Leonardo Dicaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole, Venus
Will Smith, Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Ensemble
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine

Producers Guild of America Nominees

Here are the nominees for this year's Producers Guild of America awards:

Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Animated:
Cars
FlushedAway
Happy Feet
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Monster House

DVD Review - The Weeping Meadow

This beautiful film, directed by Theo Angelopoulous, is indeed a Greek tragedy. But it is also a powerful film-watching experience. The Weeping Meadow is the first in a trilogy that Angelopoulous is making about his homeland.

The story starts off in 1919. A group of Greek refugees are forced to flee Odessa. They settle in a spot near Thessaloniki and build a town. Little Eleni has lost her family so Alexis's family takes her in. Right from the start they have a strong connection. But things do not go smoothly for these two.

For much of the film we watch the grownup Eleni (Alexandra Aidini) and Alexis (Nikos Poursadins) struggle to keep themselves together and alive. Things seem to go from bad to worse with the rise of fascism and the Second World War. I am not going to say more about the plot except that this film is not a happy one.

The cinematography by Andreas Sinanos is lovely and some scenes are really breathtaking. And the music composed by Eleni Karaindrou is gorgeous and is the only uplifting thing in the film.

I liked this film a lot but it would be difficult for many people to sit through. I recommend it only to people who like to see art films in the same vein as those that were made thirty years ago. And what I mean by this are films that have no commercial potential. But for those of you who like this type of film (and we don't see many of them these days) The Weeping Meadow. I, for one, am looking forward to the other films in the trilogy.

Children of Men

Alfonso Cuaron once again proves that he is a master filmmaker. His direction of Children of Men is absolutely outstanding. And Emanuel Lubezki's cinematography is exquisite. The screenplay (adapted from a book by P.D. James) is well written by Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.

The year is 2027 and their hasn't been a child born for eighteen years. The government forbids births. The youngest person on earth is shot dead in Argentina. Most of the world is a disaster but the UK seems to be chugging along in its own way. Theo Faron (Clive Owen) used to be a political activist but now he just wants to survive (drinking is one of the ways he does this). One of his great enjoyments is visiting his friend Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine) who is basically an old hippie. One day Theo is abducted by a group of thugs (or so he thinks). He soon learns that his ex-lover Julian (Julianne Moore) is part of this group. The group is against the government's ban on having children and they have found a woman who is actually pregnant. They want Theodore take the woman to Brighton to meet up with The Human Project which will guarantee her safety. In addition to being pregnant the woman, who is named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), is an illegal immigrant. All illegal immigrants are rounded up and put into camps. And that is all I will tell you about the plot.

The gray, battle torn streets of London are very realistic. And the way Cuaron filmed the scenes where the immigrants are lining up for their fate reminds you of some of the films that dealt with The Holocaust (indeed this is a fascist government). Some of the other actors in the film are Danny Huston as Theo's cousin Nigel - Theo initially asks him for help in getting transit papers, Chiwetel Ejiofer as Luke - one of the key members of Julian's group, Peter Mullan as Syd - a man that Jasper tells Theo to ask for help, and Pam Ferris as Miriam - a midwife who is supposed to help Kee with the birth. All of the actors are wonderful even though many of them are only in the film for a very short time.

Children of Men is an excellent and frightening portrait of the not too distant future. And it gave me much food for thought about how things might turn out in the world if we do not reverse the direction that it is going in.

Oh, and one last thing - I ordered the book from the library and I look forward to comparing it to the film.

Notes on a Scandal

Richard Eyre's Notes on a Scandal is one of the year's finest films. It boasts extraordinary performances from all involved as well as biting dialog (courtesy of screenwriter Patrick Marber via Zoe Heller's book) and realistic settings.

Judi Dench is a marvel to behold as Barbara Covett. Barbara has been working as a history teacher for many years and she holds strong opinions about all of her co-workers. We are allowed to find out what's on her mind through a voiceover that works very well. Barbara's life seems pretty hum-drum but all that changes upon the arrival of the new art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett). At first Barbara doesn't give Sheba much thought but after she helps Sheba break up a fight between two students their friendship really blooms. However, Barbara accidentally finds out that Sheba is having an affair with one of her students, the fifteen year old Steven Connelly (Andrew Simpson). Besides being against the law to have sex with a minor Sheba committing adultery. She is married to the much older Richard (Bill Nighy) and has a teenage daughter Polly (Juno Temple) and a son Ben who has Downs Syndrome (Max Lewis). Barbara now has something on Sheba and she intends to use it to her advantage as she has a more than passing interest the younger woman. You will have to see the film to find out what happens next but I can tell you that it is explosive.

As mentioned before, the film has excellent direction, writing and acting. Dench, along with Helen Mirren in The Queen, gives the best performance of any leading actress this year. Although I think that Mirren will win the Oscar (Dench already has one) their performances are neck and neck when it comes to quality. And Dench is not afraid to have the camera come close to her face and reveal every emotion and every line. Blanchett is also up there when it comes to acting (though she is going to be in the supporting category) and proves that she is one of the finest, if not the finest, actress of her generation. Nighy is wonderful as cuckholded Richard and young Simpson is also very good as Sheba's love/sex interest.

There are a number of things going on in Notes on a Scandal. But loneliness is one of the themes that runs throughout - whether you live alone or with a partner (and children) there are times when you will feel lonely.

DVD Review - Secrets of the Heart

Secrets of the Heart is the story of one boy's coming of age in a most unusual way. Set in the 1960s this lovely Spanish film is written and directed by Montxo Armendariz.

Young Javi (Andoni Erburu) lives in a small city with his two unmarried aunts - Maria (Charo Lopez) and Rosa (Vicky Pena). One day Javi and his friend Carlos (Inigo Garces) walk by a house that is shut down. Javi's brother Juan (Alvaro Nagore) has told him that the house is haunted because a man killed his wife and her friend there. There have been reports of people hearing voices coming from the house.

Javi and Juan's mother (Silvia Munt) lives in a nearby town with Javi's uncle (Carmelo Gomez), who was his father's brother, and his grandfather (Joan Valles), who was his father's father (his two aunts were his father's sisters). The boys live with their aunts because their mother wants them to go to a good school. But there is more to this than meets the eye. When Javi and Juan visit their mother they are forbidden to go into a certain room in the house - the room where their father died. And that my friends is all that I will tell you about the plot.

The film is true to its title and is mainly about secrets. And Javi is curious and determined enough to find out what they are. This film has a charming and magical quality to it that most
American films about children lack. As the secrets unfold we may not be very surprised but we have a strong sense of satisfaction. All of the acting is good but young Erburu is the standout as Javi the truth is revealed to us through Javi's eyes. I highly recommend that you rent this DVD. You won't be sorry that you did.