Take This Waltz (2011) Review

I'm sitting here trying to think of the appropriate words to describe Sarah Polley's "Take This Waltz" and there are four things that keep popping into my head: annoying, boring, trying way too hard and overall incredibly duuuuullllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Review

Oh Wes Anderson, hero of every scarf-wearing, record-collecting, retro-loving, fixie-riding, American Apparel-addicted hipster out there, you've done it again. "Moonrise Kingdom" is here and that's a reason to cheer for everyone who adores your quirky movies so much.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Review

"Safety Not Guaranteed" is a sweet and good-natured film. What more can I say? Honestly, I really don't want to write anything else but that. Go and see it, it surely is a fine example of modern American indie cinema, it has all the ingredients, corky characters, an indie rock and pop soundtrack and indie darlings Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza in the lead roles.

Citizen Ruth (1996) Review

Pop Quiz: Name a movie that focuses on the abortion issue. Go! .... Can't come up with anything? If you can, good for you, you're a movie nerd. If not, then you're also fine. There are countless taboo topics that have been tackled by American cinema, whether it's racism, child abuse, death penalty, euthanasia, etc. But interestingly, there hasn't really been a movie about the abortion issue. Well, that was until "Citizen Ruth" came along, Alexander Payne's feature film debut as a director from 1996.

Hard Candy (2005) Review

Consider this a warning but this film will haunt you if you're a dude. I'm serious. Think you're a tough guy? Watch this film and think again, I promise it'll make you squirm in your seat. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Exam (2009) Review

Discovering hidden gems, I love it, you know it. The first time I heard about "Exam" was in Empire and Total Film but since it didn't get a theatrical release in the US basically no one here had heard about it. But luckily I got my fingers on a copy of this smart minimalist thriller and it surely didn't disappoint.

Happiness (1998) Review

And here we go again, after watching some fairly convenient and "nice" movies I encountered another one that is anything but. Happiness by Todd Solondz is a poisonous little film that, like so many others before, looks into the dark soul of suburban USA. But what makes this film stand out from many others is that it is not afraid to touch dark topics without being exploitative. While other films such as Harmony Korine's Ken Park are more interested in just blatantly showing the perversions that happen behind white picket fences without any sort of context, Solondz's film is anchored by characters that are actually drawn out. We might not sympathize with their actions but at least we are able to understand them.

Me And You And Everyone We Know (2005) Review

I already pointed out in an earlier post how much I like to explore movies off the mainstream. And it seems to just keep going, there's so much more stuff going on than just comic book adaptations, sequels and computer animated children's films. So let's get to business: Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know.

If you haven't heard of her or her films, she's a performance artist-turned-filmmaker and you can feel her origin when watching this movie. I'm not gonna spoil anything for you but it's way more offbeat than I initially thought.

Everything that's happening in the film seems random, ambiguous and improvised and this is essentially the breaking point where your taste has to decide what you'll make of it. If you like your movies in a classic three act structure with flawlessly beautiful people and Hollywood gloss then don't even bother thinking about this film, you won't be pleased.

For everyone else who's more open to experiments there's a lot to be charmed by. The film's improvised but still artsy feeling allows for moments of great emotion and sometimes insane hilarity, as I said I could spoil it for you but I won't, it's just great, these moments made the film for me. If you consider yourself a movie lover who's open to new things then go and experience this unique little motion picture!

500 Days Of Summer (2009) Review

As much as I love Hollywood and American movies there's one thing that I despise: Generic formula work. If there's a unique success story the big studios try to cash in on that by blatantly copying and rarely coming close to the quality of the original. One of the most overused genres in that respect is the romantic comedy. Honestly I am not a big fan of these movies, too many brainless Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Aniston vehicles have destroyed my belief in the genre. So you can imagine my surprise when (500) Days of Summer came along. I've seen this film probably for the sixth or seventh time now and I'm never getting tired of it so you can probably guess that this is gonna be another rave review.

The film's basic story is just the chronicle of a relationship, that's it, no unnecessary subplots, everything superfluous stripped off. But here comes the twist: The film's strictly told from the male perspective. Enter Joseph Gordon-Levitt, perfectly cast in the role as Tom, naive romantic dreamer. When he meets Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, he thinks he has found his match. Unfortunately she has strong opinions against any sort of serious relationships which naturally collides with Tom's idea of dating her.

So what we have here is a romance with reversed roles, a story that jumps between different timelines to contrast their happy moments with their unhappy ones. On top of that we get an amazing soundtrack, two leads with perfect chemistry and a creative use of colors and editing.

You must be a real grump not to be charmed by this film, it does everything right that so often gets screwed up by big budget productions, where they have the dollar sign, this film has heart. If you still haven't seen it then go and give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

The Squid And The Whale (2005) Review

You know what I like more than a good movie? A good movie that's also a hidden gem. I mean we all agree that watching Pulp Fiction is awesome or that The Godfather is remarkable but I get the biggest pleasure out of discovering an amazing movie that barely anyone knows about. Tonight it happened again with Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale.

I know, I know, it's not really a hidden gem, it got rave reviews back in 2005, played at several renowned festivals, even went on to be nominated for an Academy Award. But who actually saw it? Right!? Anyways, I had the pleasure of watching it and I don't regret it at all.

The movie is about a couple who is getting divorced and how they and their two sons deal with the new situation. Sounds rather thin for a plot. But the devil is in the details, or in this case, the acting. I actually don't know where to start, everyone in the ensemble is outstanding. Jeff Daniels is the intellectual douche bag Dad who is an often hilarious and strangely touching character while Jesse Eisenberg as his oldest son proves why he is considered one of the best actors of his generation. I mean, if a movie can make William Baldwin look like a decent actor then you know you are dealing with something special.

Luckily the film doesn't have the heavy handedness one might expect when it comes to a serious topic like divorce but a rather casual tone that, weirdly, allows some comedic highlights, I found myself cracking up quite often.

So is there anything not to like with all the Indie quirkiness around? As with one of Baumbach's other movies, Greenberg, I felt somehow unsatisfied in the end. I know this is not the sort of film that intends to give you the warm and fuzzy Happy End feeling that the average audience is craving for but there are some parts of the plot that seem to be just forgotten about.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for an unusual comedy or are tired of another Adam Sandler idiot fest then you should go and see The Squid and the Whale, it's great.