Movie #611 ..........................."Woman in the Fifth"

Movie #611 "Woman in the Fifth" was the last film we saw this year for the Phoenix Film Festival and it was just so so. I was looking forward to seeing this because it had Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas, and it was partly French and took place in Paris, but it was definitely the seedy part of the city, and the plot left something to be desired. The movie is based on a novel that was quite controversial............ some people didn't like the ending, and I'm afraid, I subscribe to that philosophy, as well. It took a turn I didn't quite swallow, and therefore, left me feeling empty about the film. That is not to say that there are some very good scenes here, very memorable moments that get across the desperation this writing is going through being a stranger in a strange land, trying to re-connect with his ex wife and little girl, who are now living in Paris. Kristin Scott Thomas is always interesting and her scenes work fairly well, along with a new woman in the writer's life who is Hungarian. Very international cast, seedy goings on, and a dumb ending. What else can I say? I might skip this one, if I were you, unless you are a huge Ethan Hawke fan and want to see an atmospherey type film.




Average rating: 3.333
I rate it 3.5 out of 5
The Woman in the Fifth
La Femme Du Vème
(2011) R
When Yankee scribe Tom Ricks moves to Paris to be closer to his daughter, he quickly finds the City of Lights to be a special and miserable place. Robbed and broke, Tom slowly climbs out of le gutter with the help of a beautiful and kind new friend.
Genre:Foreign Movies, French Movies
Availability: DVD availability date unknown

Movie #610 ........................."Apartamento ad Atene" (Apartment in Athens)

Movie #610 "Apartment in Athens" won the best world cinema picture award at the Phoenix Film Festival 2012, and we saw it last night and found it quite good. During the Nazi occupation of Greece, a German officer establishes himself in the house of an Athenian family, totally disrupting their life. Based on the novel "Apartment in Athens" written in 1945 by G. Wescott. The mood is tense throughout, and the actors all embody their characters. It isn't on the Netflix list yet, but if it ever gets there, this might be one you want to see. I've seen almost everything on the Holocaust, and this was a new story for me. I'd rate it 4 out of 5.

Movie #609 ........................."Small, Beautifully Moving Parts"

Movie #609 "Small, Beautifully Moving Parts" was another movie I got to see at the Phoenix Film Festival , and it won the festival choice for the festival. Sarah is pregnant and feeling uncertain, despite her boyfriend's pure enthusiasm. A committed tech-geek, she fears she is more interested in ultrasound technology than in what's being ultra-sounded. When her sister lures her to LA for what ends up being a terrorizing baby shower, Sarah keeps her rental van and hits the road in search of the source of her anxiety, her estranged mother, now living off the grid. It was funny, poignant, but slow moving, sometimes for naught. However, it serves up a nice look at one woman's coming of parenthood in the age of technology. And it's well done. I liked it, and would recommend it to anyone who finds the above story intriguing. I would rate it 3.4 out of 5.

Movie #608 .........................."The Intouchables"

Movie #608 "The Intouchables" --- saw this gem of a movie at the Phoenix Film Festival after seeing two previous ones and this was by far one of the best movies of the three (could be one of the best films I've ever seen!) We LOVED this one! And it's the movie that was missing from the Academy Award nominated films for 2012 --- one that should have won because there is very little wrong with it (no negatives, I could think of) It's a french film (the second most popular in France of all time, and the actor beat out Dujardin (artist) for the Cesar Award this year (French Academy Awards) and he is sooooooooooooo much better!. It was also cool to see Francois Cluzet as Phillipe (loved his Cesar-winning performance in "Tell no One," another film I loved) who looked so much like Dustin Hoffman throughout the film. Driss (Omar Sy) is so winning that you can't take your eyes off of him --- he's that good in the film, and the film talks so much about opposites attracting, how we should treat paraplegics, how you need a sense of humor in the thick of tragedy; you also learn some history of France and how they treat their minorities, etc. Can't say enough nice about this one, and one big question surfaced in the theatre when it was done. Why wasn't this movie released in the united States, and we are hoping they do release it because it is wonderful, and we highly recommend it!




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The Intouchables
Intouchables
(2011) NR
In this compelling story based on true events, affluent quadriplegic Phillipe hires Driss -- a young Parisian petty criminal -- to be his caregiver, and the two form an unexpected bond that changes both their lives.
Genre:Comedies, Dramas, Foreign Movies, Foreign Comedies
This movie is:Understated, Witty

Movie #607 ........................."Mysterious Skin"

Movie # 607 "Mysterious Skin" is a movie I found too gritty for me, and I must admit that i never finished. Once I knew where it was headed and that it was taking way too long to get to the point (I never even got to Levitt's entrance) I turned it off. the topic? sexual abuse, and the movie crosses the line for me when I see little actors having to show the topic ---- the first half an hour (and who knows how much longer?) were the little kids having to deal with a pedophile, and I just don't need to see that. So I give this movie a 1 as a warning for those of you out there who were thinking of renting it. I say, don't bother. In fact, while I was trying to watch the thing, I was checking out the credentials of the director and I'm not sure I'd ever see anything by this guy.




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Mysterious Skin
(2004) NR
Gregg Araki's riveting drama, based on a novel by Scott Heim, brings together two unlikely heroes: a young man who works as a prostitute and another who's convinced he was once abducted by aliens. But it seems they have unspeakable tragedy in common.
Genre:Dramas, Gay & Lesbian Movies, Independent Movies, Gay & Lesbian Dramas
This movie is:Violent, Gritty

Movie #606 ........................."6 Month Rule"

Movie #606 "6 Month Rule" was an amusing romantic comedy we caught at the Phoenix Film Festival starring Blayne Weaver who also directed it. He plays this guy who has several rules about dating, and one is esp. the 6 month rule --- always break up with them before 6 months or you'll just experience tragedy, and he tries to teach this to his best friend, Martin Starr (from "Geaks and Freeks," "Superbad," and "Knocked Up") who has just recently been dumped. Meanwhile, he meets a very different girl --- one who just might break HiS heart and he seeks advice. The film never covers new ground, really, but it is well executed as it moves from one dumb situation he gets in to another ---- that's a big problem here, the main guy is really tough to like, so when he fails, we don't really care. But you might find this amusing, esp. if you are younger than I am and still dating, and you might just find the lead guy charming ---- who knows. I give it 3.6 out of 5.

Movie #605 ........................."How do you write a Joe Sherman song?"

Movie #605 "How Do You Write A Joe Sherman Song?" is a second film seen by us at the Phoenix Film Festival 2012, and we found it quite enjoyable. The lead guy who wrote the movie and directed it is none other than Joe Sherman, who also wrote all the music. He looks like a young Stephen Sondheim and sings like Mandy Pantinkin and boy can he play the piano!!! He wants to write the most original next hit musical on Broadway, and he's talented enough to do that (we think we might see this particular movie made into a musical on Broadway some day) but he's now busy putting in his time ----- goes to play for auditions (one funny moment is when some careless girl comes to the tryout and tells him to change the key 2 seconds before he is to play --- he says you aren't supposed to do that, she whispers what am I supposed to do, and he says, "You shouldn't be trying out in a key you can't sing" and the end result? he ends up playing it! He also gives voice lessons at home, and meanwhile he's writing his show. Well, he lives with a woman who goes from one audition to the next, yet she's very talented in the big 3 --- acting, singing and dancing, and she still can't find a show! And her live in boyfriend is a writer so there's an expectation that he write a show, heck even a song for her! And she sings about it while he plays in the living room. It's very creative how the songs are woven into the movie, while not getting too hokey about it! Anywhere, one day at an audition for an off broadway show Joe is asked to write, a bluesy type singer comes in and moves Joe's heart through music! She gets his music and he wants to write more for her and he does! She becomes his muse, and thus a big conflict --- whom should they cast in the show --- his very talented girlfriend or the new muse? Joe learns a lot more than he figures in this movie, and we found it a lot of fun. It won a couple of awards at this festival, and we think you might be seeing it on the netflix queue in the future, but not right now --- not yet. I would rate it 3.8 out of 5, very creative and well executed. A few negatives, though, one in particular is a lot of extra dialogue that wasn't necessary, so the film tended to lag in a few places.