Arthur

April 12.

I can’t imagine a world where if I was a poor woman scraping money together to pay for a one bedroom apartment in Queens where I lived with my sick father and a billionaire offered me a million dollars as a sorry I lied to you I wouldn’t take it. I know we’re all supposed to pretend we are above money and that integrity is more important, but come on.

This wasn’t the only false part of the Russell Brand reboot of Arthur, but I have to admit, I didn’t hate it like I thought I was going to. It is too sad to really be a comedy and too silly to really be a drama but I found Brand and his nanny, played by Helen Mirren, to be a great team and enjoyed his antics and seeing some beautiful New York scenery.

I saw the original Dudley Moore version but I was a kid and don’t really remember it, actually maybe I only saw part two. Either way, I did think a few times that Brand was trying to imitate Moore, but then I found out that they are from the same area of England. So maybe they just sound the same when they are pretending to be drunk.

Rating: Like

Trois Couleurs: Bleu (Three Colors Blue)

April 9.

Trois Couleurs is one of those trilogies that has been recommended to me over and over and has been in my Netflix queue for years. I wanted to see it, three great French movies that everyone loves, but I never found the motivation. So when my friend mentioned he had ordered the trilogy last year and finally got it, I guess Amazon didn’t have the motivation to send it, I said OK, let me borrow it. I’m sure he wasn’t going to charge me late fees, but I didn’t feel it was right to hold onto it for months, so finally this weekend I watched part one: Bleu.

So after all this time it’s nice to be able to say Bleu, starring Juliette Binoche as the widow of a famous composer, really lived up to the hype. It was amazing and beautiful and disturbing and sad.

Bleu starts with the car accident that kills Binoche’s husband and daughter and follows her as she tries to live after the tragedy. Bleu is a bit mysterious with unanswered questions and a linear storyline but it seems to be more about the emotion.

I’ve already returned Bleu and have parts two and three. I am excited to see where this trilogy, which is general in theme, (trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society concerns), goes.

Rating: Love

Certified Copy

March 26.

I had really high expectations for Certified Copy. The French movie set in Tuscany starring Juliette Binoche got rave reviews everywhere I looked. So as the main characters - Binoche, an apparent single mother running an antique shop in small town Italy and William Shimell an art historian and author - have an uncomfortable meeting, full of strange bickering, I wasn't sure what I thought of it.

And then, when the pair started acted as a married couple, but not in a cute, fun way - in a strange sad way, I was actually less uncomfortable but still confused. This couple seemed to truly be married ... I think.

So in the end I wasn't sure what I thought. The conversation was interesting, the scenery and camera angles were gorgeous and interesting. But the story. What had happened? Were they married? Were they strangers? I don't know.

A few days later, I was talking to a coworker about the film and we had similar reactions. But as we talked about it, we both began to appreciate what we saw more and more. There are so many questions. About what happened, sure, but also about the way people speak to each other and why. And there's no denying that the storytelling was like nothing I've ever seen before. So, now I feel like I need to watch this movie again, and that it could be a movie I love, but for now ...

Rating: Like

Country Strong

January 8.

So, here I am, bored to tears, watching my first mess of a movie of the year, Country Strong. It isn't long exactly, but it does feel like it won't end.

There are too many main characters - Gwyneth, a country super star fresh out of rehab; McGraw, her asshole of a husband and manager; and the two young wannabes along for the ride. The writer really should have picked whose story this was before trying to jam all their lives down our throats. As the story builds it feels forced and phony. This is not at all like last year's successful movie about a washed up, drunk country star - Crazy Heart, which was authentic and raw.

Country Strong moves along quickly, it has to in order to fit it all in. Alcoholism, dead babies, affairs, parents in prison, lies, music - this movie has it all. The story isn't unfolding as much as is being thrown at us. The scenes don't build and reveal secrets slowly, they just spat out some issue and then the next scene spats out something new and unbelievable. And even without any build up everything is completely predictable.

I don't really like any of the characters but the secondary leads are better than Tim and Gwyneth. It is weird watching Blair Waldorf sing country music, but she's not bad. The young, sweet country crooner, who prefers singing in honky-tonks to good people who just want to hear some good music while they drink their beer, is cute, but his facial hair is distracting. It's long and straight and grows in patches. He needs to shave.

The end came just in time with a big, sad, to some, dramatic finale that, again, is predictable even though there isn't any preparation for it.

Rating: Hate

Sunshine Cleaning

April 9.

"Sunshine Cleaning" was billed as a comedy and a drama and although there are some funny scenes this is not is comedy. I think it's mostly about accepting the life you've been dealt and dealing with the decisions you make. There's a lot of disappointment and coming to terms with life. But there's also a lot about being there for the people in your life.

I love the flawed characters in this story about two sisters who start a bio hazard cleaning company.

Amy Adams is cute and perky even as she cleans up blood and body fluids. Emily blunt is perfect as her angsty sister and Alan Arkin never disappoints. He steals a number of scenes as he makes plans with his grandson. (Very little miss sunshine with his inappropriate grandfatherly advice.)

Although there are dark themes, not to mention all the crime scenes, in the end "Sunshine Cleaning" is uplifting.

4 Luni, 3 Saptamâni si 2 Zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 days)

April 4.

Even when no one is speaking "4 Luni, 3 Saptamâni si 2 Zile" is intense. The story, set in communist Romania in the 80s, focuses on college students Otilia and Gabita. With Otilia's help, Gabita gets an illegal abortion in a hotel room.

The story takes a real look at what you do when you're desperate and how far you'd go for a friend. Laura Vasiliu, who plays Gabita, is great but Anamaria Marinca (Otilia) steals the movie with her gut-wrenching performance. Even as Otilia learns about each lie Gabita has told, mostly our of fear, she doesn't give up on her. She's goes to places most friends would never go and without judgment.

The camera work during 4, 3, 2 is strange. It doesn't always focus on what is going on, which sometimes makes it even harder to watch. Everything about this movie is gritty and it is hard to let it go after it's over.

The V.I.P.s

April 3.

I love how old movies don't need to fit into one genre or another. I'm sure "The V.I.P.s" is listed somewhere as a drama or a comedy or a romance, but it's really all three.

This classic was suggested to me by the Bushman, who has yet to steer me wrong, current rom-coms excluded. I added it to my Netflix queue without really checking it out and was intrigued by the list of stars in the cast. I had never seen an Elizabeth Taylor movie, or Richard Burton. Maggie Smith I know from "Harry Potter" and Orson Welles is, well, Orson Welles.

The film takes place during one night while a group of V.I.P travelers are stuck waiting for their flight from London to New York. There are so many great stories in the movie and each is well done. There aren't many movies that can successfully pull off intertwining story lines–yes, I'm talking to you "Valentine's Day."

Watching this movie, I'm reminded how much I love old movies. I've got to start watching more again. Thanks Bushman!

Buffalo '66

March 20.

"Buffalo 66" begins as Billy (played by the writer-director Vincent Gallo) is released from prison and needs to pee. I think that sets the tone for the whole movie. It's weird and great. There are so many scenes worth repeating and re-watching.
The quirky movie follows Billy as he kidnaps a woman (Christina Ricci) to pose as his wife for his parents. It makes no sense why she goes along with him and I expected to learn more about her, but why ruin a good thing.
I don't know which character I liked best. Billy is crazy. The photo booth scene proves that. Ricci has an awesome tap dance scene in a bowling alley. Billy's parents are obsessed with the Buffalo Bills. His mother is still mad at her son for making her go into labor and miss the 1966 Super Bowl. And his father is kinda creepy and has another great scene where he sings to Ricci.
It's too bad Gallo hasn't made more movies, but there are a few I will have to see.

Remember Me

March 13.

Let me start by saying "Remember Me" wasn't great. It seemed to need some editing, but the story and characters are haunting me. Maybe it's because I didn't realize what it was about and didn't see what was coming, but I almost feel like I need to see it again after knowing how it ends.

I've only ever seen Robert Pattinson as a child in "Harry Potter," but I thought he was really good as Tyler. And he did a great American accent. Emilie de Ravin, who plays his love interest Ally, I know well as Claire in "Lost". I had a little trouble buying the Aussie actress as an American girl who grew up in Queens, but oh, well.

The story took so many turns, and centered around so many people I felt like it should have been a miniseries, but I liked the characters and wanted to know them more. I was never bored and wasn't ready for it to end. Even though, in the last few moments I knew there was no where else for it to go.

New York, I Love You

March 6.

You'd think with my love of New York and movies I would have seen "New York, I Love You" in the theater, but I didn't. I saw "Paris je t'aime," which is also made up of shorts set in the cities named in their respective titles. I loved "Paris" and intended to see "New York," so when Boba recommended it I bumped it on Netflix and got to it.

It was a little different than "Paris" because the people and scenes sometimes crossed but the fragmented stories, each with a glimpse into a moment of someone's life, was there. I, of course, liked some stories more than others. My favorite centered around an old, married couple played by Cloris Leachman and Eli Wallach. It was sweet, a bit sad, and funny.

Although overall I liked the movie it didn't feel as New York to me as "Paris je t'aime" felt French. Maybe that's because I've only been to Paris once and don't really know what it's like. Most of "New York" seemed dark and frenzied. And New York City may be the latter, but, in my experience, it can be bright and fun, too.

The Hurt Locker

February 21.

There are some movies, no matter how much critics rave, I have to psych myself up to see. I've wanted to see "The Hurt Locker" since it was in the theater but just never got the energy to do it. So, I added it to my Netflix queue, then looked at it sitting near the DVD player for a few weeks. I could have just skipped this film, there are plenty of great movies I've never seen, but I'm really glad I didn't.

The movie was amazing from the first nail-biting scene. I avoid horror movies but was thinking the entire time I watched this that it was scarier than anything I've ever seen in a slasher flick. I don't know anyone serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, but I know this is actually happening now, and it made it more significant and meaningful.

I hear stories of soldiers returning from war and their struggles with everyday life, suicide, and depression and after watching this movie I don't know how anyone returning from war can cope with life in a "normal" way.

"The Hurt Locker" did an amazing job of putting the viewer into the situation and making us feel the danger and threat as the unit counts down the days until they go home. And these were the emotions I had from my comfortable couch. I can't imagine what it must be like for soldiers and their families.

Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces)

January 16.

I haven't seen a lot of Spanish cinema, but the movies I've seen all look like they were made in 1992. The colors, character's styles, sets are all faded. This doesn't mean it can't still be a good movie, but the other thing I've noticed is although the story is interesting the movie would fit in nicely on Lifetime.

"Los Abrazos Rotos," starting Penelope Cruz and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, follows these trends. The story is of a blind director, played by Lluís Homar, who is taken care of by his friend and her son. Cruz is part of his past and only appears in flashbacks. The story is interesting, just like some movies of the week are interesting, but I don't think it's a "love poem to cinema" as one reviewer called it.

I feel like the drama was a bit misplaced, too. I know Americans and Europeans think differently about some things, but when Homar's friend, played by Blanca Portillo, tells her son that Homar is actually his father he laughs and then they cut to the next scene. I just didn't really get this movie I guess.

A Single Man

January 15.

Even if I hadn't seen the name Tom Ford scroll across the screen before the first image appeared I would have known he made "A Single Man." Every gorgeous frame looked like a glossy spread in a fashion magazine.

The fashion icon wrote, produced, and directed the movie, which takes place during one November day in 1962 Los Angeles. Each scene is another game with color. Whenever we see George's (Colin Firth) reality the colors are muted and grainy, but when he fantasizes or thinks about the past the colors grow bright and pop.

The story is about George and his struggle with day-to-day life after his long-time partner dies. The British, English professor spends his day going to the bank, visiting his best friend, Charley (Julianne Moore), getting picked up by a hot, Spanish prostitute, and making a connection with one of his students. Nicholas Hoult plays the confused but confident teenager brilliantly and gives George some much needed hope.

This is a good place to thank the movie gods for answering my movie prayers and bring more Matthew Goode to the big screen. He's more than just eye candy in the flash back scenes as George's lost-love, Jim. So, thank you, movie gods.

The Wrestler

January 2.

I returned "Angus" to the Red Box and scrolled to see what else was there. It was an extensive list, but I decided on "The Wrestler," which I always wanted to see and hadn't. Sometimes I have to psych myself up to see some of these movies I know are going to be hard to watch, even if they are amazing.

And Mickey Rourke as Randy the Ram was both those things - amazing and hard to watch. Following Randy's demise was depressing and painful. He didn’t see anyway out, and neither did I. Marisa Tomei was gorgeous as Randy’s almost-girlfriend, stripper Pam/Cassidy, and even the highly-annoying Evan Rachel Wood didn’t bother me as his daughter, Stephanie. All the actors did a phenomenal job, especially Rourke who made me feel for this character, even though his decisions had created this life he was living.