MOVIE REVIEW: BEAST OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

A six-year-old girl from the southern Delta searches for her long-lost mother after her father falls ill and her world spins out of balance in the film from director Benh Zeitlin that took home the Grand Jury Prize and Best Cinematography award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Benh Zeitlin

Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Lowell Landes, Levy Easterly

Release Date: Jun 29, 2012

Rated PG-13 for child Imperilment, Brief Sensuality, Language, Some Disturbing Images and Thematic Material

Runtime: 1 hr. 33 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Benh Zeitlin’s first full length film is a magical experience that’s deceptively simple but incredibly dense. Zeitlin’s film is a visual marvel which captures the childlike wonder of innocence with a tangible authenticity which seeps through the screen. It’s the type of film which if instantly engaging and mesmerizing as well. Quvenzhané Wallis & Dwight Henry serve as the film’s core throughout. Zeitlin’s decision to cast non actors really adds to the feel of the film. Quvenzhané Wallis is just as impressive as I’d heard. She carries herself with a wonderful sense of strength and awareness of self throughout. It’s always tough to gauge with child actors if it’s a performance or just their innate personality seeping through, regardless she’s perfect in the lead role. I was just as impressed with Dwight Henry’s work especially since he’s truly a non actor, he owns a bakery. Together they work with a fascinating chemistry which is endearing and heartbreaking at the same time.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: AMOUR

An octogenarian couple find their love put to the ultimate test when one of them suffers a stroke, and the other must assume the role of the caretaker in this compassionate yet unsentimental drama from director Michael Haneke. Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) are retired classical-music teachers savoring their golden years in a comfortable apartment when Anne experiences a stroke that leaves her partially paralyzed. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Michael Haneke

Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud, William Shimell.

Release Date: Dec 19, 2012

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including a disturbing act, and brief language

Runtime: 2 hr. 7 min.

Genres: Art House/Foreign

Review:

Micahel Haneke has made a career of turning the mundane into something disturbing and unsettling. He’s also been a didactic director even if you don’t notice it. Early on in Amour, his deeply moving yet tragic love story, the director holds a shot of an audience. Haneke is telling us that this tale is about something that will affect all us at some point. It’s an interesting starting point into a brutally honest tale of love and devotion that goes into the depths of our hearts and limitations of our bodies. Haneke confines the film to the octogenarian’s well worn apartment creating a sense of claustrophobia throughout. In this confined space is a pair of legendary French actors who deliver incredibly powerful performances throughout. Emmanuelle Riva has received plenty of praise and awards for her performance here and it’s well earned. Riva’s work portraying Anne’s increasingly degraded state is masterful and shockingly realistic. Riva has a showier role but Jean-Louis Trintignant work shouldn’t go unnoticed. Trintignant’s turn is just as strong. His ability to convey a plethora of emotion through a single look or facial expression is just masterful. Together with Haneke’s direction they create a film which takes us through the end of a love story in all its naked truth.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ARTIST

IN THEATERS

THE ARTIST



Michel Hazanavicius' stylistically daring, dialogue-free comedy-drama The Artist stars Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, a matinee idol in Hollywood before the dawn of talkies. His marriage is far from perfect, and one day he meets ambitious chorus girl Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) and is smitten. Very quickly thereafter, sound comes to movies, and George sinks all his money into one last epic silent film, while Peppy becomes a star in the new era. John Goodman co-stars as the head of the film studio working with Valentin. The Artist played at both the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, RoviDirector: Daniel Espinosa

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller
Release Date: Nov 25, 2011

Rated PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture.

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Art House/Foreign, Comedy

Review:

By this point in time if you’ve heard of The Artist, you’ve heard all the buzz on it and there’s probably nothing new or fresh that I’ll be able to tell you about it. Quite simply it’s one of the most charming films you’ll probably see, working with a wonderful “meta” style. This silent film seems like it’d have a huge challenge trying to convey a full fledged, albeit well worn, plot with a dramatic arch. It does it with such ease that any reservations you might have had are quickly quelled and you fall easily and happily under its spell. Jean Dujardin’s smile lights up the screen but it’s just a small portion of his palatable charisma and charm. He doesn’t just deliver the lighter side of the film but traverses the film’s meatier and more emotional portions. A radiant Bérénice Bejo is more than capable as his female counterpart. Her performance as Peppy Miller is one of most enchanting and lovable performances I’ve ever seen. She gives her character and the film an earnest heart and its soul. Hollywood mainstays like John Goodman and James Cromwell turn in impressive supporting roles and the lovable dog, Valentin’s constant companion, deserves a special award. Director Michel Hazanavicius delivers a film that any movie lover should love. It touches on so much about the format that I love all the while telling a beautiful story, a lovely counter point to the current trend of louder larger and bigger.

A