Posts by Otilia | Picturenose

Season of the Witch (2011)

Jun

2011

Not-so enchanting Yet another Nicholas Cage movie, but this time an unsuccessful fantasy action-thriller, peppered with a lot of special effects (too many for the century in which it is set), Season of the Witch is a lacklustre creation from director Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Swordfish (2001)).

Tomboy (2011) 2

Apr

2011

Should I be a boy or a girl today? An excellent and powerful French film on the issue of child psychology and sexual identity at an early age, Tomboy (2011) is now officially the second-best movie by director Céline Sciamma (with Water Lilies (2007) the first). Laure (Zoé Héran) is a 10-year-old French girl who ...

Hævnen (In a Better World) (2010)

Mar

2011

A world of empathy? Otilia reviews the latest from director Susanne Bier (After the Wedding (2006)), which lifted the Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Oscars. Hævnen (In a Better World) (2010) manages perfectly to capture the essence of the world we live in – it is emotionally fascinating and breathtaking from the outset. Loneliness, ...

Requiem pour une tueuse (Requiem for a Killer) (2011)

Mar

2011

Killing joke With his thriller Requiem pour une tueuse (2011), first-time writer-director Jérôme le Gris intends to give us a sort of Kill Bill (2003) mixed with fragments of Agatha Christie novels, wrapped up in Handel’s music. The result? Very funny murder scenes, but weak characterizations and action.

James Cameron’s Sanctum (2010)

Jan

2011

Never give up Director Alister Grierson (Kokoda: 39th Battalion (2006)) and executive producer James Cameron (Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009)) have combined efforts brilliantly in a 3D adventure-drama-thriller concerning the beauty and dangers of cave diving, in Sanctum (2010).

Made in Dagenham (2010)

Jan

2011

I work, you work, he works, she works… Sally Hawkins leads the fight for women’s equal pay in Made in Dagenham (2010) from director Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls (2003), A Lot like Love (2005)). Based on a true story from 1968, the movie tells of the women’s revolution for equal pay in Britain, which led ...

The Way Back (2010)

Jan

2011

Keep walking Well, this is an amazing movie. With his great cast, thrilling adventure, impressive settings and plot that teaches us a lot about human survival skills, director Peter Weir (Master and Commander (2003) and The Truman Show (1998)) is likely, with The Way Back (2010), to garner Oscar nominations.

Love and Other Drugs (2010)

Jan

2011

No, it’s not about Viagra… Edward Zwick (Legends of the Fall (1994) and The Last Samurai (2003)), in Love and Other Drugs (2010), brings together two high-quality actors, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, but the movie nevertheless remains as ‘another romance in the American style formulated on the background of the US pharmaceutical sector’ satire.

Daniel y Ana (Daniel & Ana) (2009)

Dec

2010

Animal instincts Director Michel Franco’s first feature, Daniel y Ana (2010) is a powerfully ‘silent’ movie about brother and sister, Daniel (Dario Yazbek Bernal) and Ana (Marimar Vega). Set in a rich neighbourhood in Mexico, we are introduced to the perfect lives of two people who are suddenly jolted into the harsh realities of street ...

De vrais mensonges (2010)

Nov

2010

Good intentions De vrais mensonges (2010) would unfortunately appear to be ‘another French movie’ of a style that seems painfully familiar. In a hopeless effort to save her mother (Nathalie Baye) from depression and loneliness, Emilie (Audrey Tautou) sends her a letter that she herself has received from a secret admirer. As things get complicated ...

Les petits mouchoirs (Little White Lies) (2010)

Oct

2010

A toast to friendship Guillaume Canet is the handsome, talented actor from Love Me If You Dare (2003) who, with this offering, has turned into an extremely good first-time director. Bringing together heavyweight names of French cinema, Les petits mouchoirs (Little White Lies) (2010) appears to be a movie about friendship – but only at ...

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