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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

2011 Art House Cinema

The art house genre rarely makes an appearance in small town theaters, summer belongs to the blockbusters and the high action movies. This is for those who must make a pilgrimage to a theater which might carry an art house movie. The list on this page have the most buzz in Hollywood Land and are most likely the best contenders for Oscar and the Golden Globe awards. The overwhelming theme for this year's films is; THE END OF THE WORLD. The apocalyptic juices have been flowing and the sci-fi theme has had the most affect on the synopsis's.

The Tree of Life which won the coveted  Palm de'Ore at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Terrence Malick, and stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain. Audiences have packed the select LA and NY theaters which premiered last weekend. Already the trailer gives hints as to the beauty of the film. This one is top on my list and the one to look out for come Oscar season. The film about the cycle of mortality and, well, mortality, documents the moments in life that seem like it should be in movies.


Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen's comedic take on the 1920's bohemian lifestyle, meets time travel, meets   a lot of other things. Starring Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, and Marion Cotillard; this film is definitely for the pseudo-intellectual type, for they only will get it. Like other Woody fans we will see this just to say we have, though critics has been comme ci comme ca with their ratings. Some critics have tried to offset other critics critiques by saying that this is an art film and that you must look at it from other aspects.

The Double Hour  or in Italian La Doppia Ora is a romantic thriller directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, and yes, it is a subtitled film. The mystery romantic thriller has been sought after by many directors to make an American remake. I guess the idea of speed dating, gone bad, with a twist of murder is just too juicy to pass up. 


The Artist is in black and white, and a silent film. The movie focuses on the dwindling career of a famous silent movie star and an up and coming movie star, at a time when silent films are going out of fashion. The film was directed by Michel Hazanavicius and stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The filmed premiered at the  Cannes Film Festival where Dujardin won for Best Male Actor.
  

Melancholia's director Lars von Trier made world wide headlines for making comments about Nazis during a press conference for the premier of the movie at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The movie which stars Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland is based upon a large planet possibly hitting earth. The end of the world, tragi-comedy apocalyptic film won Dunst Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival.

We Need To Talk About Kevin stars Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly and is the on screen adaption of the book "Kevin." In this role Swinton is superb, many thought that this film was going to win the Palm de'Ore at Cannes, but in fact it was the last movie to get an American distributor (Oscilloscope). It is hard to describe the films theme without giving away the plot, which includes a mother coping with the aftermath of her son's decisions. Anthony Breznican said it best, "But it’s the realism that makes it chilling. Imagine The Omen, The Bad Seed, or anything from the killer-kid genre of thrillers, but stripped of supernatural hokum and starting at the place those tales usually end, with focus on a lonely, guilt-addled survivor instead of the victims."



LA PIEL QUE HABITO - THE SKIN I LIVE IN-  Starring Antonio Banderas and Elena  Ayana, directed by Pedro Almodavar. The synopsis was taken from the youtube teaser. 

Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. After twelve years, he manages to cultivate a skin that is a real shield against every assault. In addition to years of study and experimentation, Robert needed a further three things: no scruples, an accomplice and a human guinea pig. Scruples were never a problem. Marilia, the woman who looked after him from the day he was born, is his most faithful accomplice. And as for the human guinea pig...

The Future directed and featuring Miranda July and Hammish Linklater. As a Miranda July fan I was really excited to see her make another film after Me, You, and Everyone We Know. This indie film by the performing artist is again about the world coming to an end and a coming of age film (mid-age).

Incendies which has already been released is a story of a woman's journey through her mother's last wishes. Her and her brother travel to the Middle East in order to set things right and find their father. The foreign movie comes from France and stars Lubna Azabal. 

Another Earth tells the story of a duplicate earth and a duplicate you. Remember when you were a kid and you would wonder if their were aliens or another you?

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