678 (2010)

Directed by: Mohamed Diab
Country: Egypt

Plot: Unfolds the poignant story of three women and their search for justice from the daily plight of sexual harassment in Egypt.
Quick comment: All the efforts made to denounce this typical situations in Egypt are to be praised. I would never have imagined that the men carried a lemon in their pockets just to start harassing the women. The bad part is that the storytelling falls in some kind of heroic melodrama and the connections made at the end are a bit forced.
Relevant Awards: Best actor and actress at Dubai Film Festival.

A Dangerous Method (2011)

Directed by: David Cronenberg
Country: UK

Plot: A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.
Quick comment: 90 minutes of psychology discussions between Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein that worked fine for me. All the three played an important role in the first steps given in psychoanalysis and it was interesting to see how the acceptance and understanding of their own issues helped them to develop their theories. It might be monotonous for those who are searching for action.
Relevant Awards: -

Moneyball (2011)

Directed by: Bennett Miller
Country: USA

Plot: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
Quick comment: Even without understanding the baseball game, I experienced some enthusiasm by watching it. Regarding all the other movies depicting the same subject, I may say this is a good one, though it is also true that it’s overrated by the critic in general. Bennett Miller was also the director of the acclaimed "Capote", released 6 years ago.
Relevant Awards: -

Kosmos (2010)

Directed by: Reha Erdem
Country: Turkey

Plot: Among desolated turkish landscapes, a man with healing powers comes to a small town shouting words of wisdom. Despite of his abnormal behavior, he soon becomes the admired doctor of the poor. But he hasn't got a solution for death.
Quick comment: An uncommon piece of cinema. Sometimes hard to watch, it won't be suitable for everybody. Although some very strange scenes, the message is clear enough - the crucification of a good man that heals and even steals in order to help other people.
Relevant Awards: Best director, film and cinematography at Antalya Film Festival, Turkey

I Wish (2011)

Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda
Country: Japan

Plot: The film follows two brothers: one lives in Kagoshima and the other in Fukuoka. Their parents separated 6 months ago. After having heard about a urban legend they decide to collect money and reunite for an unforgettable trip to have their wishes granted.
Quick comment: Another delightful movie from one of the best contemporary japanese directors. As in “nobody knows” (2004) and “still walking” (2008) – both highly recommended, Koreeda’s subject is based on family relationships. “I wish” takes advantage of childhood innocence mixed up with a wonderful sense of adventure. Honest and genuine.
Relevant Awards: -

J. Edgar (2011)

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Country: USA

Plot: As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
Quick comment: I use to say that Eastwood doesn’t know how to make a bad movie. "J.Edgar" reveals some issues, starting with the awful makeup of the characters when old - with Clyde Tulson seeming to be a puppet. With fair performances, its main strength turns out to be Edgar's frustrating life story.
Relevant Awards: -

Guilty of Romance (2011)

Directed by: Shion Sono

Country: Japan

Plot: The new crime noir from the award-winning director Shion Sono tells the tale of three women entangled in a mystery that is the gate to a hell-bound love like no other!

Quick comment: Alienation and madness usually are the favourite themes of this cult japanese director and this one isn’t exception. Not so powerful as “coldfish” - his previous work, “guilty of romance” is an erotic horror movie where vanity, infidelity, greed and murder are presented in a very bizarre way. Worth a look.

Relevant Awards: -

Headhunters (2011)

Directed by: Morten Tyldum
Country: Norway

Plot: An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.
Quick comment: Vibrant and surprisingly funny, won't let you fall asleep. Supported by delicious details and a mysterious atmosphere that reminded me the Coen brothers darkest movies, we stand before a breathtaking bloodbath where the hunter becomes the hunted.
Relevant Awards: -

The Poll Diaries (2010)

Directed by: Chris Kraus

Country: Germany

Plot: In the summer of 1914, thirteen-year-old Oda von Siering (Paula Beer) leaves Berlin to join her family and an assortment of German and Russian aristocrats on an estate in Estonia.

Quick comment: It was beautifully shot but the director might have taken better advantage from the script if his approach had more guts. The moments of tension were not so often and its pretentions of being a great drama or a memorable love story were never achieved.

Relevant Awards: Best cinematography and costume design at German Film Awards.

Circumstance (2011)

Directed by: Maryam Keshavarz
Country: Iran

Plot: A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession.
Quick comment: Bold plot with a clever direction in this iranian present-day story. We can notice slight glimpses of openness which can’t override with the society’s ultra-conservative ideologies. It will make you think about the consequences of your choices.
Relevant Awards: Best film at Rome Film Fest, Italy; Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival and L.A.Outfest, USA.

The Beautiful Person (2008)

Directed by: Christophe Honoré
Country: France

Plot: Sixteen-year old Junie changes high school mid-year, following the death of her mother. She finds herself in the same class as her cousin Mathias, who introduces her to his friends. All the boys want to date Junie, and she chooses the quietest among them, Otto Cleves. But soon after, she encounters the great love of her life, Nemours, her Italian teacher.
Quick comment: A few flirtations between high school students are shown. In one of them a teacher is involved. Not satisfactory as a whole and with some annoying characters. I found it a bit silly.
Relevant Awards: Best screenplay at Lecce Festival of European Cinema, Italy.

Tyrannosaur (2011)

Directed by: Paddy Considine
Country: UK

Plot: Joseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.
Quick comment: This is Heavy stuff! A raging film with superb acting and sturdy direction. The encounter between two lost human beings in a story that may hit you hard. A bittersweet movie and a challenge for the bold ones.
Relevant awards: Best film and debut director at British Independent Awards, Uk; Audience Award at Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece; Special Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival, USA.

Restless (2011)

Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Country: USA

Plot: The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.
Quick comment: Van Sant takes a new turn with this odd, dark romantic story reminding us of Hal Ashby’s “harold and maude”(1971). After major independent works such as “elephant”, “paranoid park” or “mala noche” and Hollywood sensations like “milk”, “drugstore cowboy” and “good will hunting”, this new feature reveals some weaknesses. Just watchable!
Relevant Awards: -

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Directed by: Sean Durkin
Country: USA

Plot: Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.
Quick comment: A disturbing 'indie' film. Teaches you a lesson by giving a creepy notion of how destructive a brainwash can be in one's life. An outstanding nightmare portrait that will make you feel unconfortable.
Relevant Awards: Directing award at the Sundance Film Festival, USA; Most promising filmmaker at the Chicago Film Critics Association awards, USA.

50/50 (2011)

Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Country: USA

Plot: Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
Quick comment: What the hell of a movie makes jokes about a guy with cancer? This is the first thing that comes to your head when you start watching this. But the truth is that the story flows in a natural and optimistic way and manages to be successful on both drama and comedy.
Relevant Awards: Best original screenplay and top ten independent film at the National Borad of Review, USA; Actor of the year at Hollywood Film Festival, USA.

The Future (2011)

Directed by: Miranda July

Country: USA

Plot: When a couple decides to adopt a stray cat their perspective on life changes radically, literally altering the course of time and space and testing their faith in each other and themselves.

Quick comment: Despite of several good intentions and the weird floating approach by July, this is a movie that doesn't remain in your head for much time. Somehow its abstraction level makes you feel lost and stop caring about the characters.

Relevant Awards: -

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

Country: UK

Plot: The mother of a teenage boy who went on a high-school killing spree tries to deal with her grief - and feelings of responsibility for her child's actions.

Quick comment: From the amazing director of "ratcatcher" and "morvern callar", comes a gripping psychological thriller that makes you wonder how much responsible the parents can be when their children express an evil behaviour. A memorable performance by Tilda Swinton.

Relevant Awards: Best director at the British Independent Film Awards and London Film Festival

The Ides of March (2011)

Directed by: George Clooney

Country: USA

Plot: An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.

Quick comment: Good performances in a consistent political story which would have benefited with more suspense moments in order to catch the viewer.

Relevant Awards: Brian Award at the Venice Film Festival, Italy.

Hugo (2011)

Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA

Plot: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Quick comment: The return of the adventure genre by the hand of master Scorsese, mixing up fiction and reality. An excelent piece of entertainment and an opportunity to know more about the french illusionist and filmmaker Georges Meliés. Highly recommended.
Relevant Awards: Best Director at the Golden Globes, USA

Cinema Verité (2011)

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman
Country: USA

Plot: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the first american family to be the subjects of a reality TV show.
Quick comment: Made for TV, it doesn't have the strength of "american splendor", the big success from it's director. Based on a real case, it's a false documentary capable of amusing but certainly not a big deal.
Relevant Awards: -

Turn Me On, Dammit! (2011)

Directed by: Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
Country: Norway

Plot: A mother learns her 15 year old daughter has been making phone calls to a service number... an adult-oriented service number. A norwegian teen sex comedy.
Quick comment: It has nothing new to say about the subject but in fact some ideas presented are fresh and the humor is remarkable. Light and no more than enjoyable.
Relevant Awards: -

Breathless (2008)

Directed by: Yang Ik-Joon
Country: South Korea

Plot: A violent man learns compassion when he starts to care for a young woman in this independent crime drama. Ddongpari (aka Breathless) was the first feature film from writer, producer and director Yang Ik-Joon.
Quick comment: A violent drama with substance. Hard to watch at the beginning, slowly we're able to get the point of view of the dynamic director, writer and actor Ik-Joon in his impressive debut.
Relevant Awards: Best Foreign Film and Director at Kinema Junpo Awards, Japan; Audience Award at Tokyo Filmex, Japan

Anton Checkov's The Duel (2010)

Direcetd by: Dover Koshashvili
Country: USA

Plot: Gambling, alcohol and flirtations consummated in an impossibly beautiful countryside hold obvious attractions for Laevsky. But he's brought up short when financial ruin and his mistress's sexual dalliances lead to a violent denouement.
Quick comment: Lacks some enthusiasm and drags here and there. However the story based on the Checkov's play is interesting and the characterization invoking the period is quite alright.
Relevant Awards: -

The Debt (2010)

Directed by: John Madden
Country: USA

Plot: This espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel and Stephan about their former colleague David. All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966 in East Berlin.
Quick comment: In this unconvincing thriller we have solid performances but the story isn't interesting enough to make us stick to it.
Relevant Awards: -

Happy Happy (2010)

Directed by: Anne Sewitsky
Country: Norway

Plot: Family is the most important thing in the world to Kaja. She is an eternal optimist in spite of living with a man who would rather go hunting with the boys...
Quick comment: a bit predictable in its mixed amorous betrayals, could have been much better in many aspects. However it guarantees some entertainment in a melancholic mood.
Relevant Awards: Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival, USA