Clara's Talk

Watchmen

FUCKING EPIC!

I won't even write up anything seeing as the reviews will come piling in this weekend and besides, I have no words to describe the beauty of this film.

Jackie Earle Haley is a god.

Coraline

A fine 3D animation film that is worth a watch in the cinema if you are a fan of the genre.
Combines just enough intrigue and creepiness to distinguish it from yet another film aimed at children.
Overall very visually pleasing and entertaining storyline; however my biggest critique lies in the music score which I thought lacked a certain eeriness to punctuate Coraline's spooky adventures.

Valkyrie

Much more poignant than I thought it would be. A film which will shock you even after it has ended.
Great cast!

Recommended to fans of the genre who, by the way, should NOT miss it while it is in theatres.

Bride Wars

In the realm of chick flick, this one is a winner.
Of course, the plot is terribly silly (both weddings are planned on the same day and two best friends turn against each other to take over the date) but! It's funny, and contagious, and acted out by two actresses which have terrific on-screen chemistry.

Definitely a film I recommend to all the ladies wanting to see something fun with their gals :)

The Life Before Her Eyes

Tons of potential, poorly executed.
Still unsure if I appreciate the ambiguous ending, but one thing is sure: acting needs to be polished.
Captures emotions very well, but tends to drag on.
At times very confusing - and yes, the ending is one of those scenes.

Recommended to those who enjoy the genre.

The House Bunny

Starts off pretty nicely, but then plunges into nothingness.
However, Anna Faris is hilarious and her performance alone should persuade you to rent this.
It remains a chick flick, so you should know what to expect.

The Spirit

I might be off, but I didn't like this as much as it was made out to be.
First of all, if you have Sin City in mind once you see this, you will be utterly deceived because this is NO where near Sin City. And 300, well, they pretty much are the same in terms of style and quality.

The highlight of the film remains the visuals, and I'd even go so far as say that I will never get tired of this style.
Acting was pretty good, but it couldn't hide the fact that the story was just plain dull. Beautiful faces yes, but otherwise ----- what is there left?
Of course, the dark humour was greatly appreciated, but ridiculous at times.

Better luck next time.

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

GLORIOUS! GLORIOUS! GLORIOUS!

Acting is impeccable (top notch) and incredibly believable. So believable in fact that the conversation about the abortion made me feel extremely queasy and desirous of ending the film (I am squeamish of nature) - that's how real it was.
Definitely haven't seen such brilliant actors in a while...!

Story flows along smoothly, with just the right amount of suspense to keep us on the edge of our seats.
The ending blew me away! It was so simple yet so poignant.

Probably the best thing that's happened to foreign cinema in the year 2008 (or was it at the end of 2007? Pff, doesn't matter! I'm sure it owns the foreign films of 2007 anyhow!).

Definitely, Maybe

Pfff!!

This had some potential, but it all went away within a mere half hour!
Perhaps original, yet the only reason it is, is probably because it's an under-exploited subtype of the rom-com genre.
Ryan Reynolds doesn't enchant me. Abigail Breslin doesn't either (at least not in this film).
Totally disappointed that the great Rachel Weisz accepted to play in this film.
Isla Fisher is most certainly the highlight of it all.

Besides that?
Hmm, nothing.
This is too plain and predictable. Needs more spice and twist.

El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

I am SO disappointed in this. It felt like a remake of The Others, only a little more "del Toro-esque". You know, sprinkled with fantasy and crazy imagination.
Guillermo del Toro is a GOD, but it doesn't mean all of his films are masterpieces. Like this film for instance, call me crazy but I thought this was REALLY overrated. Totally unoriginal!
I mean come on, children seeing other invisible children? Children drawing invisible beings and their parents freaking out at their generally unnatural behaviour? PLEASE! We have seen this concept SO MANY TIMES! It's about time they stop making such movies!

However I have to admit that Belén Rueda is superb in her role as Laura, mother of Simon. She can act various emotions with such passion that it becomes believable. And as for the other actors, mmmyeah they were good. Just not as good as Rueda.

And as much as the concept is a "been there, done that"... it's catchy. Only because some elements of the story are well-thought and well-introduced.

I will only say this: the ending is wonderful. But it has already been done people! Don't get all happy and excited!!

Caramel

Caramel is the story of five Lebanese women coming to terms with their lives, while sharing a unique bond of friendship, probably portrayed by a tangible setting, the beauty salon, helping them cope with the harsh realities of existence.
First there's Layale who realizes her relationship with a married man is leading her nowhere. Then there's Nisrine who is to marry a Muslim man yet faces a terrible obstacle. As for Rima, she is a lesbian. Then Jamale who fears old age and seems to encounter but failures in her professional life. Lastly there's the very endearing Rose who must chose between love or her senile mother Lili.
Director Nadine Labaki (who also plays Layale) beautifully portrays the lives of these women without making it too melodramatic, occasionally adding dashes of humour to soften the film.

First of all, for a film whose title is "Caramel", there is not enough caramel. Of course everyone can remember the film Chocolat (with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) which featured the life of a rebellious woman interwoven with the art of making chocolate. And basically, the movie just oozed with chocolate and the likes. But in Caramel, caramel itself is allotted only a few scenes, namely the opening scene where the process of making caramel is introduced to us - caramel in this movie being most of all used as an epilation method rather than for edible reasons. But then I thought, hmmm, the caramel in itself is the reason why these women are together. So Caramel is an appropriate title; well, at least better than Four Lebanese Women or Beauty Salon, haha!

The characters aren't as deep as one would think. I was expecting more depth and emotionally arousing situations. And as bizarre as it may sound, my favourite character wasn't even one of the main women; it was Lili, the mentally-challenged old lady.
Also, I wouldn't go so far as saying this is beautifully shot because it isn't. The colours are too dark for such a film. And no, I'm pretty sure it wasn't done to create a certain style. Common sense, people! When you call your film Caramel, I bet you'll try and make the scenes and transitions look as smooth as possible, far from angular shots that make the scenes look strict and devoid of softness. Sheesh!

Overall, a nice directorial debut from Nadine Labaki, worth a watch especially by fans of the genre. I'll definitely be awaiting her next film!

Der Freie Wille (The Free Will)

Is there such a thing as free will? And if so: how far does it reach? Are we really able to forgive? Ourselves? Others? This film is one of the most serious striving for humanity and desperate search of meaning in this deep dark loneliness in our unspeakable grim society I´ve ever stumbled upon. It left me, with so many thoughts of what really should be done with this lifetime. Even if the film mostly is about the individual destruction and the collectives lack of mercy the story shows that real beauty exist but that it is so vulnerable one can hardly speak about it. The german director Matthias Glasners fourth feature film is a 160 minutes exceptionally intense, sad and brutal naturalistic report on human life, a naked portrait of perpetrators and victims and the very thin line in between. The film holds some of the most devout feelings I´ve ever watched on screen. The main actors Jürgen Vogel and Sabine Timoteo gets just as close to their characters Theo and Nettie as I think is possible.