Bright Star

The beauty of the English language is center stage in this period romance. I've never been particularly interested in poetry, but I have to say that this film will have me searching for the works of John Keats on Amazon. Even when I didn't have time to process what was being said, the words had a melodic quality to them. I sat through the entire closing credits, which I rarely do, to listen to the poetry reading that accompanied them.

I would ultimately call this film a mood piece. There isn't really much in the way of plot - girl likes boy, boy likes girl, but boy is just a poor poet. But it works as you completely buy in to the 19th century repressed longing they feel for each other. It is remarkable how their relationship is simultaneously chaste and sensual .

Abbie Cornish shines as the titular star and may very well find herself in the Best Actress race this year.

On the whole, the movie is good, but not great. A best picture nomination would only be a gift of the expansion to ten films in that category.

District 9

The most realistic alien movie ever. Period. If you're looking for mind blowing special effects, crazy plot twists, popular catch phrases, etc. then this is not your movie.

District 9 is part social commentary but never gets preachy. It's part character study, but we don't really get to know the protagonist all that well. We mostly just watch the story happen to him instead of the other way around. The movie neither asks questions nor offers answers. The entire thing is one big, "what if?"

The majority of the movie is archive footage that was shot for a documentary of sorts within the movie. The problem is that there are also times when the forth wall is thrown back up and we are seeing things no one else in the world of the movie sees and it's not always obvious who is behind the camera.

It's an enjoyable film that had lots of potential. The effects are seamlessly incorporated with the live footage. Ultimately, however, it falls a little sort in trying to find a solid identity.

Inglourious Basterds

Some people make movies for a living, some people are artists. Guess which category Quentin Tarantino belongs to? Ever since Pulp Fiction emerged in 1994 writers and directors have tried to either directly imitate Tarantino or at least to find a QT inspired spark of their own. Most have failed to do so and even those who've made successful career of it (I'm looking at you, Guy Ritchie), fail to approach the master.

What's the difference? How does he do it? Most movies are about a story happening to a group of characters. In a Tarantino movie, the characters happen to the story. From Mr. Orange to Jules and Vincent to the Bride, Tarantino's protagonists control the show even when they lose control of the situation. Add the Basterds to their ranks.

One can tell Tarantino has no master but his own vision. The film is beautifully shot, conventions are thrown out the window, rules are broken, and the viewer has absolutely no idea what is going to happen down to the final minutes of the movie. If Tarantino had been born in an earlier generation, one could see him writing of once upon a midnight dreary or painting a coy smile on an Italian lady.

The Hurt Locker

If actors were stock, I'd tell you to put all the money you can on Jeremy Renner. The 38-year-old has been acting steadily since the mid-90s, but his work in The Hurt Locker will make him a star between now and the Oscars, even if he's not nominated. He demonstrates that he's skilled enough to carry a movie on his shoulders. Now he may just end up being another Jason Statham, but his pay checks are on their way.

Hurt Locker holds you at the cliff's edge for its entire run time. Every moment is life or death, which is exactly the point. This is what our soldiers in combat have to deal with every day. Any plot is secondary to simply putting you into the shoes of a soldier for a couple hours. There is no political agenda here, nothing rings false. War is what it is. And, as we are told in the movie's opening, for Renner's Staff Sergeant Will James who lives for the next challenge and risk of death, war is a drug.

(500) Days of Summer

500 Days of Summer takes pains to declare that it is not a love story. I disagree. Not only is it a love story, it's one of the best love stories ever put on film, which is probably why they don't think they qualify. For me it called to mind atypical (and outstanding) romances such as Chasing Amy and Closer.

This movie is boldly unconventional. It's not afraid to take risks and it succeeds on all fronts. It is funny, gripping, and unique. Joseph Gordon-Levitt controls the screen and shows that he is a talent who could one day contend for little gold statues. He'd get my vote here.

Foreign Film

I've noticed that whenever I talk movies with someone who has similar taste, I eventually ask whether or not they've seen many (or any) foreign movies. Responses range from, "yeah, a few" to a slightly embarrassed, "no." So, I want to quickly address this group all at once and insist you watch more.

The biggest advantage that most foreign (and independent) movies have is that they weren't made primarily to make money. I am not a fan of art for the sake of art and that's not what I'm talking about. But there's something very refreshing about a movie that wasn't designed to cater to the least common denominator of the American public.

The first essential is Life Is Beautiful. I've never met anyone who didn't consider this one of their all-time favorites (unless they made the mistake of watching the English dubbed version). This was a best picture nominee and Robert Benigni (who wrote, directed, and starred) won the Oscar for best actor.

If you're still unsure, I suggest Jet Li's Hero. There isn't a lot of dialogue and you'll forget you're watching a foreign movie. I've used this one several times to get people to start watching foreign films.

Working at our DVD store, I usually feel obligated to inform customers when a movie they've selected is not in English. The all-to-common response is their decision to put it back and find something else. But my all-time favorite response came from Corey Richardson, who said simply, "I can read."

If you think about it, really listening to English dialogue is about on par with reading subtitles. Remember it's not their fault you don't speak their language nor should they be faulted for choosing to film in their native tongue or, as with Clint Eastwood's amazing Letters From Iwo Jima, to film in the language the actual events were spoken.

So, you have your homework assignment. Let me know if you have any questions. Also please share your favorite foreign movies on the wall of this group.

These are the foreign movies from my "list." The full list can be found under the Favorite Movies topic on the discussion board. I did just notice Hero and Letters From Iwo Jima weren't on there yet, accidental omissions.

2046 - Wong Kar Wai is a bad ass. I've yet to see his first English movie Blueberry Nights. He's made several good movies, but this is my favorite. I can't even really explain it, you just have to watch it.

Amores Perros - The writer/director tandem that has since brought us 21 Grams and Babel started with this... and it's the best of the three.

Brotherhood of the Wolf - Roger Ebert called it an "explosion at the genre factory." I'm not normally a sucker for action sequences - LotR and Dark Knight are obvious exceptions, so it this.

City of God - One of the best movies ever made. Nothing more needs to be said.

Hero - Similar to Rashomon with the multiple versions of the same story, but with cool fighting :)

Letters From Iwo Jima - Went in thinking, "oh great, another war movie." Came out thinking it was one of the best war movies ever.

Life is Beautiful - Benigni tried to make a comedy about the Holocaust... and it worked.

No Man's Land - A frightening and sometimes comedic look at the Bosnian conflict.

Rashomon - From the legendary Akira Kirosawa (if you haven't heard of him, you've got a long way to go); a story told from different perspectives with the truth left for the viewer to decide.

Red Violin - I'll go ahead and count it, since I think less than half of it is in English. The main character is the violin.

Run, Lola, Run - Lola's boyfriend calls and says he needs $100,000 marks (they're German) in an hour or he's a dead man. In a sort of Groundhog Day style, she gets three attempts.

Seven Samurai - Kirosawa again. One of, if not the first,foreign movies I ever saw. I never would have thought a 50-year-old Japanese movie could make you laugh and cry.

If you need more, let me know. Happy hunting.

Public Enemies

Well, we're in the second half of the year now, so I'll start with the first film to have a legitimate shot at a best picture nomination, especially the expansion of that category to ten nominees.

Public Enemies is a very well made movie with very cool moments. I was struck by both the costumes and the cinematography which are normally things that don't catch my interest. The story itself isn't anything we haven't seen before with bank robber and gangster movies, but the script is solid and Michael Mann is at the top of his game. The acting is nothing stellar. Depp and Cotillard standout, but it will take a weak year to get them nominated. Everyone else is just kinda there. Billy Crudup, who I loved in Almost Famous, seemed out of place as J Edgar Hoover.

I will say it is my top movie of 2009 so far, but I'm looking forward to seeing the films that will no doubt knock it down.

Good show.