All About My Mother: Todo sobre mi madre (1999)

I'm getting tired of foreign films with either transvestites or Penélope Cruz, or both. This one had both. A film that takes its name from "All About Eve" a movie that in the opening scene Manuela and her son sit down to watch over dinner. The son aspires to be a film writer and after a tragedy the mother goes in search of his father.

There are some sad moments, I have to admit that I watched this in more than a few portions, but I felt disconnected from the characters. When things went wrong I didn't really care that much for those affected. Cruz plays a nun, and like all of her movies turns out to be a little slutty, which gets really annoying. Just like the last film I reviewed, I apologize to my readers for watching another bad film after a long break.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185125/

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The Blue Bird (1918)

Not exactly the film readers were dying to see after my vacation. This is based on the fairytale "The Blue Bird of Happiness" and was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry archive in 2004. Its significance is because of the director Maurice Tourneur. A historically significant director who uses many creative filming devices in this silent film.

The fairytale itself is ok, but the film is really really boring. This same story was reused in The Blue Bird (1940) starring Shirley Temple, a film I probably would have found more entertaining. The film stock had definitely been restored in the version I watched. There are several parts were it becomes difficult to even see what is going on because the film is so bad and faded. The best part about watching it is that I'm done with it.

You can find it on youtube if you are interested in watching even a clip of it. Not recommended.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0008891/

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Bronson (2009)

This is a very strange film about a criminal in Britain who is sentenced to 7 years in prison for robbery and becomes the country's most violent inmate. He takes on an alter-ego and calls himself Charles Bronson.

This was a waste of time, I'm not sure why I got it in the first place because I fully expected it to be this bad. I guess I was hoping for a better storyline and bad acting. It just happened that the storyline was awful and the lead character was placed very well... for whatever that is worth.

I tend to like jail films Escape from Alcatraz, Shawshank Redemption, and The Great Escape. So I guess I'll stick to prison break movies and not inmate character studies. Just not a good film.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172570/

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World's Greatest Dad (2009)

Robin Williams plays a high school poetry teacher that aspires to become an author. He is a single father with a very strange son. Daryl Sabara plays Kyle, his son, an actor best known for his role in Spy Kids. Lets just say this isn't a Disney performance. He plays a perverted high school kid who has no more interest than looking at [sick] pornography.

When Robin Williams character is put in a tragic situation I thought he handled it very well. Up to this point the film wasn't all that bad, the tragedy was acted really well and as much as I hated Kyle it was some really good acting from Sabara.

The movie took a sharp turn for the worse at this point. Morgan Murphy was not good as Williams girlfriend, and the entire student body couldn't act at all. The movie got unrealistic and boring. When the credits rolled and I saw that this was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait a lot started to make sense.

Not a good film, definitely not for kids, and nothing I would want to watch with my parents, you are waiting for an awkward moment. Just go ahead an pass on this one, a lot of other people also did...

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262981/

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The Cove (2009)

Having watched Food, Inc. I knew this was the other documentary of the year that I had to see. Bottom line, from the start, I liked Food, Inc. better. Could this have been my favorite against last years Oscar nominations? Absolutely.

There is a reason this is favored, and there is a reason this is a two film race. Both were great. Food, Inc. of course did what I expected from a great documentary, they delivered a message and proposed a solution. I felt this film was a little too short, went off course for about 10 minutes near the end, and came back with too little footage at the finale. Minor issues, but the reasons I would have it second on my ballot.

So what is this film all about?

You are probably fully aware that Whaling in Japan was a big issue 50 years ago. Now it is dolphin killing. They are herding them in, picking a few to sell to amusement parks, then slaughtering the rest.

The documentary talks about how they are hiding it, why the dolphin meat can't really be eaten anyways, and what they expect this to result in. Their solution is basically to join them... which is kinda unrealistic. But the message of this film is loud and clear. There are some very exciting parts, and some very sad parts.

Watch two documentaries this year, and make this your 2nd.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/

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Mary and Max (2009)

I completely understand that I was hypocritical saying that I don't like sites pushing a movie they haven't seen (e.g. The Last Truck). In my most on The Secret of Kells I said that this indie film should have been nominated if the committee wanted to take the unique path they sometimes show.

So I was able to get through this film pretty quickly, it is a cute little dark comedy, that just like the Secret of Kells, is not for children. There is death, criminal acts, near suicides, etc. that you just don't need to expose to them, and might be the ultimate reason it was passed over.

The story is about a girl named Mary who lives in Australia. She is not very popular and has a strange family. One day at the post office she decides to randomly pick someone out of the New York City phone book to send a letter to. That person is Max, a paranoid 40-something that leads a strange life and they become pen-pals.

I really liked the animation style and the characters. It was a great story and a quick watch. I would happily watch it again... but not around children.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/

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Broken Embraces: Los abrazos rotos (2009)

This Drama/Romance is about a blind writer who tells his young friend [who helps him] about his past. A story that goes back 14 years to when he was a director and fell in love.

The film is famous only for its star Penélope Cruz. It moves very slow and just isn't that interesting. It was nominated for a Golden Globe and thankfully didn't even make the Oscar short list.

A 6/10 is very generous for a boring film that I just didn't really connect with or get into at all.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0913425/

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