The beat that my heart skipped

The beat that my heart skipped (108 min)

Seen on the 28th May 2008

One of the best films I have seen in the year. This is the story of Thomas (brilliantly played by Romain Duris), living in 21st century Paris in the property development business. Things seem to be business as usual, he is bugging flats so the existing tenants move out, but does he enjoy that? Thomas seems to be in the verge of a nervous breakdown all the time.

A random encounter makes him touch an earlier life, one where his mother was alive. His father is just another player in the rat race who does not seem to be particularly interested in Thomas more than he is about money. Thomas asks for an audition so he reconnects with his desire to become a pianist but he needs a tutor. A Chinese immigrant seems to be the right answer, so he starts rehearsing and gradually leaving the rat race behind, but can he do that? Is he the pianist he dreams about? Or just Thomas, the son of a property development? I really recommend this film ... fantastic. Also a great soundtrack!

The baby's room: Peliculas para no dormir

The baby's room (77 min)

Seen on the 27th May 2008.

This is a very scary film and an interesting one as well. When Javier and Leonor move to their new home in Madrid things could not be better. However, during the first nights Javier starts noticing, with a surveillance system, a figure wondering around the baby's room next door. He investigates to find there is no one threatening his baby.

Javier is very tired of course, but this does not seem to be the cause of the apparitions. In a panic attack, he scares Leonor who leaves their home for a few days. Javier investigates further to discover an empty room who nobody had spotted before, he enters and finds himself isolated from the world. When he queries about this seemingly strange events he discovers Schrödinger's cat paradox: Could it be himself creating all this problems? And Leonor is coming back, is it a safe place to be for multiple Javiers?

The Science of Sleep

The Science of Sleep (105 min)

Seen on the 24th May 2008

I really did not get this film. Perhaps it was the fact I was tired and it was late on a Saturday. Gael Garcia Bernal is a truly imaginative young Mexican boy who arrives in Paris. You soon discover his parents divorces and his mother is French but has an affair. He sort of misses his country but becomes involved in a pseudo relationship with his neighbour.

Because of his wild imagination, the world of his dreams and the real one become one. The neighbour, an aspiring artist, becomes to a degree his partner in crime and follows the flow. But she became tired of this strange love affair and the fact that Gael Garcia does not seem to do anything productive towards the relationship. The animations are supposed to be great but I did not see that really. What is the film about? A wild dreamer and his artistic girl? Cultural shock? A broken boy in search of his mother? Animations? All of that? Perhaps it is the latest achieving very little.

I am not scared

I am not scared (108 min)

Seen on the 23rd May 2008

This is a very interesting film about a country side boy. In a way it reminded me of Vitorio de Cica's "bicycles thieves". It is a brilliant film leading you through his life for which at every moment you discover new clues about the truth. It is set in the Italian countryside where Michele discovers a weird boy around his age who is hidden in a whole near his home.

Little by little, following Michele's steps you discover the truth about this other boy and a series of disconcerting truths about his family. The film really guided my journey from Michele's point of view and the events that follow. The scenery shown on the film is very inspiring and only darkened by the truth about this small Italian family. Very good film.

Plunkett & Macleane

Plunkett & Macleane (99 min)

Seen on the 20th May 2008

This is a great film. Based on the true story of the highway men stealing from the ladies and gentlemen of Georgian Britain particularly attacking them during their promenades in Hyde Park. It is a story about friendship and loyalty. Macleane is about to die another nameless soul in a London prison when Pluncket rescued him.

Their original relationship was based on a scam whereby Macleane, making use of his natural social skills and gentlemanly accessed high society parties to know the whereabouts of the people attending so they later on could attack them. Love and greediness soon become between these two best friends with unsuspected consequences for their voyage of scape to America. A fantastic film!

Good luck Chuck

Good luck Chuck (101 min)

Seen on the 18th May 2008

This is a feel good film about Chuck who is growing in the 80's. He is having his first games with best friend when he is bewitched by one of the players. Next thing you are in the 21st century and Chuck is struggling to find a partner in his 30's. Word gets around that whoever dates him will immediately find her perfect lover and get married within weeks of braking up with Chuck.

Things start to get complicated since Chuck falls for a prone accident girl but he does not want to date since he believes he is truly bewitched and unable to have a normal relationship. The girl does not seem too worried when things start being desperate for Chuck. Is he still under a spell? Can he stop the spell? Can he locate the girl who started it all?

Antibodies

Antibodies (126 min)
Seen on the 7th May 2008

This is a complex and interesting film about guilt and evil. A farmer in rural Germany is constantly reminded of the town’s instability following the killing of a local girl. The farmer soon discovers that a child killer has been captured in Berlin. All seems good, except that he has his reservations and soon reveals his suspicions that his own 13 year old son might be involved somehow. To calm his guilty conscience, he head to the city to discover that, Gabriel Engel the psychopath (brilliantly played) does not want to talk but to himself.

Michael the farmer soon pushes him to reveal the truth about the girls killing, an odd event since he has only killed boys, but instead Gabriel instigates the farmer to listen to his inner, evil, thoughts and challenges him to follow them. Things then turn to the worse when Michael starts following his evil thought and reaches a conclusion regarding the killing of the girl, not by Gabriel but by his son. A brilliant film exploring good and evil, and the nature of existence, definitely to see again.

Let: Peliculas para no dormir

Let (68 min)
Seen on the 6th May 2008

This is a good scary film. Based in any Spanish city’s suburbs, a newlywed couple is in search of the ideal first flat. They are on their way to yet another viewing when Clara falls asleep and misses the fact that they are getting really far from the city centre. Having arrived at the place that some mysterious character let them to, through an unexpected letter delivered to their letter box, they soon discovered the place is a pig stile.

Just to be polite Mario decides to investigate and get to know the place. What they discover instead is a crazy old lady trying to make them stay at any cost. Clara escapes from an early attempt at tiding her up, just to realize the magnitude of their problems. Things got worse when furious dogs attack the surprised couple and a sinister plan is unveiled. Fun to watch with some scary moments reminiscent of “la comunidad”.

Shortbus

Shortbus (101 min)
Seen on the 4th May 2008

This film is about exploration of sexuality in contemporary New York. The main character Sofia guides the viewer through a journey of exploration and self-realisation. The supporting characters, the Jamies and Jenifer Aniston (her real name although she uses a different one) witness a radical transformation in Sofia (in all of us?) having sex as the guiding force.

Being a partner and sexual counsellor Sofia is supposed to be well informed about personal decisions surrounding sexuality. It comes as a surprise when she realizes her past is actually affecting her incapacity to have orgasms. Suicide is also explored as one of the Jamies tries to escape from his reality and strives to find what is special in his relationship with Jamie. Fun film verging in the pornographic in places, explores the issues of acceptance and alternative sexuality.

The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass (113 min)

Seen on the 4 May 2008

This is a well done animated production narrating the adventure of Lyra Belacqua. She is a normal girl living in harmony with her friends and accompanying creatures. Each person within this parallel universe has an alter ego, an animal soul following them everywhere they go.

In her journey to rescue a lost friend, Lyra learns abut dust and about the terrible northern polar bears. She also discovers the terrible truth about her own mother and father and a plot to supposedly liberated all children of their animal souls, a step forwards for a civilised society.

Sin City

Sin City (124 min)
Seen on the 1 May 2008

More pointless violence from Robert Rodriguez et al. This time the action takes place in an unnamed city where violence is tolerated within certain limits. A number of actors perform a series of heroes and villains balancing the power in the sin city. This city has a circular argument and ends where it started suggesting a never ending criminal life in this particular city.

At the centre of the action is an unnamed good guy who realizes about a series of brutal acts (including cannibalism) which implicates high ranking personalities in sin city. By witnessing the murdering of a prostitute he embarks in a personal revenge to try to punish the killers. In his journey he finds a well organized prostitute circle controlling to a degree the criminal life in sin city. Pointless but entertaining violence.