In Between Days 

I was interested in seeing another Korean movie, and decided to watch In Between Days. As it turns out it is a movie about a Korean immigrant to some North American city, probably Toronto.  I found In Between Days to be an intriguing drama that held my interest.

We follow the unhappy Aimee who is a Korean immigrant student who spends her days loafing with her only friend and fellow Korean immigrant Tran.  Aimee is too immature and shy to express her love for Tran. Aimee's mother is overworked and distant, making life terrible for her. However, the biggest destress in her life is that she misses her father who had left the family and is presumably back in Korea.

Much of the core of In Between Days shows how out of place Aimee is in her Canadian culture; thus, she spends her time drawing in her notebook during her English class at school until she finally gets too bored and quits. Most of the film is shot in Korean, and it isn't until about two-thirds of the way through that Aimee demonstrates that she can actually speak English. The lack of action in the film is punctuated by static shots of the Toronto skyline. Throughout the movie we see Aimee voicing the feelings she represses in imaginary conversations with her departed father. Though Tran probably feels the same way for Aimee as she does about him, she waits too long to tell him - and by then he's drifted towards a coller Asian-Canadian girl. 

I recommend In Between Days if you are not looking for action and a neat ending.

Your Life in 65 (Tu Vida En 65)

I have no idea why I decided to watch Your Life in 65, but I did. It was an extremely average movie that to some degree is pointless. Your Life in 65 was filmed in Barcelona and was in either Spanish or Catilan. It stars Javier Pereira, Oriol Vila, and Marc Rodríguez. What is storyline?

When a trio of lifelong buddies living in Barcelona read an obituary for a man they believe to be an old friend, they soon set out to pay their respects. It turns out it is a case of mistaken identity because the deceased had the same name as one of their former high school friends. Upon arriving to bid their old friend farewell, Dani runs into his ex-girlfriend Carmen and falls hard for Alberto's sister Cristina. When the trio realizes that the recently deceased Alberto is not the same man they grew up with, the complications that follow leads them to reconsider the role that death plays in everyday life.

I do not recommend this movie. There are many better to see.

The Red Violin (Le Violon Rouge)

Last night I watched a movie, The Red Violin, that I had previously seen, but I did not remember the specifics; thus, I enjoyed it again as much as I did when I saw it in 1998. Wow, that was 15 years ago! It is a very special movie for those who love music and history.

Le Violin Rouge follows the story of a violin, from when it's made to it's location in the modern world, Montreal. It's a rather long story, but still very interesting. The violin was made by Nicolo Bussotti, back in the 17th century. At some point of the story it shows how much effort  Bussotti put into making this exceptional violin. This red violin became one of the finest violins ever made.

The violin then takes a journey over time and space. I don't remember the exact order of the different stories, but they are as follows: A young prodigal boy (Christoph Koncz) makes beautiful music with that violin in his hands; An expert violinist (Jason Flemyng) gives the most amazing concerts with it; It's used by a music teacher in China, and it risks being burned when it was decided they wouldn't teach violin after the Cultural Revolution; It was also also owned by Gypsies at one point. All of this happens over a 300-year period. The last story takes place in Montreal, when an expert (Samuel L. Jackson) discovers the identity of the violin, and would do anything to get his hands on it. 

I highly recommend The Red Violin.

The Hunter

Last night I wanted to find something different to see. I decided on The Hunter, an Australian film that takes place in Tasmania. Recently, I have been picking some really good flicks. The Hunter is an excellent film that stars Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, and Morgana Davies. 

The Hunter follows the independent and lonely hunter Martin David (Dafoe). He is hired by the powerful biotech company Red Leaf to hunt down the last Tasmanian tiger, one thought to be extinct. Red Leaf is interested in obtaining the DNA of the animal. When Martin arrives in a Tasmanian village, he poses as a researcher from a university and is lodged in the house of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor). Martin learns that Lucy's husband has been missing for a long time in the remote area where he plans to search for the tiger. During his time in the villiag he befriends her children, Sass (Morgana Davies) and Bike (Finn Woodlock).

Martin receives a hostile reception from the locals who are principally loggers and worried about losing their jobs. Martin spends many days in the Tasmanian wilderness chasing the Tasmanian Tiger and then returns to the Armstrong family. Things become complicated when Red Leaf wants results no matter the costs.

The Hunter is a beautiful, dramatic film with an unpredictable and sad plot. The Tasmania landscape is certainly the great attraction of film that is supported by a good story, two lovely children (Morgana Davies and Finn Woodlock) and the excellent Willem Dafoe. I highly recommend The Hunter.

The Names of Love (Le Nom des Gens) 

After the intense, complex film that I watched last night, I wanted to see something comedic and light. I selected The Names of Love, a French film. I thoroughly enjoyed this funny, charming movie. It stars  Jacques Gamblin, Sara Forestier, and Zinedine Soualem.

The Names of Love traces the rocky relationship between reserved middle-aged veterinarian Arthur Martin (Gamblin), whose maternal grandparents were killed in the camps, and 20-ish eccentric Baya Benmahmoud (Forestier), the offspring of a radicalized Parisian mother and an Algerian-refugee father. Being molested by her piano teacher as a child has made Baya a “political whore,” bedding right-wingers to convert them to vaguely defined leftist causes. The backstories of the couple are presented through a series of interesting devices: flashbacks, younger versions of the protagonists talking to his or her adult self—all in service to the message that anti-Semitism and racism are bad. 

I suggest that you put this movie on your list-to-watch list. I recommend The Names of Love.

Synechdoche, New York 

Synechdoche, New York is one of the most complex and existential movies that I have ever seen. First, the word "Synechdoche" must be a phonetic spelling of the city "Schenectady," but who knows if this is correct. Synechdoche, New York stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Michelle Williams. It is almost impossible to describe but I will try.

Synechdoche, New York explores the depression of Caden Cotard, a playwright/ hypochondriac (Philip Seymour Hoffman). It all stems from his wife (Catherine Keener), but he knows and the audience knows that she is not the cause of all his problems, although she is quite unsettling. Caden is a morose, depressed theatre director who is convinced that fatal diseases are lurking in his body. He decides to stage a monstrous, ambitious theatrical work that will leave him remembered after he dies. The theatrical work as he's staging becomes confused with the life he is presently living. Hence, he finds himself directing a version of himself through a story that seems to be made up as it goes along.

I think the essence of this movie is one man's search for the meaning of life in the midst of the meaninglessness of life?  In order to appreciate the preciousness of life, we must accept the inherent chaos of our lives and the world around us. Existence is what we make of it, and it is the choices we make that shape and define who we are and the lives we lead. Every choice brings with it a million different consequences, some seen and others that go unnoticed. 

Watch this movie at your peril because it will challenge you and make you think of how insignificant your life is in the multiverse where you life!

Detachment

Last night I watched Detachment which deals with the crumbling American education system through the eyes of substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Adrian Brody) who starts a new assignment in a new school with new teachers, in a new class with new pupils like he is obviously used to. Detachment is an intense drama that stars Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden, and Christina Hendricks!

In Detachment, Henry struggles to make a difference, all the while knowing that he's failing miserably. He sees nothing but people who have given up, and he's within of inch of giving up on himself. His personal life is a mess; his grandfather (Louis Zorich), in the advances states of some kind of dementia, languishes in a nursing home staffed by people who simply don't care. He has flashbacks of a childhood scarred by the absence of a father, an alcoholic mother, and a deep tragedy. He eventually takes in an underage prostitute named Erica (Sami Gayle). He's saddened by her situation and even helps her in a few important regards, but he doesn't coddle her like a frightened puppy. He wants to get through to her that she has value as a person, that she's so much better than giving oral sex to men on buses. He's also tortured by the fact that their arrangement can't last forever.

All I can say is that Detachment is an exceptional movie in all aspects. I highly recommend this sad drama.

Quartet

I was in for a special treat last night when I watched Quartet. It is a fabulous movie that was produced and directed by Dustin Hoffman. It stars the fabulous  Maggie Smith, and the very talented Tom Courtenay, and Billy Connolly. Most of the members of the cast were formerly famous musicians. 

Quartet is set in a retirement home for musicians named for Sir Thomas Beecham. Plans are underway for the annual concert fundraiser to coincide with Verdi's birthday. Heading the gala committee is Cedric played by Michael Gambon. One of Cedric's committee members is soprano Cissy played by the Pauline Collins. Cissy's memory is failing. Her old stage partner Wilfred is the resident flirt of the home played by Billy Connolly. Wilfred delights in flirting outrageously with all the women and needling Cedric. The more sedate Reg played by Tom Courtenay came to the home to check on Wilf who had been admitted after a slight stroke. 

Into this garden spot comes a new resident, a noted opera star, Jean, played by my favorite actress, Maggie Smith. Jean is known to all and her appearance is less than appreciated by her former husband Reg. Her arrival shakes up his whole existence. There is also another diva in residence brilliantly cast with Dame Gweneth Jones. The dagger-like looks that flash between the two divas, when the term meant more than demanding behavior, is worth the price of admission.

This is an excellent movie that all can enjoy. I highly recommend that you see Quartet.

Feuille (Leaf)

I have no idea why I selected Feuille, a film in French and Mandarin,  to watch last night, but I was intrigued with the fact that the screenplay was written by a scientist, Youxin Yang. She also directed the movie and was the star of the movie. Here is Dr. Yang's IMDB biography:

"Dr. Youxin Yang, M.D., Ph.D. is an award-winning scientist, award-winning painter, and award-winning filmmaker."
"Youxin started her career in China and then advanced her education in France where she was awarded a prize from the Association for the Study of Pediatric Pathology in 2000 for her work on the WT1 Gene.
"She was a Grand Jury Award winner at the New York International Art Festival, 2005."

As you can see, she is a renaissance lady. So what is the storyline of Feuille.

The Chinese painter Meihua (Youxin Yang) follows her fiancé Aran (Hongwu Chen) to Paris to be inspired by the city to study painting. One day, she paints a picture on the banks of the Seine where she meets a photographer, Stephanie (Sabine Bail). Stephanie is a successful art photographer and despite the language barrier, the two women immediately understand each other. Both pursue their art with similar goals, and this chance meeting results in a close friendship. Stephanie is called "Feuille", which means "Leaf", by Meihua. Stephanie is a lesbian who falls in love with Meihua, a petite Chinese woman who does not understand the advances of her new friend.

In Meihua Chinese culture homosexuality is a disease. Things are further complicated because her fiance Aran is not pleased about the growing intimacy of the friendship between the two women. That is all I am going to say.

If you are open-minded and like to see an intellectual movie, then I recommend this movie.

Peter and Vandy

I watched this Amazon Prime movie, Peter and Vandy, while I was visiting Baltimore. For me it was one of those movies that was not really good but not really bad.

Peter and Vandy is a pretty straightforward couple relationship story told in a non-traditional way. Bouncing back and forth between different moments of their relationship, it tells of the highs and lows between Peter (Jason Ritter) and his beloved Vandy (Jess Weixler). Juxtaposing their sweet, romantic beginning with the oft-intense bickering that erodes their connection, this film explores moments in the couple’s relationships that can be seen in a different context when taken in out of order. 

This is a movie that you can miss. I do not recommend this movie.