New-to-me movies in February

1. Le Gouffre (short film, 2015)
2. Amer (2009)
3. Pariah (2011)
4. Carrie (2014)
5. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
6. Belle (2014)
7. Birdman (2014)
8. Boyhood (2014)
9. The Theory of Everything (2014)
10. The Imitation Game (2014)
11. American Sniper (2014)
12. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
13. Near Dark (1987)
14. Kiss of the Damned (2012)

Being a part of a community on Letterboxed really increased my movie watching this month and will likely do so again in March as I take part in the March Around the World – 30 Movies and 30 Countries challenge (not that I have anywhere close to enough time to watch that many movies this month).

FEBRUARY REVIEWS:

1. Le Gouffre (short film, 2015)

Two young men face a chasm and find an industrious way to try to cross it. Rendered in beautiful CGI animation, a beautiful story of friendship and community evolves in just 10 minutes. One of the best short films I’ve ever seen. Watch it here.

2. Amer (2009)

I’ve never seen a giallo movie, so I can’t judge how well Amer works as a homage. But the style with its tight close ups, disjointed editing, purposefully blurred images, use primary red and blue color tones, and well placed bloody violence is unsettling in all the right ways. The fact that the movie is almost without dialog is very interesting, showing how a story can be well told in mostly images. The music, which was apparently pulled right out of classic giallo films was fantastic as well.

Where I didn’t quite connect was with the main character and the story itself. In an episodic way, we see key moments in Ana’s life: as a little girl facing the horror of a grandfather’s death, as a young woman with a budding sense of innocent sexuality, and as a woman returning to her decaying home only to find someone lurking in the shadows. Each of the tales deals with sexuality on different levels, which works well as a theme.

However, the episodes feel disconnected, and even with these three moments spread throughout her life, it’s hard for me to get a sense of who Ana really is. I felt the movie doesn’t so much as tell a story as flash through three dream sequences, which isn’t as fulfilling as I would have liked it to be.

3. Pariah (2011)

What a lovely movie. Alike is a young woman, a poet, a lesbian, and a teenager trying to figure herself out, who she is and who she wants to be. The story is simple, flowing through Alike and her family’s life.

I was impressed at how the director was able to reveal plenty about the characters in small spaces and how the family’s dynamics were portrayed. The music choices were spot on, too.

4. Carrie (2014)

One of the main problems with remakes is how excited filmmakers get over the new technology available today. When applied well, that’s fine, but it often means that the remakes come out too slick, thus sacrificing story and tone.

There was something raw edged about the original Carrie movie that worked so much better. Unfortunately this version was somewhat boring.

5. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Okay. Slightly entertaining in the beginning, but I was nodding off toward the end. Also, the sex is really tame.

6. Belle (2014)

The story of Dido Elizabeth Belle is beautifully told in this movie. Dido is the daughter of Captain John Lindsay, a British career naval officer, and a slave. As the captain must travel to earn his living, he leaves his daughter as a free woman in the care of his uncle, a high ranking judge of the U.K. courts.

The costumes and sets are all spot on, as are the pacing and the tone. A bit of romance contrasts with a vital court case that could disruptive the slave trade in the U.K. Gugu Mbatha-Raw gives a wonderful performance as Belle, revealing the conflicting nature of her position in which she is both loved by her family and an outcast in society.

7. Birdman (2014)

The acting was phenomenal throughout and the directing and cinematography were creative and compelling. However, the story of an aging movie star, best known for a previous role as a superhero, desperately trying to earn validation by staging a Broadway play in New York did not resonate with me at all. I didn’t get it, and I’m not sure I’d watch it again to try.

8. Boyhood (2014)

This is very much a slice of ordinary life movie, in which we see a boy and his family grow and age over the course of twelve years. There is something compelling about seeing that process happen, as each of the actors ages over the course of the movie.

Both Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke pull off great performances and the kids handle themselves fairly well.

Other than a few key moments, nothing particularly dramatic happens, which makes the movie a bit slow paced and dry.

9. The Theory of Everything (2014)

A beautiful bio pick with an astounding performance from Eddie Redmayne. The film doesn’t go much into the specifics of his scientific theories, opting instead to show the story of the man and his personal struggles. His relationship with his wife is respectfully portrayed and shows what amazing people they both are.

Style-wise, I could have done without the candy colored filters, since the cinematography was beautiful on its own. But that’s a small quibble.

Such a wonderful movie.

10. The Imitation Game (2014)

Probably my favorite of the best picture nominees I saw this season, The Imitation Game was intense and thrilling with characters that I cared about, not to mention a look a piece of scientific history that fascinates me.

The jumping between time periods worked well, helping to build tension in a way a straightforward telling wouldn’t be able to do. The costuming is spot on and the mix of actual footage from WWII also fits in well.

Fantastic, if tragic, biopick.

11. American Sniper (2014)

Not anywhere near the best Clint Eastwood directed movie I’ve seen. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m not generally drawn to military movies, but this one in particular just felt very one note. Bradley Cooper’s performance provided the only true nuance and (though I wasn’t as amazed by it as I’d been lead to expect by other reviewers), it is this performance that makes the movie as good as it is.

12. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

For a movie with a clear social message, this is surprisingly nuanced. I expected a lot more mellow drama, but the movie played it straight with great acting throughout (especially Sidney Portier). I can see why it’s a classic, partly due to how this would have been quite controversial when it first came out. Though the discussions of race are somewhat outdated at this point (and I’m not fond of the white rich guy gives a speech that fixes everything ending), but it’s still an entertaining and well put together movie and worth a watch.

13. Near Dark (1987)

Vampires who make poor decisions. The humans are pretty stupid, too. Ah, the ’80s.

14. Kiss of the Damned (2012)

Paolo meets and is instantly drawn to Djuna, who he soon learns is a vampire. It’s not long before he’s drawn into her world, where he feels more alive. But the happy pair is disrupted when Djuna’s sister Mimi comes to stay with her, bringing a line of bodies in her wake.

The cinematography and styling of the movie is stylish and at times it feels like it’s trying too hard to be cool.

The story has some good tense moments and a bit of well placed bloodshed. The plot is a bit languid, with the main characters Djuna and Paolo floating through the vampiric decadence and not taking much active action.

Only Mimi has real agency, taking what she wants and demanding more. Without her, this would become very boring very quickly. Her acts make her the most interesting character, even though her actions for the most part don’t seem to directly impact the main characters or the vampire community. Would have been a stronger movie if there were some greater cause and effect to events.