The Pianist

English Title: The Pianist

Roman Polanski, France, Poland+others, 2002, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I think I have seen just too much holocaust films plus too much times this film to feel as much sympathetic as when I first saw it. Without any doubt it's a great production. The acting of  Adrien Brody  is really remarkable!; I was super impressed by the way he looses weight towards the end of the film!! (ask for his diet!!)  However I think the screen play is a bit too much. I just didn't buy much the part where he is hidden all alone under that circumstances and for that period of time. It's very sad watching Holocaust films and this one is not the exception. 

Mio Fratello e Figlio Unico

English Title: My Brother is an Only Child

Daniele Luchetti, Italy, 2007, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I like a lot this film as it's a nice mixture between family affairs and political subject. The acting is really really good.

No comment on Oscar's night

The only good thing about that night was: The little gathering, the Cranberry juice, the delicious brownies, the winners bet, the smiles, two awards (Winslet and Penn). The biggest disappointment... I don't even have to tell you which one was. The winners are listed in my previous post just in case you didn't see the ceremony. Thanks to our hostess!

Diarios de la Motocicleta

English Title: The Motorcycle Diaries

Walter Salles, Argentina + others, 2004, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: Another long story about Che Guevara but not as long as the new production called "Che" (2008) that has to be split into two films as nobody was able to resist 4 long hours in a row watching a film.... Who can be seated for more than 3??!! even if the film is truly amazing! no way! but anyway we are here to talk about the beautiful production of the Motorcycles Diary... which is in two words: really amazing! The film has a lot of great things but what makes the whole film worth it is the super beautiful cinematography. You can add to that the great acting, the great screen play and the amazing music.

El Aura

English Title: The Aura

Fabian Bielinsky, Argentina-France-Spain, 2005, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: I saw this film a long ago. I don't remember the film in detail but I do remember that the story is very cleaver, the acting is really good and I loved the shots in the Forest.... very nice photographs!! This director has another great film, Nueve Reinas, but unfortunately hasn't done much recently.

POST # 100!!!!!!

HEY!!!  We did it!!!! We reach the post 100!!!!!!!!!!!

EEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FOR THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS GREAT IDEA!!!  It's been great fun having all your feedback through comments in the blog or by mail or in person!! I have found great voices around the subject and I enjoy it more and more every day!  Keep sending info and making comments... I enjoy replying to the comments and talking and watching whatever films you tell me to see.

Happy post to you,

Happy Post to you,

Happing Post LaUchuva

Happy Post to you!!!!!! (if you have imagination just put a bit of music to the lyric)

To Celebrate our first 100 Post day, I'm going to post this great video which is not film related but... oh well.... we are in happy birthday so I'm allowed!! These people have great stuff! check their web page for more great videos!!!

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Los Amantes del Circulo Polar

English Title: The Lovers of the Arctic Pole

Julio Medem, Spain, 1996, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Great Film! Soft and Powerful but most important full of transparent and true love. Great acting, beautiful cinematography and super good edition.

SAFTA 2009

What it's nice about checking the film festivals and awards, is that you collect a long list of films that you can check out at some point in your life; most of the time those films awarded or nominees are worth watching!. The South African Film and Television Awards 2009 (that were celebrated on Feb 07) have given 6 out of 7 of the most important awards to one and only one film: The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif.  So, let's wait until it's release here to check it out!

Berlinale 2009

I'll keep posting some awards and festivals  butnot many as they are countless but I'll do it when feeling in festival's mood.

This time I'll post about Berlin Film Festival.  The awards were annouced yesterday night. There is a list of great films to have a look.  This year's most important award (The Golden Bear) was awarded to a Latin American film and director!! Well done! It is her second film and apparently it's really a great job (what else can you expect from someone with such a beautiful name!!)

Golden Bear for Best Film:

La Teta Asustada (The Milk Sorrow) by Claudia Llosa, Peru-Spain

Silver Bear - The Jury Grand Priz

Alle Anderen (Everyone else) by Maren Ade, Germany

Gigante by Adrian Biniez, Argentina-Uruguay-Germany-Spain

Silver Bear for Best Director:

Asghar Farhadi for Darbareye Elly (About Elly), Iran

Silver Bear for Best Actress

Birgit minichmayr in Alle Anderen (Everyone else), Germany

Silver Bear for Best Actor

Sotigui Kouyate in London River, UK

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution

for the Sound-Design of Katalin Varga, Romania-UK-Hungary

Silver Bear for Best Script

for The Messenger, USA

Alfred Bauer Prize

Adrian Biniez for Gigante, Argentina-Uruguay-Germany-Spain

Andrzej Wajda for Tatarak (Sweet Rush), Poland

Just one last word to mentioned that Tilda Swinton is the Jury President of The International Jury of the Berlinale 2009.

Offret

English Title: The Sacrifice

Andrei Tarkovsky, Sweden-UK-France, 1986, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's not an easy film for the only fact that it's extremely slow; I was about to collapse half way of the film but manage to forget about the story and just enjoy the amazing cinematography.  Most of the shoots of the film (if not all) were so beautiful! The use of color emphasis so beautifully the photo. There were million of scenes where it looks like a portrait! I remember especially one of them that reminds me Johannes Vermeer's paintings. It really amuse me how a film could make that!  The other great point of the film is the movements of the camera... it moves horizontally several times during the film but soooooo slowly that lulls you!!! As I said, it's a beautiful film but be aware of the slowness of it! My sister will get sleep in the first minute of the film for sure!

Todo Sobre mi Madre

English Title: All About my Mother

Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 1999, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: For now, this will be my last posting of the mini Almodovar's festival I did during the last month. 

I think the story is a bit too much! to top the terrible performance of Cecilia Roth playing the main character, kills the film for me. She is really terrible! she over acts so much!... really really bad! Trying to forget about her (although being the main character is impossible to) I have to say that the cinematography is soo nice... Almodovar is great on this... just G R E A T and that's basically why I gave more than 3 Uchuvas!  To finish this post I'll  quote one special shoot that I think is the most beautiful shoot in the whole film: when Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is waiting for his son in front of a huge poster of a "famous" actress... really nice!

BAFTA 2009

So here with some winners of BAFTA awards. I have to repeat that I totally disagreed with saying that Slumdog Millionaire is worth an award. The film is good, no doubt, but it isn't a film that worth so many awards!!

So, here the winners in red, my favorites in green and half half when agree:

BEST FILM

Slumdog Millionaire

The Curious case of Benjamin Button

Frost\Nixon

Milk

The Reader

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

Man on a wire

Hunger

In Bruges

Mamma Mia

Slumdog Millionaire

DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood for Changeling

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Ron Howard for Frost\Nixon

Stephen Daldry for The Reader

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Changeling

I've loved you so long

In Bruges

Burn After reading

Milk

LEADING ACTOR

Frank Langella in Frost\Nixon

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire

Sean Penn in Milk

Bradd Pitt in The curious case of Benjamin Button

LEADING ACTRESS

Angelina Jolie for Changeling

Kristin Scott Thomas for I've loved you so long

Kate Winslet for The Reader

Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road

Meryl Streep for Doubt

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder

Brendan Gleeson for In Bruges

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt

Brad Pitt for Burn After reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (No way!!!)

Amy Admas for Doubt

Freida Pinto for Slumdog Millionaire

Tild Swinton for Burn After Reading

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

ANIMATED FILM

Wall-E

Persepolis

Waltz with Bashir

BEST FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE (have only seen 3 so I can't say which one is better but definitely I've loved you so long is not the best one so far!)

The Baader Meinhof Complex

I've loved you so long

Gomorrah

Persepolis

Waltz with Bashir

MAKE UP AND HAIR (I include this award as I think this film did an astonishing work)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button... The best make up I've seen in the big screen!!!

Laitakaupungin Valot

English Title: Lights in the Dusk

Aki Kaurismaki, Finland , 2006, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Another Kaurismaki typical film! The king of films about lonely and empty lives.

Two meaningless things that caught my attention were: I think there wasn't one single scene that didn't have a cigarette on! What a way to smoke!! and then, there were a lot of Tango songs in the film! The film starts with my beloved song from Carlos Gardel, Volver!!!! and then, another Gardel's masterpiece: el dia que me quieras and some other tango songs. After the film I was told how popular Tango was in Finland so I went to wikipedia and found this article about Finnish Tango that gave me an explanation as to why Gardel was part of the film's soundtrack. Apparently Tango in Finland is even more popular than in Argentina.

One last comment... if you want to see this film (and most, if not all, of Kaurismaki's films), make sure to be open mind to face a different style of movies.

The top 5 worth leaving

In a film's class last year, I learned to stay seated until the credits of a film are finished as it's nice to see all the people involved in the film (and respectful to them I think) plus while you see the credits you learn a lot about how the film was done. But sometimes is soooo difficult to stay seated even to see the end of the film!!

I only can recall two films that were so so so so but SO SUPER bad that I stopped watching them in the middle of it and another two that I didn't left because I went with friends to the theater so I waited for them to finish the film.

Do you have any film that can be added to this list of worth leaving in the middle of it?

These are my top 5:

1. Canvas, US imdb

2. Audition, Japan LaUchuva

3. Love in the Time of Cholera, US  imdb

4. Idiots, Denmark  LaUchuva

5. Life is a Miracle, Serbia LaUchuva

Vals Im Bashir

English Title: Waltz with Bashir

Ari Folman, Israel+others, 2008, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Without any doubt the graphics are great, the artistic side of the film is really good. I like a lot how they play with a yellowish color; that color and some others gave so much power to the film, especially to the subject of it; for me the color talks for itself.  I won't say that the film is a bad film... not at all! It's just that I don't like war films even if they are animation films!! In fact it's very stressing looking at an animation film (which is suppose to be fun and relax) showing a war story. For people who don't care much about watching or not war films, it's really worth it!

La Mala Educacion

English Title: Bad Education

Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 2004, imdb

Review: 4.5 Uchuvas
Comment: So, I will keep going on with my Almodovar's mini private film festival. The story is just really weird, oh well as ALL Almodovar's films... Knowing his type of films, which has very complicated relationships, this story is not surprising, it's weird but totally expected from Almodovar... which is not bad in any sense... I've said before that Almodovar is a King in the film industry and this film is not the exception. I loved loved loved Gael Garcia Bernal acting as a transvestite specially when singing: "quizas, quizas, quizas..." just amazing!!!! He did a great performance here! Not only acting as a transvestite but with a Spanish accent!!.. yes, great job! When you talk about Almodovar's films you can't leave without mentioning something about the cinematography, so here I am talking about one specific shot: The football match when the priest jumped to block a goal... a masterpiece! a great freeze shot!

Entre Les Murs

English Title: The Class

Laurent Cantet, France, 2008, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: Finally I made it! After waiting for such a long time I watched The Class today! To talk about this film you have to name Francois Begaudeau; he wrote the book (which won a French prize), did the screenplay (with the director an another guy) and played the main character. He did a great job everywhere. What I liked the most was the outstanding acting. All the students were nonprofessional actors and what a job they did!!! The whole film looks very real... That is the best of the film, the sense of reality. I'll have to say that, for me, this type of films are tough to digest, for me it has been tough to get into films that don't tell an specific story but it shows a fact. I'd love to know French... the dialogues are kind of quick and if you have to read you miss a bit of the moment. It's a great film, I wouldn't say that it's for a Palm D'or (as it is) but...

LaUchuva Ancestors...

Beto (a Colombian friend) has sent this article from The Wall Street Journal, January 23,2009 about Movie's Ranking Systems. Unfortunately they forgot to include LaUchuva in the article!!! Shame on them!!! (although they kind of cover the whole fruit system with this sentence: "under the veneer of objective numerical measurement, is really just an apples-to-oranges mess").  I wanted to include this article here for one especial reason: They show the First US Movie Review (Daily News, Tuesday July 31, 1928).  I thought it was really nice to see where LaUchuva came from... Thanks Beto!

Una Pura Formalita

English Title: A Pure Formality

Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy-France, 1994, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I feel that this movie is a dark film... literally dark. The set is very wet, dark, unorganized, confused.  All this "darkness" only makes sense IF and only IF you manage to have a SUPER BIG imagination to understand what was the film about! TBH I only liked the film after I was given an hypothesis about what was the film about... so if you watch this film PLEASE let me know your hypothesis. Gerard Depardieu is really good here so is Polanski.

Festen

English Title: The Celebration

Tomas Vinterberg, Denmark-Sweden, 1998, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's supposed to be a drama movie but tbh I just laugh a lot with the whole thing... what a "party"!!!! Sometimes I just think that the whole thing is an exaggeration after exaggeration!... but it's a great film... it's the kind of film that you need to be in the right mood to enjoy it.

Habla con Ella

English Title: Talk to Her

Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 2002, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I've been re-watching a lot of Almodovar's movies recently; that guy is just amazing! He really is!!! I've been trying to recall a bad film of his and I only can remember one that I'll need to see again just to make sure that I didn't like it (Atame). Talk to her is one of my favorites Almodovar's movies!! The story is soo good! The main actor (Javier Camara) is really really good! As in ALL Almodovar's movies (well at least the ones I remember with detail) the cinematography is unbelievable!!! There are two scenes that I just think are so beautiful and perfect!!: the silent film, which is a high!!! only he can imagine a scene like this one!!!! and the dressing up of the bullfighter... that part is just soooo amazing!!!! the sound in that part of the film is so beautiful!!!! so much!! For me this film is one of the greatest he's done!

Oscar's 2009

And the nominees were announced today... with no big surprises for me... if you want to listen to the nominees click here...

In the mid time I'll only right down some of my winner's guesses: (in red)

After the cermony I wrote the winners in green and when I guessed half half :

Motion Picture of the Year:

The Reader (but I think the academy will give it to Slumdog Millionaire)

Slumdog Millionaire

Actress in a Leading Role:

I will give 3 Oscar's here to Leo, Streep and Winslet but my winner isssss...

Melisa Leo in Frozen River (but I think the academy will give it to Winslet)

Kate Winslet for The Reader

Actor in a Leading Role:

Sean Penn in Milk

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams in Doubt (but I think the academy will give it to Viola Davis in Doubt)

Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Heath Ledger ... NO DOUBT!

Animated Feature Film:

Wall-E ... NO DOUBT!

Foreign Language Film of the Year:

(I'll write the list of nominees as I can't vote on this one as I only have seen ONE! uuugggrrr!!!!)

The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany

The Class, France

Departures, Japan

Revanche, Austria

Waltz With Bashir, Israel

Achievement in make up: (I put this category as I think this film was just AMAZING on this:)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Greg Cannom

The Award Ceremony will be on February 22nd.

so, any guess from you guys?!

Letyat Zhuravli

English Title: The Cranes are Flying

Letyat Zhuravli, Russia, 1957, imdb

Review: 2.5 Uchuvas
Comment: Before saying anything (and before Hrishi finish his friendship with me), I have to clarify three things here: First, I'm not fan of black and white films; don't ask me why but they make me feel sleepy somehow. Second, I'm not fan of 50's films either; It's a pity as I know that the are great films on those dates but... sorry, can't help it.  And third, I don't like war movies and that's a fact!. I think I got tired of watching so much Vietnam's war films in the 80's and 90's that somehow I just can't stand them anymore; I know that there are a lot of war types and a lot of stories' war types but... I just had enough of war!. So, considering that this film is a combination of the three things I don't like, you can understand why I didn't like it. However the film has great reviews and won some good awards (including my beloved Cannes). So, you go, have a look and let me know what you think.... Hrishi, you own me your review on this one!

Y Tu Mama Tambien

English Title: And Your Mother Too

Alfonso Cuaron, Mexico, 2001, imdb

Review: 1.5 Uchuvas
Comment: I am terribly sorry but I think is the worst movie EVER! (don't tell anyone but I'm just exaggerating!... I've seen much worst! but trust me! it's very bad!).  To start with (and to finish with) the acting is sooooooooo but so so so so so bad that I still can't believe that these two great current actors started over here.... Gael Garcia Bernal (yes! acting bad!!) and then Diego Luna (yes... bad). I have to say that I think they both are great actors now; Gael has an unfinished list of great films and Diego Luna just did an astonish performance in MILK but nonetheless I wont forgive them for this film!!! I even bought it!!! I saw the film a long time ago and totally forgot how bad it was and then I bought it last year, saw it and almost go to Virgin for a refund! But the winner was Maribel Verdu... I don't even know what to say about her acting!!! I am giving some Uchuvas ONLY for the story that if you have the ability to forget about this horrible acting you will realized that the plot could have brought a great film out of it. Ok, tell everyone I am exaggerating but ... I warned you!! Don't forget that this is what I and only I think... The Oscar's, BTAFF and lots of others (but no Cannes, that's why I love Cannes!!) gave nominations to this film... so, again, you have a go and let me know!!!

Das Leben der Anderen

English Title: The Lives of Others

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany, 2006, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: There are some movies that I never get tired of see, not even after watching them time after time after time. This is such a beautiful film that although it's sad, it's a film full of hope and best wishes... it's a film full of undiscovered love, full of the most sweet drama. Ulrich Muhe makes an impeccable work! His rigidity is almost unreal! The sets are also really well done. A must in Germany's films! well... a must for film lovers!!

Cidade de Deus

English Title: City of God

Fernando Meirelles-Katia Lund, Brazil, 2002, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I better start posting some films that I have in my old list; I will start with this great film! I really think is a great film for lots of reason but more important: the way the story is told, the amazing edition, the great photography and the superb music! Do you need any other reason to see it? Ok, here I go with another reason: The good acting.

Going back to the edition, I think it's one of the best ones I've seen! to top the camera's shoots and the music helps a lot to end up with such a great edition! I loved the power of the color too!(the poster's color says it all!) I agree that the story is really tough and raw but, oh well... when you have such an ability to direct films like this one you are totally entitled to talk about any subject you want!... plus... what's wrong with tough films??!!

Sundance Festival 2009

I guess this post is just to let you know that Sundance Festival has started today, January 15th! They have 200 films that will be presented in over 10 theaters in Utah. The awards will be held at the end of the Festival (January 25th). I wish I was there... but no, I'll keep one of my new year's resolution: Not to wish impossibles! so, maybe, next year I'll go. In the mid time I'll keep my idea of giving me as a 40's birthday's present, the "little" trip to Cannes Film Festival!!! YES!!

aaaanyway... So, enjoy Sundance (the ones that can) and let's keep in mind the winners for future references. BTW, Dwight... What are you doing here??!!! Go home and enjoy the festival!!!

Krotki film o Zabijaniu

English Title: A Short Story About Killing

Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland, 1988, imdb

Review: 3.5 Uchuvas
Comment: And then I saw this other one...! and yes...I confirmed that Kieslowski is great! and I haven't seen "The Decalogue" yet! apparently is quite good too!! ok, about this film I found it quite tough! The story behind the guy is heartbreaking and in any scene you can feel the sadness in every single person! How bad! I liked very much the edition and also the great photography! he captured some strange but great perspectives.

La Doble vie de Veronique

English Title: The double life of Veronique

Krzysztof Kieslowski, France, 2001, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I wanted to take my time to comment this film as I just loved every single part of it!!!!! I only have seen the trilogy from Kieslowski before (Blue, Red and White) but after watching The double life of Veronique I think this Polish director is just great! They are such a beautiful films! They are soooo delicate and powerful. I think not only the story, the actors, the photography was good; one VERY important component was the AAAAAMAZING music!!! I just felt in love with the singer (Elzbieta Towarnicka) and the composer (Zbigniew Preisner) !!! I just love these two tracks from the movie: Veronique singing (I won't put the real scene as I would spoil the film if you haven't seen it) and The puppets scene.  I love love love the puppet sequence... just looooove it! I also loooove when a director don't tell you the story in black and white... he just give you some ideas of what happen but he never tells you what in fact happen! I love when a director knows that we are cleaver enough to imagine things, or even better, to invent things!!! I spent a lot of hours trying to find who is the real puppeteer!? Any idea anyone?

This is England

English Title: This is England

Shane Meadows, UK, 2006, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's a really tough film. It's about a group of British's skinheads guys, in fact it's more about the... why am I talking about the plot?! Oh well... I just remember that the film was really good, really worth watching and ... I remember all these haircuts that I don't like! ... that's why I start talking about the plot so I don't end up talking about the haircuts... Aaaaanyway... Have a look, it's really good.

Tokyo Monogatari

English Title: Tokyio Story

Yasujiro Ozu, Japan, 1953, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: Hrishi (an Indian friend, or shall I say a beloved American?! ;-)) lent this film to me after writing a great comment that I posted last month. After reading his comment it was impossible not to be in love with the film even before watching it. To be honest, when I finished seeing it I wasn't very sure that I liked it a lot.  After a while and after re-picturing the film in my head I realized why the film was good.  I learned to appreciate the softness of a film. I learned what delicateness really means in films. I started to appreciate more the the absence of color. I love, about the story, how the characters were introduced; You only realized who they really are after a long while. Soft and delicate, two words to describe it. Don't see it if you don't like slow films.

Zivot je cudo

English Title: Life is a Miracle

Emir Kusturica, Serbia&Montenegro+others, 2004, imdb

Review: 1.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I used to be fun number 1 of Kusturica after watching Black Cat White Cat and Underground but after seeing this film I lost more than half of the sympathy I ever felt for him. Those two films I mentioned before plus When father was away on business were very bizarre (VERY!)but the three of them were so well developed around one clear story. What I felt with Life is a Miracle is that he was trying to keep the bizarre atmosphere, typical in his films, but loosing all proportions. I felt hi forgot that bizarreness doesn't mean being grotesque for just the fact of being grotesque. The movie is, for me, anything else but an effort to keep an style without thinking what has made the style good before. I have to say anyway that for a reasons that I don't understand, as I'm not professional on the subject, this movie has won several awards including one nomination to the Golden Palm, Cannes (Festival that I like and believe in). So, there you go... have a look if you like and decide whether you like it or not.

Golden GLobes 2009

I know, I know!! it's not a foreign film awards and maybe it's not worth paying attention to them (do you know that only 92 people vote for the winners??!!) but I thought I should include in the blog some festivals I like to follow so here you go.

Any guess for winners here??!!! some of my guesses are (in red): (winners and comments in green after watching the ceremony)

Best Motion Picture-Drama

The curious case of Benjamin Button imdb (great effects!)

Frost/Nixon imdb (not my cup of tea but it was good)

The reader imdb (Excelent film! great acting)

Revolutionary Road imdb (tough and great!)

Slumdog Millionaire imdb (I have some doubts but it was good) (No way!!)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama

Leonardo Dicaprio, Revolutionary Road

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Brad Pitt, The curious case of B.B.

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (haven't seen it) (again, Penn is just amazing but can't say if he's better as I haven't seen this film)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -Drama

Anne hathaway, Rachel Getting married (haven't seen it)

Angelina J, Changeling (haven't seen it and not planning to)

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Kristin Scott Thomas, I've love you so long

Kate Winslet, Revolutionary road (I like her better in The Reader) (agreed, she is great!)

Don't miss these other nominees!!! they are great films!

Doubt, pity the trailer! it shows all the film but it's a great film!

Milk, excellent... specially all the acting! Penn is superb!

Burn after reading, I loved Pitt acting here!

In Bruges, so funny! Winner Best Actor Commedy

The Dark Knight, just to see the Joker is worth it! Winner supporting Actor

Wall-E, great animation. Winner Best Animation

Waltz with Bashir, worth watching. Winner Best Foreign Film

and you? any guess?

The Syrian Bride

English Title: The Syrian Bride

Eran Riklis,France-Germany-Israel,2004, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's an amazing film!!! It really is aaaaaamazing! When I saw the film I didn't know very much about the conflicts around the area where the film is set: The Golan Heights. It was "undisputed Syrian territory until Israel captured the region on 9-10 June 1967 during the Six-Day War..." (whole story here). Apparently when Israel took the region, a lot of Syrian families got stuck in their own territory; Israelis didn't allow the Syrians, that were living in the taken territory, to leave unless it was for good. DO NOT WORRY... This is not the plot of the film!! not at all....it's just that I'd have loved to know this before watching the film!!! The photography is great and the actors soo good! It's a great combination of history, drama, comedy and surrealism (for the situation itself). Great film! Have a look!

Tulitikkutehtaan tytto

English Title: The Match Factory Girl

Aki Kaurismaki, Finland, 1990, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: Before saying anything about this film I have to say that Kaurismaki, from my point of view, is mad! No mad in a bad way at all! It's just very unusual to see the types of films he made. He should pay the actors by the number of words they say in a film, so he can save lots of money!!!! L O T S! Anyway, the film: It's Kaurismaki's film that I've liked the most so far! Simple (as his films), black, direct, tough and short... short enough so you don't get bored with the simplicity of the film (I normally get bored with his films after a while). The actress is great! I don't know why I never felt sympathy for her... oh well... I know why now!

Chechu (a Spanish friend) sent this link about Kaurismaki filmatography, if anybody wants to have a look!

Azul Oscuro Casi Negro

English Title: Dark Blue Almost Black

Daniel Sanchez, Spain, 2006, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: Director debutante!! super! Me gusto bastante esta pelicula. Me gusta muchisimo cuando una pelicula sabe combinar el drama con partes comicas. Me parecio muy buena la historia del amigo... Los actores fueron super! sobretodo "Jorge". La pelicula me puso a pensar en la mala suerte que implica no tener experiencia laboral... es como la historia de quien fue primero: el huevo o la gallina... si no te dan trabajo por falta de experiencia como diablos se hace para tener experiencia sin trabajar primero??!! Tambien me gusto mucho los primeros 5 minutos de la pelicula que dan el abrebocas para mostrar la inmensa frustacion de Jorge con todo el resto de acontecimientos a lo largo del film. 5 minutos que no pueden pasar al olvido. 

Withnail & I

English Title: Withnail & I

Bruce Robinson, UK, 1987, imdb

Review: 3.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I really don't know what to say about this film! It's so....mmmm....don't now! In any case the film has its moments! very funny moments. Two of the characters are just great! Withnail is superb!! and Danny!!! hahahha! they do the whole film! I just loved when they try to cook a chicken in a tea pot! great! It took me a lot of time to realize that I wouldn't see a story but a way of life of a pair of young guys where his only worries would be... not to "mix drinks".

Sult

English Title: Hunger

Henning Carlsen, Denmark, 1996, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I have to admit that this is my second comment on the film. I wrote a very foolish comment but deleted after reading IMDB's comments. I normally don't read them before posting my films but this time I was curious about why it has very good reviews as I didn't like it that much. I was happily surprise by the profound comments and after reading them I started to feel more sympathetic with the film. Yes, I agree that the actor is really good (he won 4 awards for his performance including Cannes). I didn't know, for example, that it's an adaptation of a book by Knut Hamsun ("book based entirely on his experiences of suffering, moral degradation, starvation and humiliation at the hands of the bourgeoisie of Oslo...") The film is very touching and makes me think how many people will die of starvation before admit their hunger. I like a lot how the director create the feeling of hunger all along the film... I guess it's very difficult to show AND perform that feeling! How will it be to write it!?

3.5 or less are great films too!!

Every time I post a new film I go over the reviews to make sure that the number of Uchuvas really mean which movies are better; sometimes I have to change the review in some films to make the whole thing fair. Lately I've noticed that the films that have 3.5 Uchuvas or less are really really good films! That makes me realize that I've been tough with the reviews but it needs to be that way as the range is too tight, so do NOT think that because it's 3.5 Uchuvas or less means that it isn't a good film. That's not the case for the movies that are 2 Uchuvas or less... Having only 0.01 Uchuva it REALLY REALLY menans: PLEASE don't see it!

London to Brighton

English Title: London to Brighton

Paul Andrew Williams, UK, 2006, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I like this film a lot.  Its a tough sad film. The edition is really good! As I said before I love when the film doesn't follow a linear time. The actors are very good... really good I'd say! The photography is good too. What I love from British films is the realism of the movies.... they look so so real!! Films where actors look like real people! ... looove them!

The Story of Stuff

English Title: The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard, US, 2007, click here to see the short story

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: I just wanted to start this year with something different and this story was a great opportunity to do it.  Juancho Mesa (a Colombian friend) sent this story to me and I like it a lot not only because it makes me think  about the planet's deterioration and consumerism all over again but because the graphics are really good too... Have a look!! It's not a film but a 20 minutes short story launched online really worth it!

From Juacho email: "...Hoy me ronda tambien por la cabeza una frase que sale en Discovery Channel: TODO LO QUE HAGAS, MUCHO O POCO, CUENTA."

Feliz Navidad Y Feliz Año!!