159 - Away We Go

Having seen The Office....I honestly feel like I'm watching a Jim Halpert movie :). It's a great story and I like how it was written to treat each stop in their trip as stories in themselves, and yet feature in the background the perseverence of the couple.

158 - Local Color

I think there really was a great story that was the basis for the film, but the presentation fell somewhat short.

Armin Mueller-Stahl felt like good casting, but either the script needed more interpretation or directing may have kept it too tight, I honestly don't know. Perhaps in order to preserve moments that inspired the film, a lot of the storylines or dialogue took a back seat. Trevor Morgan, in a role that would be a good fit for either Tobey Maguire or Elijah Wood, doesn't really bring that much to the character. I'm biased about Samantha Mathis, but here again it feels like the script has kept her from doing anything meaningful.

The film does have its merits in its commentary about art, which I found both amusing (way to go Ron Perlman ;) ) and insightful.

157 - Blade of the Immortal

I've followed the graphic novels for quite some time and while the artwork is faithful to the original, watching it was somewhat weird when you've gotten used to following the story in comic form. I think I'll stick to the graphic novels.

156 - The Girlfriend Experience

I admire Steven Soderbergh's explorations or turns in his filmmaking profession (like "Bubble"). In The Girlfriend Experience, he uses a semi-documentary style mixed with a wild card casting of Sasha Grey...who, in real life parallels the lead. My curiosity in Sasha Grey lead me to a little bit of her porn resume, and believe me, dumb prey she is not (submissive prey you are, if you dare). I like the details Steven highlights in the film, such as Sasha's high-maintenance and repetition (and patience) with clients. But what I appreciated most was that unseen effect that goes on between Sasha and her clients. It's that undescribable air that can probably be seen as nervousness most times. It just manifests differently depending on the person. The fact that Sasha's life does have its sad turns wouldn't surprise anyone, but it's her toughness that cracks a little at some point that actually brings some normalcy, believe it or not.

155 - The Piano Teacher

Let me get this out of the way first.....Isabelle Huppert reminds me of Amy Madigan. It's that serious pout. Anyway, the film is a very interesting observation of a deprived or denied emotion.....and sadly, the consequences. Isabelle simplifies it in the interviews as an examination between love and seduction or loss of control, but I saw much more of its complexity on screen.

154 - Sunshine Cleaning

Depending on how your adolescent years went, there is a part of you that either wants to hang on or completely look away to what once was.... You continue to move on, but mostly in directions that probably were never in the "master plan". Amy Adams really projects a lot of that...evertime she's not smiling. Emily Blunt supports well...and her character is realistic. Adding Adam Arkin and Jason Spevack kinda looks formulaic, but they are more part of the background than anything.

153 - Julia

Tilda Swinton morphs from ice queen to drunk rat flawlessly :). The film drags a bit though, and I think there would have been more "efficient" ways to tell the story.