Krzysztof Kieslowski caused quite a stir in the indie cinema community with his intoxicating Three Colors trilogy, a series of films named for the colors of the French flag and encompassing it's ideals of liberty, fraternity, and equality. That's all well and good, but to me they're just startlingly well made films, intimate and elegant, with wonderful performances by Juliette Binoche. Julie Delpy, and Zbigniew Zamachowski. My personal favorite of the group is White, probably the one least regarded, because of it's darkly comedic look at our petty desire for revenge.
A movie about two apocalypse obsessed friends, their Mad Max-style muscle car, and a flamethrower is one of the most honest, heartfelt movies of the year? Doesn't seem likely, but it's true. Star/writer/director Evan Glodell and his frankenstein experiment of a home made camera, presents a film bleak look at friendship, love, and betrayal. A must see film.
It took me a couple of times before I truly fell in love with Beginners, but when I did it hit me hard. The reason is that Mike Mills' true story about his relationship with his father, Hal(played by Christopher Plummer), a man who came out as gay in the final years of his life, could have been heavy. Instead, Beginners includes plenty of humor to go along with the poignancy, as Hal lives life to the fullest. Ewan McGregor has never been funnier or more charming as Hal's son, Oliver, who is struggling to understand his father's latter life. At the same time, Oliver is learning to open up his heart again as he enters into a romance with a quirky young actress(Melanie Luarent).
Other notable releases
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp
The Lion King
West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-Ray)
My Fair Lady (Blu-Ray), starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison
Evil Dead 2 (Blu-Ray), starring Bruce Campbell
Dreamworks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury/Book of Dragons (2-Disc DVD + Online Video Game)
Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts
Assassins Creed: Lineage
Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black
Flypaper, starring Patrick Dempsey and Tim Blake Nelson
Infernal Affairs (Blu-Ray), starring Andy Lau
Main Street, starring Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom
