Spirited, swash buckling action in the Indiana Jones mold, The Adventures of Tintin showcases the storytelling and visual effects strengths of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. Based on the classic Belgian comic and animated series, intrepid reporter Tintin(voiced by Jamie Bell) travels the high seas and the burning deserts to solve an age old pirate mystery. The best animated film of the year!
Expect the unexpected with controversial director, Lars Von Trier. Following up on the psycho-sexual Antichrist, Von Trier turns his attention to an apocalyptic psychological horror in Melancholia. Kirsten Dunst was snubbed for a Best Actress nomination over her fierce performance as a chronically depressed woman who sabotages her own marriage moments after the wedding. Charlotte Gainsbourg is her sister, the polar opposite in terms of temperamanet who just wants things to go smoothly for everyone. When a giant planet called Melancholia begins hurtling towards earth, the two sisters handle the news in ways that are both confusing and personally destructive. Von Trier's most beautifully shot, poetic film yet, the grandiose final scene will be etched into your memory.
I've talked so much about The Descendants here on this site and elsewhere that you know my position on it. Alexander Payne's long awaited return was not only the best film of last year, George Clooney gives a tour de force performance surpassing even his Up in the Air. Turning down his celebrity glamour a few notches, Clooney plays Matt King, a wealthy real estate magnate forced to juggle his responsibilities to his two rebellious daughters and to the pristine Hawaiian islands when his wife suffers a tragic accident.
Other Notable Releases
My Week with Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams
Happy Feet Two, with Elijah Wood and Pink
The Three Musketeers, starring Logan Lerman and Milla Jojovich
Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt
American Pie (Blu-Ray), starring Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan
American Pie 2 (Blu-Ray)
American Wedding (Blu-Ray)
The Last Temptation of Christ (Criterion Collection), starring Willem Dafoe
The Swell Season, starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Absentia, starring Doug Jones and Katie Parker
Triad Trilogy (Blu-Ray), starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau
Coonskin, with Barry White and Scatman Crothers
