starring Gary Oldham, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch
During the 1970's Cold War, an operation in Budapest, Hungary goes terribly wrong, and it is then believed that one of the four senior figures in the British Intelligence is in fact a Russian spy. This movie was unique because there was little dialogue and you were forced to figure out what was happening through gestures and facial expressions. That was rather neat, but I don't think many movie-goers like to do that. It wasn't a movie for the general masses.
The Iron Lady
starring Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent
This is the story of Margaret Thatcher, who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world, and rose to become the Prime Minister of Great Britain. You get a good insight into power and the price that is paid for it. Alexandra Roach was very good as the young Margaret. The makeup department did an extraordinary job.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
starring Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Ethan Hunt and his team get blamed for bombing the Kremlin, so they must uncover the truth on their own, without support from the IMF. A sandstorm scene was pretty amazing and the stunts by Cruise on the side of a building in Dubai were unbelievable. The guy is a bit nuts.
Contraband
starring Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Foster (from Breaking Bad), Kate Beckinsale
Set in New Orleans, a former international smuggler is forced back into running contraband to settle his brother-in-law's debt. I thought this was a decent movie except for what I call a "cinematic leaps" - a scenes that are totally unbelievable but necessary to advance the story line. And this movie had a couple.
Shame
starring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan
A thirty-something man living in New York is unable to manage his sex life, and when his sister moves into his apartment, his world spirals out of control. This movie was really just a small step below a porn flick (you see all of Fassbender and many times) and wasn't that good except for Carey Mulligan singing a great version of New York, New York.
Martha Marcy May Marlene Marlene
starring Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy
Martha escapes an abusive cult and moves in with her sister and brother-in-law, but has trouble adapting to their upper middle class lifestyle. Her isolation grows and her fear that she is being hunted escalates until she descends into panic.
Melancholia
starring Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skaarsgard
A couple is celebrating their marriage at the home of her sister and brother-in-law. At the same time, the planet Melancholia is heading on a collision course with Earth.
The Artist
starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo
In 1927 Hollywood, George Valentin is a hugely successful silent movie star. The arrival of talking movies will mark the end of his career. An extra on one of his movies becomes a rising movie star. This is a lovely film about the end of a career and holding on when the public wants something else. Shot in black and white with very little dialogue, George speaks 2 words at the very end of the movie. Brilliant.
Take Shelter
starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain
A man in small town Ohio has haunting dreams, but he keeps the visions to himself as he starts building a storm shelter in his backyard. His seemingly inexplicable behavior baffles his family and his community resulting in a huge strain on his marriage.
more to come......
