Drive

In brief:
Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver by day, getaway driver by night in this gory crime thriller that won Best Direction in Cannes.

Ramblings:
This is one more of those films where the story is too short to fill in the 90 minutes required so they do a lot of shots of the main protagonist's face just driving somewhere. It was a bit irritating at first but once I was captured by the story, it didn't bother me much anymore and I just went with it.

The story is a bit thin, the bloody scenes are quite gory, and I'm not sure that Ryan Gosling gave us enough to have us believe he'd go to so much trouble for a woman and her son. But I'm glad I saw it and would recommend it as a genre film -- whatever that means.

Afghan Luke

In brief:
Nick Stahl plays a reporter on the Afghan war who finds out more than he is allowed to report.

Ramblings:
Excellent cast, excellent story -- and it is not all wrapped up at the end. "Your current enemy is just your future ally" is a quote lifted from B.H. Liddell Hart in Thoughts on War: "For the enemy of to-day is the customer of tomorrow, and often the ally of the future."

Afghanistan is not a neat war. This is not a neat movie. Lots of loose ends left to ponder after the film is over.

Albert Nobbs

In brief:
Glenn Close co-wrote and stars in this adaptation of the play about a nineteenth-century Irishwoman who disguises herself as a man and works as a butler for twenty years.

Ramblings:
A bit ponderous. It's difficult to feel much emotion about an emotionless protagonist. Yes, she plays the part well, but to what end?

Romeo Onze

In brief:
Very slow movie with a not very interesting character and depressing story.

Ramblings:
Too many threads in the plot made this meandering film not too engrossing. Lots of pregnant pauses when you were wishing they'd just get on with it. Very unappealing main character. Dreary story.

The Guantanamo Trap

In brief:
The story of people who were at Guantanamo and their search for a life after Guantanamo.

Ramblings:

Guilt

In brief:
Guilt is a social drama chronicling the disarray of two teenage boys who must live with the moral aftermath of a homicide they committed one wild night.

Ramblings:

Donovan's Echo

In brief:
Rambling story with a fabricated plot about a man who seems to be seeing the future.
Ramblings:
Not much more to say. No characters worth caring about. Very convoluted plot.

Moneyball

In brief:
Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics’ general manager whose unorthodox approach to fielding a team had a major impact on the game.

Ramblings:

Starbuck

In brief:
A middle-aged slacker (Patrick Huard) is informed that the sperm he once donated has fathered no less than 533 children, many of whom are now suing the clinic to meet their maker.

Ramblings:
As the director said, "This is more a film about fatherhood than about sperm donations." Excellent cast. Excellent story.

Guess what!! Ken Scott has remade this movie in English with Vince Vaughn in the title role. Didn't think it was necessary, but, whatever ...

It opens on November 22, 2013. Here's a link to the IMDB info.

Boy

In brief:
New Zealand film with an excellent young lead about young boy growing up with no adult role models and those that appear are more child-like than adult. Good story.
Ramblings:
Director's own story.

YouTube Trailer

Colour of the Ocean

In brief:
German/Spanish film about African refugees seeking asylum in Spain. Excellent cast and story ... though not necessarily a happy one.

Ramblings:
Story kept you interested to the end. With a non-predictable ending.

God Bless America

In brief:
Man gets tired of American hate/right wing and starts on a killing spree.

Ramblings:
It is a superb absurdist movie. So good. Totally improper and offensive but oh, so funny. Not all will agree. But I would not have missed it for anything. About our image & celebrity worshipping culture.

My 30^th film of this festival.

Pro & Con Reviews:
Good review and more about the film at Movie City News.
Contrary review that takes the plot way too seriously at Film Authority.

From the Q & A:
Bobcat Goldthwait introduces the movie.
Why the script was written.
About the actress, Tara Lynne Barr & screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Any problems with clearances for locations or music?
About fame and the love of it.
Are you a happy person?
How much time for rehearsing?
Why no politics in the movie?
Are there any scenes missing in the movie?

The Woman in the Fifth

In brief:
Ethan Hawke as an American writer moves to Paris to be closer to his daughter who finds himself falling immediately on hard times. Especially since his wife doesn't want him anywhere near.

Ramblings:
I'm not sure Ethan Hawke even know what was happening in the plot. Kristin Scott Thomas is wasted as a "ghost' -- or is she. By the end we don't really know and we don't really care.

Machine Gun Preacher

In brief:
Gerard Butler plays a motorcycle guy who goes to Africa to help kids. He uses a gun to do the work. A bit over the top but it is a true story and you can get caught up in it by the end if you let yourself.

Kid with a Bike

In brief:
French film with an excellent young actor in the lead role about a boy who won't believe his father abandoned him ... and so he looks for acceptance in all the wrong places and with the wrong people and in the wrong ways.

Ramblings:
Spell-binding actor plays main role. Brother French directors.

Lovely Molly

In brief:
Horror flick by director of The Blair Witch Project with more money this time.
Ramblings:
Possibly I missed something. But why did she bury the girl? And who was possessing her? And why should we care?

Dull, dreary, dark, and dismal film.

I'm Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful

In brief:
Jonathan Demme documentary about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Six years in the life of a survivor.

Superclasico

In brief:
Danish man and son go to Buenes Aires to reconnect with wife/mother who ran off with Argentinian footballer.

Ramblings:
Hilarious. Surprising plot twists. Incredible cast - both Argentinian & Danish. Great music. Great culture.

James doesn't agree with me about this one. Scroll to the bottom. But perhaps this showed up in my list in a better position -- where I was ready to suspend my disbelief and just go along with the silly story. Co-incidences don't bother me that much. After all, it's only a movie -- not real life.

The Student

In brief:
Ponderous film about student politics and the academic system in Argentina. "You had to be there." But who would want to be?

Life Without Principle

In brief:
Hong Kong movie with complicated plot and interweaving storylines about the money system. Flashbacks are hard to follow.

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding

In brief:
Jane Fonda as an aging hippy still living in Woodstock when her daughter comes to visit with her kids. Great story and acting. Will go over well with older crowd and lots of fun for younger audience

Guilty

In brief:
Vincent Garenq’s disturbing drama investigates the corrupt judicial system under which Alain Marécaux and his wife Edith were arrested on accusations of pedophilia — horrific acts they never committed- and the years he spent fighting to get out of prison, clear his name and keep his family.

Ramblings:
The decision to re-create the experiences of Alain for this movie doesn't do much to satisfy our interest in the story. Yes, being in jail is hell. Yes, he was innocent. Yes, the system is at fault. But what is going on in the rest of the world to bring about the final judgement? We're not let into that. Reminded me a bit about "Hurricane," where we knew he was not guilty but we were also party to the people who were trying to prove it. Much more satisfying.

Killer Joe

In brief:
Emile Hirsch plays a desperate Texas debtor who plots to kill his mother, with help of his family (Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon). They hire a crooked cop (Matthew McConaughey) to do the job, but Killer Joe asks for their teenage daughter (Juno Temple) as a "retainer."

Ramblings:
Funny/absurdist movie (?) that will be too gory and harsh for most people. Lots of blood and lots of uncomfortable situations.

The Oranges

In brief:
Great story, great cast. American movie about an older man falling for a younger neighbour. Well told, though it might be a bit risque for some.