axlgarland

Technically, like most of Davin Fincher's movies, "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" is a wonder. The curious saga of a man ageing backwards, gives Fincher the possibility of doing what he does best, tricks. It is the drama part that he doesn't seem to master or perhaps he doesn't care. "Zodiac" was his most coherent dramatic venture. Here he gets infatuated by the CGI and manages some spectacular punches but it is thanks to Brad Pitt the the exercise has a soul. He is truly remarkable. He manages to overcome the distraction of the gadgetry and show us the interior of the man. Brad Pitt's warmth wins over David Fincher's coldness and the most successful parts of the film are reflected in Brad Pitt's eyes. Geared towards an inexorable ending, there are moments of real beauty and tenderness. I'm convinced those moments could have been captured with a Super 8. The over direction of Fincher puts the emotional undertone in real jeopardy but, thankfully, the overall experience is mostly a welcome and rewarding one.

How extraordinary to find a forty-something actress you've never seen or heard about before and being blown away by her. Her name is Melissa Leo and I believe she is here to stay. She gives the most powerful performance I've seen all year. She managed to slip into my subconscious and I find myself thinking about her (about her character) as I do someone I truly care about. That in itself is a major achievement. A first time director, Courtney Hunt, gives this character and this actress a remarkable space to breath and grow. The gelid landscape envelopes the desolate story but there is a human warmth devoid of sentimentality that makes "Frozen River" a welcome rarity. Moving, suspenseful, not to be missed.

As a huge fan of "Apartment Zero" I went to "K.Il Bandito" with a certain amount of trepidation. Martin Donovan, the director, hasn't directed a film in a decade. It took the opening image to drag me into this passionate tale of "K" a fictional venetian bandit that, in a way, represents them all. The strange romantic view of an outlaw told in strong emotional terms. The hypnotic nature of this film remains vividly in my mind. I saw it 48 hours ago and I'm still in it with those fabulous faces that populate the film travelling around my brain. Pierluigi Coppola, plays Karlo with a "K" and he's not just impossibly beautiful but soulful and as far away from the bandits we're used to see that in a way his creation is kind of unique. His wife is played by Martina Stella with shattering honesty. She is truly exceptional. Her slow collapse into depression and drug addiction is told in riveting passages, so beautiful! The great Neapolitan singer, Lina Sastri, is a powerful standout as "K"'s mother. She doesn't shy away from her guilt. She's so aware and her pain is visceral and cinematic. The time transitions have a poetic flair very present in Martin Donovan's "Mad At The Moon" although Donovan visits here a very different universe. The score by Savio Riccardi and the photography by the great Ennio Guarnieri ("The Garden Of The Finzi Contini") are the icing on the cake of this emotional work of art.