I recently succumbed to a ridiculous whim and bought a job lot of 171 DVDs from eBay wholesale, for just over £1 each. I kept the best ones, about half of them, and sold the rest for £1 each almost immediately.
Thus, my DVD collection is now a DVD library. And suddenly I have loads of films I'm excited about watching.
My learned friend Jeremy Sheldon makes sure he watches a film every single day. This week, without really intending to, I have achieved just that.
Thursday: Nacho Libre. Flat and unimaginative comedy in the vein of Napoleon Dynamite. 3/10.
Friday: The Expendables. A wasted opportunity. Big on gore, low on everything else. 3/10.
Saturday: Animal House. Now I know where Ferris Bueller got his inspiration! Genius. 8/10.
Sunday: Serenity. Fun science fiction flick, though you can tell it's an extension of a TV show. 7/10.
Monday: The Secret In Their Eyes. Great slow-burning character piece. 8/10.
Tuesday: Gamer. Why are there so many bad reviews of this? I loved it. Good zeitgeisty script. 9/10.
Wednesday: Slither. Not too clever B-movie horror parody. 4/10.
Thursday: The Illusionist. On one hand, brilliant and beautiful silent storytelling. On the other hand, slightly irritating characters and not as good as Belleville Rendez-Vous. 7/10.
Friday: I'm just about to curl up with WarGames...
(Disclaimer: I'm sure my ratings show all kinds of bias and are no doubt heavily dependant on how I was feeling at the time - but hell, that's my MO.)
Showing posts with label The Secret in Their Eyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Secret in Their Eyes. Show all posts
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Secret in Their Eyes
Once in a while, a film comes along that manages to keep you glued to the screen without lots of action or glamour, but simply by compelling character development and a decent plot. This Argentinian offering delivers with confidence, subtlety and wit.
It's a film about closure. The protagonist, a retired legal counselor, seeks to quench the demons of his past - a traumatic injustice, a lost opportunity for love. The plot unfolds gradually, step by step, gathering force and substance without cutting any corners. The characters are complex and real, and I enjoyed their company for the duration of the film.
Juan José Campanella's directing is impeccable, the production is slick and inventive (there is one particular shot of a football stadium that high-budget Hollywood movies would be envious of), the acting is spot on, the story is satisfying - what more could you ask? More than deserves its 2009 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Go see it!
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