Weekly Movie Recommendations

DVD of the week: The Deep End

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Tilda Swinton was so good in I Am Love, the movie I panned this week, that now I’ll plug The Deep End.  This 2001 thriller stars Swinton  as a Lake Tahoe mom who must cover up a crime to protect her teen son.  Then ER heartthrob Goran Visnjic shows up to blackmail the family.  The more the situation spirals out of control, the more gripping Swinton’s performance.

Movies to See This Week

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Click here for this week’s recommendations.  Scroll down this blog to watch trailers.  My top recommendations are Toy Story 3, Micmacs, The Secrets in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), and Iron Man 2. You can still find The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in theaters.

My top picks on DVD is Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains. The Messenger, Crazy Heart and Broken Embraces (Abrazos Rotos) are also good choices on DVD.

Monkey Business, All The King’s Men, The 400 Blows and The Shootist are all on TV.

The Shootist

DVD pick of the week: Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains

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In 1972, a group of privileged Latin American college guys boarded a chartered airplane for a rugby weekend.  The plane crashed in the Andes, and some of them died.  They awaited rescue.  Then an avalanche killed some more of them.  Then it became apparent that the search for them had been called off.  In this documentary, the survivors tell their story – and bring their adult children back to the scene of the crash.  They candidly explain how humans act and react in the most desperate circumstances, faced with the most appalling choices.  This was my #2 film of 2009; (made in 2007, it was only widely available in the US in 2009).  Here’s a scene from the film:

This week's Movies to See

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Click here for this week’s recommendations.  Scroll down this blog to watch trailers.  My top recommendations are The Secrets in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), Iron Man 2 and, of course, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

My top picks on DVD are still The Messenger, Crazy Heart and Broken Embraces (Abrazos Rotos).

Some Like It Hot, Diabolique and Monkey Business are all on TV.

DVD pick of the week: The Messenger

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The Messenger:  A soldier’s (Ben Foster) new assignment is visiting military next of kin to inform them face-to-face of their loved one’s death in combat; after you see this movie, you won’t complain about your own job for a while.  Despite the challenging material, most people will appreciate this movie because of the brilliant supporting performances of Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton. There are only 3 or 4 “notifications”, which set the stage for the characters played by Foster, Harrelson and Morton.  The plot is leavened by laughs and the possibility of romance.

This week's Movies To See

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Click here for this week’s recommendations.  Scroll down this blog to watch trailers.  My top recommendations are The Secrets in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), Iron Man 2 and, of course, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

My top picks on DVD are still Crazy Heart and Broken Embraces (Abrazos Rotos).

Hail! The Conquering Hero, A Man Called Horse,  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Marty are all on TV.

DVD Pick of the Week: Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos)

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This is Pedro Almodovar’s brilliant, operatic romantic drama.  Penelope Cruz is once again Almodovar’s instrument, never more breathtaking.  With movies within the movie, it’s also homage to filmmaking itself.  And, it’s also a cinematic celebration of the color red – look for the color red in each scene.  This was my #4 movie of 2009 and my choice for best foreign language film.

This week's DVD pick: Crazy Heart

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Crazy Heart: This is a very good movie with a great, Oscar-winning performance by Jeff Bridges and a great score.  It’s also a realistic depiction of alcoholism and its consequences.  Maggie Gyllenhaal shines as always.  Colin Farrell is shockingly believable as a contemporary country music star.