Mozart's Sister (2010)

Directed by: René Féret
Country: France

Plot: A re-imagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang and a musical prodigy in her own right.
Quick comment: A creative story that somehow turns out to be forgettable. The repressed Nannerl never clearly emerge with her emotions and as consequence the movie never gets close to its potential. Féret had directed 14 feature films before. None of them achieved notoriety.
Relevant Awards: -

Las Acacias (2011)

Directed by: Pablo Giorgelli
Country: Argentina

Plot: Rubén is a lonely truck driver who has been covering for years the motorway from Asunción del Paraguay to Buenos Aires, carrying wood. However, today's journey will be different.
Quick comment: Definitely not for everyone - minimal story; very slow pace. At first it’s really a test to your patience because almost anything happens for a long time. Slowly, it starts to unfold some warm feelings and we can catch a glimpse of romance that will arrive soon. Could have had a bit more of excitement but it’s still worth for its realism and authenticity.
Relevant Awards: Golden Camera at Cannes Film Festival, France.

Take Shelter (2011)

Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Country: USA

Plot: Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.
Quick comment: I usually don’t like this kind of movies (about catastrophes) but this one has something more. It takes good advantage of psychological factor and can deliver real panic and stressful situations. The cold and determined character played by Michael Shannon is excellent and enough to keep us startled till the final revelation.
Relevant Awards: Critics Week Grand Prize and SACD Award for best feature(Cannes, France); Special Jury Award (Gijon , Spain).

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2011)

Directed by: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Country: Turkey

Plot: A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.
Quick comment: The cinema of Nuri B.Ceylan is beautiful but requires some patience from the viewer due to its slow pace. A very detailed investigation of a murder is the excuse to disclose the different characters of the people involved – suspects, police officers, doctor and prosecutor. A cynical criticism is used to denounce fragilities in the turkish police and medical procedures.
Relevant Awards: Grand Prize of the Jury at Cannes Film Festival, France; Netpac Award at Karlovy Vary Fest., Czech Republic.

Faust (2011)

Directed by: Aleksandr Sokurov
Country: Russia

Plot: A version of the German legend in which a man sells his soul to the devil in exchange of knowledge.
Quick comment: Master direction from Sokurov in this loose and controversial, though captivating, adaptation of Goethe's literary work. Every frame is like a painting made with brush strokes of grotesque and profanity. As in most of his movies, the adopted style and mood are not easy to assimilate at once, whereas its creative approach has something to say in a time where fresh new ideas are very welcomed.
Relevant Awards: Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, Italy.

Terraferma (2011)

Directed by: Emanuele Crialese
Country: Italy

Plot: A Sicilian family deals with the arrival of a group of immigrants on their island.
Quick comment: Crialese (“respiro”; “the golden door”) expose the issue of illegal immigration lived in the Sicily islands. It’s curious the dilemma that opposes the law of the fishermen to the law of the authorities concerning immigration. Despite some irrelevant scenes and an unfinished story, "terraferma" is worth seeing for its cinematography and to better understand the different sides taken by the inhabitants that live mostly from fishery and tourist activities.
Relevant Awards: Special Jury Prize and Pasinetti Award at Venice Film Festival, Italy.

The End (2008)

Directed by: Nicola Collins
Country: USA

Plot: The End reveals the bloody history and confessions of the cockney gangster.
Quick comment: A documentary presenting a few british gangsters boasting about deeds that they shouldn't be proud of. Both director and producer are daughters of the interviewed gangster Les Falco. Sometimes is funny.
Relevant Awards: -

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
Country: USA

Plot: In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6.
Quick comment: Based on the great novel by John Le Carré, this feature doesn't spread much intensity or enthusiasm. A too dense content and the uncountable connections become a bit hard to follow if you're not attentive. Even so I watched it with curiosity. From the swedish director of "let the right one in"(2008).
Relevant awards: best adapted screenplay at BAFTA Awards, UK.

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Country: USA

Plot: Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.
Quick comment: Inspired by one of the best known comics ever, "Tintin" reveals Spielberg's return to the ebullient times of "raiders of the lost ark". Expect lots of action, adventure and funny situations in a very well made adaptation. If "war horse" which was made in the same year was a disappointment, "tintin" cheered me up.
Relevant awards: -

Chronicle (2012)

Directed by: Josh Trank
Country: USA

Plot: Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.
Quick comment: Presented as a false documentary, it tries to persuade us with super-powers stuff and a bunch of special effects. I wonder if this was made for grown-ups or just for kids. No, no...the chaos is not installed! It's just a movie full of crap.
Relevant Awards: -


The Artist (2011)

Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
Country: France

Plot: Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.
Quick comment: Very inventive and bold story, it manages to catch the audiences in an old fashioned way. I could feel the joy from the cinema of other times. The 5 oscars were deserved, including the one for Jean Dujardin for best performance in a leading role.
Relevant Awards: Best motion picture, actor and director at Academy Awards, USA and BAFTA Awards, UK; best actor at Cannes Film Festival, France; etc.

This Must Be The Place (2011)

Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
Country: Italy/France/Ireland

Plot: A bored, retired rock star sets out to find his father's executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.
Quick comment: Weird story and grey mood in a movie where Sean Penn looks like Robert Smith from the gothic-pop band "The Cure". Strong performances, solid direction and a great soundtrack in charge of David Byrne, contrasts with a doubtful and not so confident plot. From this italian director I highly recommend his masterpiece from 2004, "the consequences of love".
Relevant Awards: prize of the ecumenical jury at Cannes Film Festival, France.

The Flowers of War (2011)

Directed by: Zhang Yimou
Country: China

Plot: A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.
Quick comment: I thought something decent would come out of this, regarding the career of director Zhang Yimou and actor Christian Bale. But I was completely wrong. It stands ridiculously out of reality and should be shortened for at least 1 hour. So my advice is: don’t waste your time on this. Instead I would recommend "city of life and death"(2009) which deals with the same subject.
Relevant Awards: -

Elena (2011)

Directed by: Andrei Zvyagintsev
Country: Russia

Plot: Elena and Vladimir are an older couple, they come from different backgrounds. Vladimir is a wealthy man, while Elena comes from a modest milieu and is a docile wife...
Quick comment: A relentlessly cold movie where nothing is given too quick or too slow. The perfect balance was found by Zvyagintsev to get our best attention in this realistic and shocking story. By using interesting subjects and having a fantastic sense of filmmaking (also evident in “the return” and “the banishment”) this is another gem of european modern cinema.
Relevant Awards: Un certain regard jury prize at Cannes Film Festival, France; best film at Ghent Film Festival, Belgium.


The Descendants (2011)

Directed by: Alexander Payne
Country: USA

Plot: A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.
Quick comment: This hawaiian folk song directed by the acclaimed Alexander Payne, manages to be light and warm without getting too corny. Far from the poignant humor of “about Schmidt” or the sweet emotions of “sideways”, “the descendants” still is an enjoyable movie.
Relevant Awards: Best motion picture and best actor at Golden Golbes, USA.

War Horse (2011)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Country: USA

Plot: Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on.
Quick comment: The imagery is engaging but the unstimulating plot doesn’t follow the same path. A commercial movie which tries to awake your feelings. Perfectly watchable but instantly forgettable.
Relevant Awards: -

Carnage (2011)

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Country: USA

Plot: Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the evening into chaos.
Quick comment: In the beginning, I really felt interested in this very peculiar gathering of 4 disturbed parents. However, the curious dialogs and tense behaviors suddenly became hysterically exaggerated. It was a shame that such a good and promising idea had been hampered by these constant variations.
Relevant Awards: Little Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, Italy.

678 (2010)

Directed by: Mohamed Diab
Country: Egypt

Plot: Unfolds the poignant story of three women and their search for justice from the daily plight of sexual harassment in Egypt.
Quick comment: All the efforts made to denounce this typical situations in Egypt are to be praised. I would never have imagined that the men carried a lemon in their pockets just to start harassing the women. The bad part is that the storytelling falls in some kind of heroic melodrama and the connections made at the end are a bit forced.
Relevant Awards: Best actor and actress at Dubai Film Festival.

A Dangerous Method (2011)

Directed by: David Cronenberg
Country: UK

Plot: A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.
Quick comment: 90 minutes of psychology discussions between Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein that worked fine for me. All the three played an important role in the first steps given in psychoanalysis and it was interesting to see how the acceptance and understanding of their own issues helped them to develop their theories. It might be monotonous for those who are searching for action.
Relevant Awards: -

Moneyball (2011)

Directed by: Bennett Miller
Country: USA

Plot: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
Quick comment: Even without understanding the baseball game, I experienced some enthusiasm by watching it. Regarding all the other movies depicting the same subject, I may say this is a good one, though it is also true that it’s overrated by the critic in general. Bennett Miller was also the director of the acclaimed "Capote", released 6 years ago.
Relevant Awards: -