Wish You Were Here (2012)

Directed by: Kieran Darcy-Smith
Country: Australia

Plot: Four friends lose themselves in a carefree South-East Asian holiday.
Review: “Wish You Were here” is the directorial debut from Kieran Darcy-Smith, after some minor performances as an actor in two of the most successful Australian movies of the last years, such as: “Animal Kingdom” or “The Square”. The story guidelines basically deal with lie and guilt in very different ways. Structured with constant flashbacks, the movie was capable of sharpen my curiosity for a while but in the end, I had that strange sensation of wanting something more. It’s not a bad movie at all, just was not so emotional or intense as insinuated.
Relevant awards: -

Sing Your Song (2011)

Directed by: Susanne Rostock
Country: USA

Plot: Most people know the lasting legacy of Harry Belafonte, the entertainer.
Review: A movie that covers Harry Belafonte’s life since his birth in 1927, NY, until the current days. Narrated by Harry himself, we are elucidated about how he made his success in the show business, some details of his private life, but mainly about his political activism in US and throughout the world, playing an important role against race discrimination, war and poverty. Archive footage were intercalated with the narration of the story and several people were interviewed. I can’t say I am a fan of Harry’s music, but I surely identify myself with all he has been fighting for, throughout all these years.
Relevant awards: -

Prometheus (2012)

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Country: USA

Plot: A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
Review: “Prometheus” is another space odyssey by the hand of Ridley Scott. The similarities with “Alien” are obvious but not surprising, since Scott also directed that huge landmark of sci-fi cinema. The creators of mankind are the novelty, added to the usual humans, robots and aliens. The plot can’t hide some narrative issues and unexplained happenings, but on the other hand, the special effects are awesome and the moments of chaos are nicely crafted. Taking the end into account, it’s pretty obvious that a sequel is on its way, which I hope it will be as ravishing as this one.
Relevant awards: -

Warriors Of The Rainbow (2012)

Directed by: Wei Te-Sheng
Country: Taiwan

Plot: An indigenous clan-based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened.
Review: More than 4 hours of cinema in Wei Te Sheng’s epic, concerning the Japanese occupation of Taiwan and the relentless opposition from the indigenous Seediq tribe. I believe that the duration could have been reduced as well as the number of chopped heads, but the movie gained my respect and consideration for all it conveys. I was touched by the bravery, courage, honor and creeds of this people. As true warriors, they chose to fight instead of being overwhelmed by the Japanese and lead a life of poverty and sadness. Lastly, I just wanted to mention the heavenly tribal chants, which left me in ecstasy. A fierce accomplishment.
Relevant awards: Best film (Golden Horse, Taiwan).

Nameless Gangster (2012)

Directed by: Yun Jong-Bin
Country: South Korea

Plot: On the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.
Review: “Nameless Gangster” is an exciting movie. The story is all about power and follows a gangster whose bigger yearn is to become number one in the business. Choi Min-Sik ("Oldboy", "Lady Vengeance", "I Saw the Devil") was perfectly chosen for the main role, proving that he’s one of the most beloved and valuable Korean actors of the moment. Tension, action and humor are combined in the right proportions. Moreover, it’s all there: bribes, treason, violence, greed, lust, power and family…After all, this is a gangster’s movie!
Relevant awards: -

A Quiet Life (2010)

Directed by: Claudio Cupellini
Country: Italy

Plot: A man escapes to Germany and starts a new life, thinking he will finally enjoy a quiet life. All changes when his son arrives in town on a mission.
Review: In “A quiet life”, we can see Italian Mafia operating in Germany. This foreign “job” is seen by Diego as an opportunity to visit his father, Rosario, who fled from the Mafia fifteen years before, in order to start a new life. Everything goes badly when Rosario’s true identity is discovered, which forces him to take risky and radical decisions. The movie is stated in tepid tones and was never able to scoop any magical formula to surprise us. Although, far from the latest Italian movies about the same subject, such as "Gomorrah" or "Il Divo", it will still be able to provide minimum entertainment.
Relevant awards: -

Avé (2011)

Directed by: Konstantin Bojanov
Country: Bulgaria

Plot: Kamen is hitchhiking by the side of the road when he meets Avé.
Review: The idea for this movie was interesting but the outcome was not so unique or enthusiastic. It’s a road-movie, where a couple of lone teen-agers find their lives changing after met each other through hitchhiking. The young actors had confident performances, but somehow I started to lose some focus in the middle of the movie. Maybe due to its pace or the frequent little games and lies played by its characters, but something made me step back a little. Reinforcing my point of view: a plot with dashing ideas, yet without a glamorous execution. Watchable, though. 
Relevant awards: Best film (Fantasporto); best director (Sofia); FIPRESCI prize (Warsaw).

Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

Directed by: Richard Press
Country: USA

Plot: A cinematic profile of the noted veteran New York City fashion photographer.
Review: It was satisfying to know more about the life of Bill Cunningham, famous and elusive fashion photographer of New York Times who has dedicated all his life to his career. Light and honest, this short documentary kept me curious throughout its 84 minutes. The movie shows not only the energy and obsessive dedication of this man, but also his sadness and loneliness. After watching this, we keep wondering which of these factors has had more weight in his life. A likeable biography.
Relevant awards: -

Nothing's All Bad (2010)

Directed by: Mikkel Munch-Fals
Country: Denmark

Plot: Four people struggle with their sexual needs and their desire to be loved.
Review: First feature film from Mikkel Munch-Fals, wasn't so satisfying as expected. Adopting the typical despair and grief from Scandinavian dramas, focuses on different characters who are trying to cope with loneliness, sexual misfit and extreme psychological pain. The fear of not being accepted as they really are, associated with the idea that there’s always someone for you (no matter what problem you might have), is played here as a major key, but the movie happens to be too dense and cold to be fully enjoyed. Not a cheerful choice.
Relevant awards: New voices/visions grand jury prize (Palm Springs).

The Other Bank (2009)

Directed by: George Ovashvili
Country: Georgia

Plot: A young Georgian refugee leaves the safe zone to look for his father.
Review: “The Other Bank” is irreproachable as an artsy achievement. The story tells a lot about the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, relying on mindful compositions to express thoroughly the spirit and people involved. Tedo, a 12 year-old Georgian kid, decides to leave alone for his hometown to look for his missing dad. The trip will be full of good and bad surprises. Whenever things go wrong, Tedo has a technique to make it better. He just closes his eyes tight to imagine a completely different reality than the one he’s actually living. This was the first and only feature film, so far, directed by George Ovashvili. Gripping, memorable and deeply moving.
Relevant awards: Best film (Fribourg, Molodist, Mons, Paris, Tromso, Yerenvan, etc.).

Grabbers (2012)

Directed by: Jon Wright
Country: UK

Plot: When an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive.
Review: “Grabbers” is clumsily funny, but not original. We already have seen this plot somewhere with the humor and horror working side by side. The new thing here was the solution to defeat the aliens, a kind of powerful octopus with big mouth and tentacles. The famous British humor, much sharper and efficient than the horror scenes, incites “Grabbers” to become a good choice for those who search for a pleasant time. Just don’t show it to your kids!
Relevant awards: -

Compliance (2012)

Directed by: Craig Zobel
Country: USA

Plot: When a prank caller convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee, no-one is left unharmed.
Review: Even if this movie has been inspired by true events, its story is absurdly foolish. Who would believe in a police officer who demands by phone for completely nonsensical procedures to be done by civilians, in a presumed robbery occurred in a fast-food store? Obviously, something was wrong with this since the beginning and I just couldn’t cope with such a mindless story. The movie’s credibility got shaken with the ridiculous and sometimes hilarious situations.  “Compliance” may be many things but a catchy movie. It is rather infuriating.
Relevant awards: -

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Country: USA

Plot: Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
Review: Christopher Nolan already proved to be a master in action/thriller. Seven years after “Batman Begins” and four after “The Dark Knight”, comes the final sequel of Batman’s adventures. “The Dark Knight Rises” is the weakest part of the trilogy, revealing an excess of confidence as well as some lack of imagination on a few action scenes. Nonetheless, is always exciting follow the stunts of a hero so many times depicted in the world of cinema. Although visually impressive, it didn’t show the brain or the accuracy of his predecessors. 
Relevant awards: -

Sacrifice (2010)

Directed by: Chen Kaige
Country: China

Plot: To save the only child of the Zhao Family, whose entire clan was massacred, a doctor sacrifices his own son.
Review: Ones who are familiar with previous works by Chen Kaige, must be aware of his capabilities. “Farewell, My Concubine”, “The Emperor and The Assassin” or “Life on a String” will be remembered as top quality movies in its genre. “Sacrifice” is a typical Kaiges’s film. As usual, the importance of costume designs, characterization and appropriate scenarios, are well weighted. The weakness here is the plot, which is not so rich or appealing as in some earlier works. Lovers of the genre will be pleased with the action's effects, while the others can just take a look to pass some time. I may say that its purposes were achieved with competence.
Relevant awards: -

Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)

Directed by: Rupert Sanders
Country: USA

Plot: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
Review: This was a difficult movie to rate. It showed positive things, despite of some evident fragilities. Regardless of the “Hollywoodesc” approach and its obvious commercial concerns to impress through fantastic imagery, it still putted some emotion in it. Charlize Theron was simply amazing in Queen Ravenna’s role and her mirror was a very original creation. This completely loose version of the German tale, made popular by the Grimm brothers, was not so bad after all and even without making wonders, was able to provide some amusement.
Relevant awards: -

Damsels In Distress (2011)

Directed by: Whit Stillman
Country: USA

Plot: A trio of girls set out to change the male-dominated environment of the Seven Oaks college campus.
Review: With screenplay and direction by the New Yorker Whit Stillman ("Metropolitan"), "Damsels In Distress" is centered in a group of babbler girls, who work for a College Suicide Prevention Center.  By making long and considerable stupid conversations about men, depression and suicide, these student girls tried to use smart tones as well as a confident humoristic style, without practical results. Dance and music are present too but are unable to save the movie from superficiality and inconsequent jokes. And all ends with a dance music called “Sambola”….
Relevant awards: Best actress (Dublin).

Bonsai (2011)

Directed by: Cristian Jiménez
Country: Chile

Plot: A young writer recounts an earlier romance in hopes of attracting his new love interest.
Review: “Bonsai” is a simple story that tells us much about life, work, and love, everything wrapped with pertinent philosophical touches. Its objectivity, without any sentimentality or whimper, proved to be its main strength. The curious structure constantly shifts in time between the present and 8 years before and its sluggish pace may be compared with the reading of the seven volumes of Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time” (novel referenced in the plot) - if you have the patience, you’ll find something worthwhile to absorb and reflect about. Just try it!
Relevant awards: Best film - FIPRESCI (Havana); grand Jury Prize (Miami).

Chinese Take-Away (2011)

Directed by: Sebástian Boresztein
Country: Argentina

Plot: In Buenos Aires, the obsessive and lonely Roberto will try to help a Chinese who is lost.
Review: This is a surreal story that works intermittently. Ricardo Darin is the true soul of this movie and without his performance I doubt if this story would succeed.  It’s that type of movie that doesn’t add anything special to our lives and will not be remembered often, but is extremely efficient for a relaxed and uncompromised viewing. Most of the jokes were based on the difficulty of communication between Argentineans and Chinese, but as said before, the character of Roberto (Darin) was the real deal. You’ll find that communication for him (spoken or not) can really be a problem!
Relevant awards: Special mention (Havana); best director (Fantasporto, Portugal).

Sleep Tight (2011)

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró
Country: Spain

Plot: You wake day after day to the comfort and security of your home. But how safe is it really?
Review: Spanish director Jaume Balagueró (“Rec” and “Rec 2”), continues his work in horror genre with this new feature film. “Sleep Tight” is not a perfect movie but as a thriller, it gathers the essential material to continue pleasing the fans. It tells the story of a man who only finds happiness when taking off the smile from other people’s faces. Sounds a bit odd but to tell the truth, even with some flaws, the plot deserves consideration. I may warn you that there’s nothing supernatural here. What shows is the evil itself represented through a human being. It’s nightmarish to think that people like these do exist.
Relevant awards: Best director, film and screenplay (Gaudí Awards, Spain).

Love And Bruises (2011)

Directed by: Lou Ye
Country: France / China

Plot: Two strangers fall into a relationship defined by need and instability in this emotional drama.
Review: From controversial Chinese director Lou Ye, "Love and Bruises" is a complex story that lives from the sexual games played by its characters. The plot follows a Chinese woman studying in Paris, who starts a sick relationship with the man who rapes her. The story is a multi-cultural mess that only sticks with you for the worst reasons and the camera work didn't catch the eye. “Summer Palace”(2006) and especially "Suzhou River"(2000), are much more attractive works from Lou Ye, who was born in Shanghai and was graduated from Beijing Film Academy. His 2012's feature film named "Mistery", opened the section "Un Certain Regard" at Cannes Film Festival.
Relevant awards: -