The Angel's Share (2012)

Directed by: Ken Loach
Country: UK

Plot: Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf.
Review: The name of Ken Loach brings a lot of good movies to my memory. The rawness and realism are his main traits, not forgetting the humor and independent approach. No need to tell that the formula worked fine once again, even if the plot doesn't show the realism or steady consistency seen in other works. “The Angel’s Share” makes another shot on comedy with an unlikely yet original plot. After the disappointment that was “Looking For Eric”, released three years ago, Loach with the help of his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty, definitely assumes to have a knack for funny situations.
Relevant awards: Jury prize (Cannes).

Eden (2012)

Directed by: Megan Griffiths
Country: USA

Plot: A young Korean-American girl, abducted and forced into prostitution by domestic human traffickers, joins forces with her captors in a desperate plea to survive.
Review: “Eden” offers a basic and drab story about the kidnap of a 18 year-old girl by a prostitution organization linked to a high ranked police officer. The strategy to escape adopted by this girl was based on the simple thought: “if you can’t beat them, join them”. Looking like a sort of B movie, what stood out at the end was a dreadful story in addition with an almost complete absence of aesthetic rigor in the image composition. Despite of the efforts made to turn “Eden” in a realistic and thrilling tale, the truth is that its goals weren't achieved, resulting in a totally forgettable movie.
Relevant awards: Best actress (Seattle).

Heleno (2011)

Directed by: José Henrique Fonseca
Country: Brazil

Plot: A biography of the tragic life of one of Brazil's greatest soccer players.
Review: Magnificently acted by Rodrigo Santoro, “Heleno” is a grey portrait of one of the most polemic soccer players from Brazil. Heleno de Freitas, idol of Rio’s team Botafogo in the 40’s, had a special talent for soccer, women and to upset everyone around him. Quarrelsome enough and lacking team spirit, Heleno’s career was stained by adulterous relationships, nightlife and drugs/alcohol addiction. Diagnosed with advanced syphilis, Heleno ended his days in a sanatorium, where he never stopped dreaming about the fame and glory of soccer. Absorbing and forceful enough to surprise us. In black and white.
Relevant awards: Best actor (Havana and Lima).

Fortress Of War (2010)

Directed by: Aleksandr Kott
Country: Russia

Plot: A war drama set during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, in which Russian troops held on to a border stronghold for nine days.
Review: Beautifully shot, “Fortress of War” is based on the real events happened in Brest Fortress, Belarus, before and after the invasion of the German troops in 1941. The peaceful scenario of the beginning soon changes to an authentic human slaughter. The violence is frequently too explicit - gunshots, explosions and dismembered people are everywhere throughout the film. For over two hours we can have an intense but also tiresome experience, testifying a real example of Russian patriotism and resistance. Recommended, for ones who have stomach for heavy content.
Relevant awards: -

Lawless (2012)

Directed by: John Hillcoat
Country: USA

Plot: Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits.
Review: So much was expected from John Hillcoat's "Lawless", which script was written by Nick Cave, (as in 2005’s "The Proposition"), but the final result was not so memorable. The movie is about three outlawed brothers, who had the monopoly of alcohol sales in Virginia, even in probation time. Everything changes with the arrival of Charlie Rakes from Chicago, who was determined to "clean" the city. We can't really say that the movie is incapable of entertaining. What we can say is that it could have been less superficial in many aspects, including its underdeveloped characters and wobbly plot. Guy Pearce's performance stands out above all the rest.

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2011)

Directed by: Matthew Akers
Country: USA

Plot: A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Reviews: Controversial Serbian artist Marina Abramovic, in active since the 70's, has another good opportunity to promote herself through this documentary made by the hand of Matthew Akers. Basically about her work, yet focusing some important aspects of her private life, it shows with accuracy and objectivity the physical and psychological strength of this fantastic woman. Her dedication to work is undeniable and her new and original performance art was praised at MoMA and considered as a big success.
Relevant awards: Audience award (Berlin and Sarajevo).

Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai (2011)

Directed by: Takashi Miike
Country: Japan

Plot: A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai.
Review: Two years ago, Takashi Miike left the alternative approach to dedicate himself to samurai movies. After the stirring and ferocious "13 assassins" had been released in 2010, now arises "Hara-Kiri", an emotional and suffocating story which stands at the same level of the old time classics made popular by Akira Kurosawa or Masaki Kobayashi. The story, as many other times before, focuses on the tragic paths of the unemployed samurais in times of peace. Being heart-breaking and visually stunning, I can point it as one of the best Miike's works, carrying all the glory and honor of a samurai. 
Relevant awards: -

Take This Waltz (2011)

Directed by: Sarah Polley
Country: USA

Plot: A happily married woman falls for the artist who lives across the street.
Review: Sarah Polley is best known as an actress, having participated in 54 movies so far, including Hal Hartley's "Exotica", Cronenberg's "ExistenZ", Coixet's "My Life Without Me"and Van Dormael's "Mr.Nobody", just to mention a few.  As director she received public acclamation in 2006 with "Away From Her" and now returns with "Take This Waltz". Although the story looks conventional, it is very well told and definitely has something to say about love, relationships and decisions. I believe it could have shown some more nerve in certain details, but has the ability to expose the natural changes that occur in amorous relationships and specially in people who are unsatisfied by nature. Deserves a peek.

Sound Of My Voice (2011)

Directed by: Zal Batmanglij
Country: USA

Plot: A journalist and his girlfriend get pulled in while they investigate a cult whose leader claims to be from the future.
Review: “Sound of My Voice” had enough power to make me get in the mood. Everything related with cult groups and the power of persuasion is scary and this movie shows you why. Some flaws are undeniable and emerge right before your eyes, but this fact was balanced with a few good details, always mixed with the right amount of ambiguity to make you be tangled up in the plot. Even the absurdity of its lies worked fine!, because believe it or not, there are people who join these sects. Represented in a realistic way, “Sound of My voice” can be tricky at the end. Just don’t let yourself be persuaded by anything from the future…
Relevant awards: -

Lena (2011)

Directed by: Christophe Van Rompaey
Country: Netherlands / Belgium

Plot: Lena is a lonely, adolescent girl, who starts a relationship with the popular but unreliable Daan.
Review: "Lena" is totally awkwardness. We can hardly find anyone or anything sane in it. Although the plot gathers conditions to make "Lena" enticing, I really couldn't feel any empathy with any of its characters. We may say this is a movie where the sun never shines. So, all you can find here are odd behaviors by miserable characters, sick relationships and much sorrow. The direction didn’t stand out but Emma Levie’s performance was pretty solid, making our attention directed to her upcoming work, “Snowpiercer”, directed by the Korean Joon Ho Bong. This is the second feature film from Cristophe Van Rompaey, after the fresher “Moscow, Belgium”(2008).
Relevant awards: Best actress (Fantasporto, Portugal).

Where Do We Go Now? (2011)

Directed by: Nadine Labaki
Country: Lebanon / others

Plot: A group of Lebanese women try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village.
Review: Battle of religions is the main subject in Nadine Labaki’s new movie. Fights between Christians and Muslims are eminent in a small Lebanese village, just when a group of girls arrive from East Europe. A movie made of laughs, tears and music/dance, which sometimes breaks the mood and somehow discredits the message to pass. We can complain about the abrupt tragic-comic changes of the plot but the biggest sin of Labaki was not to be able of balancing the heavy and light stuff in the right way. Nadine and her sister Caroline (costume design), also participate as actresses.
Relevant awards: Special mention (Cannes); audience award (Oslo and Toronto).

Wedding In Bessarabia (2009)

Directed by: Nap Toader
Country: Romania

Plot: Love and wedding business in the time of transition.
Review: Presented with a big dose of irony, “wedding at Bessarabia” is a well-disposed movie that parodies with the possible motives for a Romanian boy to get married with a Moldavian girl. All this happens in Bessarabia, a region of Eastern Europe that once was dominated by the soviets, and for several years was disputed between Romania and Moldova. The wedding has its peak with the lemon dance, but also contains other points of interest - the suspicion involving each family; a best man with a forbidden passion for the bride; and a lot of inspired jokes concerning the economical situation - are some of them. Despite of a finale in need of better inspiration, this is a lively movie.
Relevant awards: -

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Directed by: Wes Anderson
Country: USA

Plot: A pair of young lovers flee their town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.
Review: Adopting a kind of kitsch style (see Bill Murray's trousers), "Moonrise Kingdom" is another unpredictable comedy from the amazing director Wes Anderson ("Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums", "Darjeeling Limited", "Fantastic Mr. Fox"). His typical style and awkward mood are recognizable at once, in a very engaging love story between two adolescents who ran away from their homes to live in an old refuge that once belonged to an indian tribe. The uncanny approach and poignant humor that is continuously taking out from Mr.Anderson's magical hat, wisely didn't leave the feelings or emotions behind. A cheerful piece of art.
Relevant awards: -

Cosmopolis (2012)

Directed by: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada / others

Plot: A 28-year-old billionaire start to see his world falling apart.
Review: "Cosmopolis" is an odd and complex movie. It lingers in abstraction for a lot of time, until we finally unfold what is going on. The movie didn't gain my admiration but let me tell you that the idea was bold and certainly found its inspiration in the world's current economical situation. A bored and depressed wealthy man, keeps wandering through the streets of NY, inside of a futuristic limo, having weird encounters with several people. His concerns are economy, sex and health. In a city inflamed by severe protests against capitalism, future and technology, will this man be able to get rid of the pressure? False espionage or simply prophecy, its monotone and tricky dialogs didn't catch me. 
Relevant awards: -

Chico & Rita (2010)

Directed by: Fernando Trueba
Country: Spain

Plot: Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice.
Review: What a joy was to realize that Spanish director Fernando Trueba returned to the big movies. "Belle Epoque" marked my adolescence and I will always remember it with yearning. The cuban-jazz of "Chico & Rita, sought some inspiration in some life details of Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés. The story was very well cooked and the option for animation was accomplished with success, conveying all the richness and colors of jazz blended with the passion of romance. As a jazz fan, I was delighted with the appearances of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster and Chano Pozo, even in animated shapes. A fulgurant story!
Relevant awards: Best animated film (Gaudí, Goya and European Film Awards).

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)

Directed by: Tsui Hark
Country: China

Plot: Set three years after Dragon Inn, innkeeper Jade has disappeared and a new inn has risen from the ashes.
Review: Tsui Hark is a respected chinese director, who usually combines entertaining storytelling, fantastic imagery and frantic action mostly based on martial arts. His last movie, however doesn't show much consistency in the plot. The huge number of characters make the viewer's job harder and only increase the mess of the story. I am convinced that Hark's only concern was to provide us with frantic action and computer manipulated imagery. Completely dispensable, "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is a step back when compared with 2010's "Detective Dee".
Relevant awards: -

Teddy Bear (2012)

Directed by: Mads Matthiesen
Country: Denmark

Plot: Dennis would really like to find true love. He has never had a girlfriend and lives alone with his mother in a suburb of Copenhagen.
Review: Dennis is a middle-aged bodybuilder, who lives with a possessive and dependent mother. His attempts to build solid relationships with women, are hampered by psychological problems related with sex. This frustration will lead him to plan a trip to Thailand, where according to his uncle, is easier to establish contact with a woman. The character of Dennis was very well projected and compellingly performed by Kim Kold. The fact that we can't guess what's coming next is the plot's biggest virtue. This is a simple but serious movie about maturity, willpower and the difficulty to break some dearest yet unhealthy family ties.
Relevant awards: Direction (Sundance).

Arbitrage (2012)

Diected by: Nicholas Jarecki
Country: USA

Plot: A troubled magnate is getting desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire.
Review: “Arbitrage” aims at New York wealthy class and belongs to those typical thrillers that do their job efficiently. The role of a man at the edge of collapse was well suited for Richard Gere, who was able to convey all his worries and tension to the viewer. We can almost sense his unease, when he was faced with bankruptcy, fraud, the death of his lover and family conflicts, all at once. This was the second feature film from the new director Nicholas Jarecki, who also wrote the screenplay and curiously was the author of 2002 best selling book entitled “Breaking in: How 20 Film Directors Got Their Start”.
Relevant awards: -

Red Hook Summer (2012)

Directed by: Spike Lee
Country: USA

Plot: A middle-class boy from Atlanta finds his worldview changed as he spends the summer in Red Hook with his deeply religious grandfather.
Review: Spike Lee turns his eyes to Red Hook, Brooklyn, to tell a story about a summer vacation with plenty of religion and social issues in the middle. Spike tries to claim our attention for some reproachable actions of the Church. However, the way he did wasn’t so appealing. I expected more from such delicate theme, and the movie only heats up after 80 minutes, where the quietness gives place to chaotic scenes and surprising revelations. Despite the courage in saying what needs to be said, there’s not much fervor in Spike’s preaching. 
Relevant awards: -

You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011)

Directed by: Giddens Ko
Country: Taiwan

Plot: Ko-Teng has several close friends who had a crush on Shen Chia-Yi.
Review: This Taiwanese movie about coming-of-age is making a lot of success on its own country, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore, but actually didn’t work for me. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel from director Giddens Ko, this comedy/romance begins in 1994 and ends ten years later. One or two good jokes or funny situations, couldn't hide several issues. The direction didn't catch me, while the soundtrack was terribly cheesy. With respect to the story itself, I found it flabby with a lot of insipid characters. Moreover, the symbols constantly popping up on the screen, trying to look like a video game, were annoying and vulgar. Not recommendable.
Relevant awards: Best film (Hong Kong)