Monika’s Pensieve

As usual, the beginning of the year (aka exam time) is full of interesting releases ;-P My main list would probably be unmanageably long if not that I’m a bit more picky these days. And my maybe list could have included even more releases if I hadn’t limited myself - really ;)

{FILM SPOTTING}

J’ai tué ma m?re (Canada, 2009)

Release Date (Poland): 14th January 2011
Release Date (worldwide): 18th May 2009
Director: Xavier Dolan
Plot: (from IMDb)

A semi-autobiographical story about Dolan as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.

Trailer

General Feelings
The trailer looks beautiful - I love the cinematography and the whole mood of it. It looks like a film by somebody who really loves cinema and the reviews say as much (it’s got excellent ratings). On top of that it’s Canadian and has a gay theme *grin*

Black Swan (USA, 2010)

Release Date (Poland): 21st January 2011
Release Date (worldwide): 1st September 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey
Plot: (from IMDb)

A thriller that zeros in on the relationship between a veteran ballet dancer and a rival.

Trailer

General Feelings
I kind of think it might be horrible, but I want to see it anyway ;) I’m curious because it’s been talked about a lot. I’m also keen to see how Aronofsky deals with ballet visually - I think he might do something interesting with that. And the cast is nice - haven’t seen Natalie Portman and Winona Ryder in anything for ages :)

The King’s Speech (UK, 2010)

Release Date (Poland): 28th January 2011
Release Date (worldwide): 6th September 2010
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehle
Plot: (from IMDb)

The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

Trailer

General Feelings
This is one of my top most awaited films of the year *grin* It’s a very small film, but it won the audience award at the Toronto Film Festival (last year’s winner was Slumdog Millionaire) and it’s had excellent reviews. It has a fantastic cast and the performances are supposed to be awesome.
Not the best of trailers, but I get the feeling it’s a bit misleading. Judging by other released clips, there’s going to be a lot of awkward silences that don’t appear on the trailer.
I love hearing about how they researched the film. Apparently, even some of the humorous moments are based on fact. It sounds like one of those cases where truth is stranger than fiction.
And it’s been fascinating to me to see how the British Stammering Association has used the film to raise awareness. Apparently, this is the first time a film has had stammering as its main subject matter and Colin Firth’s performance is supposed to be one of the most faithful portrayals of what stammering feels like.

Other Films for Consideration

• Tamara Drewe (UK, 2010)
  I tend to like small British comedies, but have mixed feelings about this one. Saw My Beautiful Laundrette over the summer (both films have Stephen Frears as the director) and found it a bit difficult. The trailer for this one looks amusing, but there’s something in it that reminds me of My Beautiful Laundrette, so I’m put off ;-P
• David Wants to Fly (Austria/Germany/Switzerland, 2010)
  This one is on my “maybe list” because it’s a documentary, otherwise I’m sold on it ;) I remember it was much talked about during the Planete Doc Review film festival in Warsaw.
• Bi, dung so (Vietnam, 2010)
  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film from Vietnam and I kind of like IMDb’s plot summary. Nice cinematography too. But it might be one of those very slow art films focusing on every day reality and those are rarely my cup of tea.
• The Tourist (USA/France, 2010)
  Plot-wise it looks dreadful. But I’m curious about it because it has a great cast - Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell, what more could a girl want? ;) And also it’s high time I finally saw a film with Angelina Jolie… Why does she always choose plots that put me off? :]
• Solo quiero caminar (Spain/Mexico, 2008)
  Diego Luna - enough said *grin* Otherwise I’m not so keen on it, but I imagine it might be fun. The advantage of Mexican cinema is that unlike a lot of other Latin American countries their cinema is far from being slow *grin*
• Ajami (Germany/Israel, 2009)
  Religious tensions in Israel is a good topic as far as I’m concerned. Nothing else attracts me to the film though.
• En ganske snill mann (Norway, 2010)
  I like Stellan Skarsgard and he looks good on the trailer. That’s my only reason ;)
• Incendies (Canada, 2010)
  Another film set in the Middle East (Lebanon), which is once again my interest factor.
• Des hommes et des dieux (France, 2010)
  This won the Grand Prix in Cannes. It’s based on the true story of a monastery in Algeria. Christian monks lived peacefully amongst Muslims until the 1990s civil unrest. Intriguing topic and a very widely acclaimed film, but there’s something about the clips that I just do not like.
• The Green Hornet (USA, 2011)
  I like Seth Rogen *grin* And when I first heard about this film it sounded like a weird parody of the superhero genre. I could see Seth Rogen working very well in something like that. But the trailer has totally put me off, bleh.