David Rosseau (Jean-Paul Rouve) is a writer that is under a contract with a publisher but has yet to write anything. In fact, he does not even have a title for the novel yet. On his way to redeem what was left for him in a will, he visits small town called Mouthe, which borders France and Switzerland. It is widely considered to be “no man’s land”, where the snow fall hard enough to cause the TV signal to go out and the lights to flicker. While driving through he notices local policemen on the side of a road. As he passes by them he notices a stretch with a sheet covering someone, all that you see is bright blonde hair.

Sure enough, on the news the next morning there is a report that a famous model named Martine Langevin (Sophie Quinton) has passed away. They report that the woman made famous from the cheese commercials had passed away with sleeping pills nearby and that the case was closed. David suddenly gets inspired and has his story.

It is quite obvious that being a detective is a career that David should have chosen to do. The first thing he does after hearing the news is to find out more about Martine’s death. David investigates the area she was found dead in, breaks into where she lived, and even shows up at the morgue to examine her. He does all of this before we see him do any writing. For being a novel writer he sure has a knack for detective work.

I question whether or not he being a writer was really needed. Sure, there are some parts of the film that do reference the fact he was a writer and that she liked his novels but it felt like more of an afterthought than a crucial plot point. With how good he is at playing detective, I feel like he chose the wrong career path.

He becomes increasingly frustrated that the authorities are considering the case closed so quickly. So much so that he begins to suspect that there is something they are covering up. Eventually there is one brave police officer that shares his suspicions and is willing to investigate the case with him.

She hides behind her celebrity face, often referring herself as an alter ego. In days near hear death her love for Marilyn Monroe becomes very apparent. She aspires to be her. They were born on the same date. Both were adored by everyone who laid eyes on them, yet were both depressed on the inside. Not to mention the obvious fact that they are both blonde and celebrity bombshells.

The number 5 makes frequent appearances in the film, if you look closely you can catch them. I first noticed the number 5 as a magnet on Martine’s refrigerator. Then as she describes her dream to her psychiatrist you see her walking through a door with the number 5 on it. It is seen on a record that is spinning (at her funeral of all places). I am not sure I caught the significance of the number but director Gérald Hustache-Mathieu wanted it show up a lot.

My favorite aspect of the film was the cinematography done by Pierre Cottereau. Wide shots of snow falling in vast open areas really played in nicely with the mood of the film. I found myself admiring the camera work more than once.

If I had to point out the biggest flaw in the film, it would be the writing. Which is ironic since the main character in the film is a writer. But the storyline felt like it was on a straight path with not much for turns or twists.

Many have stated that the film is similar to that of Fargo, but aside from the similar weather I fail to see that connection. I would say it has more of a Pedro Almodóvar vibe to it. A well shot mystery with a series of flashbacks and some (albeit small) turns.

Even though Nobody Else But You may have been a little light in the plot department, the film is very watchable thanks to the fine acting and good camera work. Although the film is largely a murder mystery, it combines the right amount of dark comedy into the mix. The thing that hurt it the most was almost everything seemed too coincidental making it hard to believe what is taking place was real and not so illusive.

The film is about sibling rivalry and their own pentathlon of athletic events they created to solve the rivalry. It will star Mark Kelly and Steve Zissis as the brothers. The trailer screams Duplass made but I personally found it less compelling then some of their other films. The only way to find out though is to watch the film when it comes out June 6th.

Official trailer for The Do-Deca Pentathlon:

When you walk down the street urban design is everywhere and has been carefully thought about explains Amanda Burden, director of New York City Department of City Planning. “Everything you see has been designed; the width of the sidewalk, where trees are planted, the scale of the trees, how the street furniture interacts, how many stores you have per block, the height of the buildings, where they set back.”

One of the biggest impacts ever made to cities was the inventory of the automobile. Lots of changes had to be made such as streets, sidewalks, street lights. Automotive transportation allowed to better access to the city however it brought pollution, congestion and noise. Although, this initially had the most effect on American cities it has spread to developing countries as well.

The mayor of Bogota, Colombia brought up a several great points on transportation. He explains that traffic jams have nothing to do with the amount of vehicles on the road or how large the roads are. It is the amount and length of trips that vehicles must make. One of the ways to bring traffic down is to restrict car use. And the most obvious way to do that is to restrict parking. He says the constitution gives you many rights; right to education, right to health, right to housing , but the right to park your vehicle is not one of them.

By 2050 the documentary states that more than 75% people will live in a city. Currently, about 33% of people on earth live in slums without sewers, without water, and without sanitation. In one slum city there are 600 people per toilet with the politicians in the city not wanting to add more toilets because it would encourage people to come. There are many tidbits of information throughout Urbanized, some of them are real eye openers.

The best way to look at cities is that they are competing for people. They are competing for the investment people provide when they decide to live in that city. Business opportunities and living conditions are among the most important features people look for in a city but the city cannot focus on one and ignore the other. The city must provide both of these adequately in order to lure people in.

Urbanized explains how we as humans have evolved over time to see more horizontal than vertical. The theory is that our enemies have largely been on the same plain as us, only occasionally would they be up or down from us. Another fascinating tidbit is that we typically can see movements around 100 meters far and wide, which explains why a lot of older city squares are around that size.

The cinematography was done incredibly well thanks to Luke Geissbuhler, showing off wonderful footage of urban design. It showed all kinds of different street signs and street lights all around the country, it was amazing how unique they are. Also it showed how different strategies are used in different countries for transportation design. The documentary was able to capture ordinary objects and make them seem extraordinary.

Toward the end the film is when it started to lose some of the engagement for me. This is because instead of showing the design of a city it showed how politics affect a city. I am not saying that politics are not important enough to shape a city but it deviated slightly from what the film is about. It did however show how a city is essentially a living organism in of itself.

I liked Urbanized the least out of the trilogy, which without context may be misleading, considering how much I enjoyed the previous two in the series. Having said that, I found myself caring about urban design more than I have ever before, which is what I presume was the point of the film. Just like Hustwit did with his other documentaries, with Urbanized he captures everyday design that most people never think about. He does it in a captivating and skillful manner. This is the best trilogy of design documentaries period.

We first witness Sonia Bechis (Kseniya Rappoport) at work as a chambermaid cleaning a hotel room of a young woman. She announces to the person she will start first on the bathroom. It is only a few minutes later that Sonia hears a thud from the other room. Upon checking out the noise, she discovers that the woman has jumped to her death out the window.

Sonia seeks companionship through the means of speed dating. Her luck does not seem to be going her way, she has not found an interesting guy yet and she is on her last round. That is when she meets Guido (Filippo Timi), a seemingly polite gentleman who you can tell is not like the others. Unfortunately, time runs out before they really get a chance to talk much.

But coincidence takes over when the two run into each other as they are leaving. Guido is very forward with her by inviting her over to his place but she must turn it down as she works early tomorrow. After glancing at his watch, he notices it is 23:23, a double hour from which the title of the film comes from. He explains a double hour is much like a shooting star, you are granted a wish on it. The wish must have come true because it then cuts to the two of them having sex together.

As a romantic relationship forms we start to find out more about Guido. Like the fact he is an ex-cop. However, when asked what happened that that career he is short and vague by replying, “Nothing.” Perhaps he has something to hide? Or maybe the somewhat recent death of his wife has something to do with it?

Guido ends up taking Sonia to the large estate he currently looks after as a watchman/security guard. Behind the property is a vast forest in which he takes her out on a walk to. On their hike together he seems very paranoid and suspicious, he is constantly looking around him. As the two find a place to rest, they lean in to kiss when a man in a ski mask suddenly appears with a gun.

The two get tied up as a small gang steal artwork and other expensive valuables from the house. Once the criminals have everything they wanted, one of them goes back in to make sexual advances toward Sonia. That is when Guido lunges at the man with the gun but ends up getting shot and killed.

Just as the tagline of the movie states, “Nothing is what it seems”, the film weaves you back and forth between what happens and what you think happens. Describing any details beyond this point would be a disservice. It is precisely what makes this film so entertaining.

Both characters find happiness when together, a much needed break from depression that filled their lives before. Both characters have a sketchy past and damaged souls, a perfect match for each other. They are both as innocent looking as they are passionate.

Both the leads, Rappoport and Timi, were tremendous in their roles. You are led to believe that they both have something to hide, the actors did a great job of selling it. Their chemistry together seemed to be exactly what the director was going for, a strong connection but something is slightly off. Rappoport and Timi were rewarded with Best Actress and Best Actor awards respectfully at the Venice Film Festival in 2009.

The Double Hour is filled with enough twists that a few holes arise but not enough for it to ruin the point of the film. Director Giuseppe Capotondi mixes in a little bit of everything in the film, a romance, crime mystery, and even some haunting scenes. By far the neatest part of the film happens 1 hour 1 minute in when a huge twist is shown, right on a double hour. An amazing and thoughtful touch.

Director Lynn Shelton used Mark in her last film Humpday (which we loved) so the two benefit from working together previously. In Your Sister’s Sister he plays Jack, a man is sent by a friend to stay at her family’s remote cabin when a unexpected relationship forms. The film also stars Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt. The trailer certainly gives off the same vibe I got from watching Humpday and that is not a bad thing. Your Sister’s Sister will be theaters June 15th.

Official trailer for Your Sister’s Sister:

The film opens with Krister (Thomas Hedengran) attending the funeral for his wife Eva (Tintin Anderzon) who died in a car accident. Through flashbacks it is gradually revealed that Krister cheated on Eva (with the titular character), moved out but eventually reconciled with his wife after she became unexpectedly pregnant. During Krister and Eva’s first night out away from their newborn child, Krister’s mistress gets revenge by causing a car accident that kills Eva before taking her own life. Now the only family in Krister’s life is his child and older daughter Sandra (Sandra Larsson), a teenager who despises him for cheating on her mother.

Krister starts to have nightmares every night where he wakes up to find himself pinned down by the vengeful spirit of Marianne. Krister tries to talk to a therapist (Peter Stormare with a hilariously awful looking dyed beard) but is told that it’s only his brain coming up with the most unoriginal symbolism for his crushing guilt. Sandra’s boyfriend Stiff (Dylan Johansson) believes that Krister is the victim of the Mare, a demon from Swedish folklore who sits on men while they sleep and sucks the life out of them. As the attacks become worse, Krister’s mental state begins to fall apart as fast as his personal life.

Filip Tegstedt, who wrote the script and is making his directorial debut, clearly loves to take his time. Marianne is a slow burner for the most part, taking its time to develop its characters along with establishing a foreboding atmosphere. Unfortunately this translates into a lot of scenes and montages played in slow motion while rock music from an elevator plays over it.

As a drama, Marianne rarely rings true. While Hedengran does a good job making Krister sympathetic despite his unlikable actions, the rest of the cast has a bigger range in quality. There’s a wash-rinse-repeat quality to seeing Krister act like a fool and cause an argument with Sandra that reminded me of after school specials or TV movies more than anything. Major plot developments happen but they come across as so carefree that they’re more or less forgotten until a character brings it up again. Even though the majority of Marianne is spent on the dramatic elements of the story, very little comes out of it.

As a horror film, little can be said about Marianne. The nightmare sequences were somewhat effective (the use of the baby monitor’s crackling static to signify the ghost’s arrival was a nice but derivative touch) but they lacked any real impact. The inevitable ‘big scare’ that came at the climax of the movie felt more like a whimper than a bang. Eventually the hauntings feel so isolated from the rest of the film that they feel like they’re from a different movie entirely.

I’m sure that Marianne might have fared better if the writing wasn’t so shoddy. The two storylines that dominate the film are both good on their own, but both are executed poorly and feel like two completely different films competing with each other by the end of the movie. While Tegstedt has a lot of ambition, it is rarely realized in Marianne.

After a few minutes of playing, the band jokingly asked the audience (us) if there were any requests. When we replied, “Play the Neighbor Song!” the band looked shocked that we not only knew who they were, but that we knew one of their songs. With smiles on their faces, and a newly rejuvenated spark for the night, they played the “Neighbor Song” and the rest of their set until the show was over.

After the show was over, the band sat down with their manager at a table near us. When they noticed that we were still there, they motioned us over to share a beer with them. They told us that they were about to pack up and leave until we made a request. I shared with them that Abby had introduced me to their music a few months prior and I was excited to find out that they were playing nearby in time for her birthday. We shared stories, took some pictures, and eventually they invited us to go back to their motel and throw TV’s out the window with them! Sadly, we declined because we had prior arrangements.

But enough about me, let’s get to the meat. The band I am talking about is Aunt Martha. They are a small folk band from Norway, ME, and they have, for lack of a better word, incredibly charming music. Aunt Martha is composed of three members (Tim, Garrett and Brian) and they are all very talented musicians. I am not usually one to get into folk music but when an Aunt Martha song comes up on my iPod, I never hit ‘skip’.

Aunt Martha has a more distinctive sound compared to most indie/folk bands. They don’t have your typical cookie-cutter riffs and song layout as most of the mainstream groups. I really enjoy how Brian sometimes switches out the bass for violin, which I believe is a highly underrated instrument, how Tim is a definite wordsmith and he brings out his exceptional voice with clever rhyme schemes, and how Garrett’s drumming seems to match perfectly with the mood of every song. Some of my favorites include: “Neighbor Song”, “Detroit City”, and “Bloodshot”.

Aunt Martha is getting a lot of headway in their music career. They have two albums, Candymaker and Norway, ME, and one EP, Bloodshot, on iTunes and they recently finished recording a new EP entitled La La Lonesome which you can currently get for free here. Candymaker is their first full length album and it has one of my personal favorites, “Neighbor Song”, on it. They have also already completed a U.S. tour and are currently on tour again.

Aunt Martha has a unique combination that works. Since folk music is not usually on my playlist, or radar for that matter, I have to commend Aunt Martha for somehow finding their way in there. I always enjoy their music and I look forward to hearing what they produce in the future. They are also always posting new free music on their website to keep listeners coming back. If they keep delivering great music, I will gladly throw TV’s out of a window with them if the offer ever arises again!

The film starts off in a New York subway when Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) notices a woman on the train giving him flirty looks. A dramatic score builds up as she gets off the train at its next stop. We see a wedding ring on her finger but that does next stop him from chasing after her. He frantically looks all around the stop but she is nowhere in sight. In his mind, she was the one that “got away”.

At a glance Brandon seems to have everything going for him. He is a charming, handsome, and successful man. What you do not see the strong addiction he has to sex. He does not believe in marriage because he is incapable of emotionally connecting to people. The longest relationship he has ever had is four months and it was probably his longest by a landslide.

On any given night he brings a lady home from a bar, hires a prostitute or settles for internet pornography. He often watches pornography on his computer without pleasuring himself. It has gotten so bad that his work computer stopped working because of the amount of pornography and subsequently computer viruses that were on it.

He comes home one night to find music blaring in his apartment. Thinking he has walked in on some kind of criminal he quickly heads to the closest to get a bat. Then he bursts open the bathroom door only to find it is his sister, Sissy Sullivan (Carey Mulligan).

It would be just like Sissy to show up uninvited as that is the whimsical nature of her personality. She is a beautiful traveling singer but she is also not without her flaws. The first indication that she is suicidal is when she and Brandon are at the subway and she half-jokingly acts if she is going to step down to the tracks. Perhaps it was more of a reaction than a joke? The second time is at a dinner table someone spots marks on her arms that she shrugs off by saying she was bored as a child.

Sissy just wants to stay in contact with her brother. She knows if she stops attempting to do so with him that she would never hear from him again. But he does not see it like that. Brandon looks at her as weight on his shoulders and a responsibility. She stands in his way of living the life he wishes to pursue.

Hinted along the way is the fact that their upbringing was rough but it was never explained. It is not a bad thing that it was never explained as films often give out unnecessary details. Instead you will be thinking to yourself just what it is that their parents did to these kids growing up.

Michael Fassbender was simply stunning in his bravest and greatest performance to date. I agree with the many out there that say he was snubbed from an Oscar nomination but it is not much of a mystery. More than likely it had less to do with his performance in the film as it did with the rating of the film.

It is hard to believe that this marks only the second film that which Steve McQueen has directed. Shame was executed so well you think he would have been doing this his whole life. I have foolishly not seen his first film, Hunger, but after watching this one I will be sure to add it to my list.

The cinematography was very well done. In particular the scene where he is jogging down several blocks in downtown New York City. Shots of the city skyline are frequent throughout the film and a character in the film even says at one point, “Wow. I forget how beautiful this city is.” The colors in Shame are dark which works perfectly for its subject matter.

Ultimately, Shame is about the failure to connect emotionally with people. It is a passionate, perverse, and powerful film. But I suspect Steve McQueen knew this already. In the last scene of Shame the words powerful, thoughtful, and relevant appear clearly visible in the background. I do not think that was an accident.

Available Excusively on Blu-ray Combo Pack April 17th, 2012

Set in a small conservative town in Tennessee a young six year old boy named Chip Hines (Sebastian Brodziak) is raised by his two fathers, his biological father Cody Hines (Trevor St. Johns) and his romantic partner Joey Williams (Patrick Wang). Because his biological mother passed away when he was born, Chip has always had two fathers. That is until one tragic day when Cody Hines gets into a fatal car crash.

There were plenty of long takes where no dialog is spoken, just the two of them now going through their everyday routine. A good example of this is a scene when Joey and Chip are getting back from the funeral and the two sit at the table together going through the large pile of mail. It was impressive how well the young child, Sebastian Brodziak, held up during these long scenes. There are some go on for more than 10 minutes.

After going through the mail Joey goes to Cody’s sister to help decipher what all the bills mean. It is then that he finds out that Cody made a will 6 years ago and did not include him in it. To make matters worse, all the possessions including their house and even Chip are now legally hers.

Joey becomes isolated from Cody’s side of the family but he has always experienced situations where he does not feel like he was part of the family. The first occurrence is when the doctors will not allow him to go see Cody in the hospital because he was not technically family. The second time is when his name did not appear in Cody’s will. Another is when Joey is not invited to the Hines’s Thanksgiving. Despite what the title of the film implies, he is not very welcome in the family.

Things take a turn for the worse when Joey goes to pick Chip up from the Hines’s Thanksgiving and Chip is not there. The family has decided to exercise its legal rights by taking Chip away from Joey. Needless to say, Joey is devastated when Chip is gone from his life so suddenly.

We learn more about Cody through multiple flashbacks to his past. We are shown how Cody and Joey first met and how he came up with naming Chip. But perhaps most interesting is that Joey knew Cody’s wife before she passed away.

It took me about an hour to really start getting into In the Family, it is fairly slow moving throughout its entirety but especially until then. Although many of the long scenes worked, some of them could have been condensed down during editing. The nearly three hour run-time was a bit much. But after reading the director’s statement I learned this was done intentionally, “The camera movement and cutting is minimal as I prefer to let the dynamics emerge from the characters and the events.”

In the Family has a powerful message but the film demands a great deal of patience from the audience from beginning to end. Even though it is a little rough around the edges it was an impressive first feature film by Patrick Wang. The film earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature. Even if you did not care for this film, you cannot help but wonder what Mr. Wang’s next project will be.

Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir) is a poor undocumented Mexican immigrant who is a hard working gardener. Because his wife left him he must raise his 15-year-old son Luis Galindo (José Julián) alone. Carlos does the best he can do with what little he has.

Carlos does not want his son to grow up to be a gardener and his son is in agreement. Luis dreams of being rich one day, watching TV shows of million dollar homes show him what he does not have. But he is treading on dangerous ground as the friends he hangs around with aspire to be gangsters. If he is not careful he will end up becoming one as well.

At work, Carlos’s boss nags him every day to buy the work truck from him which would also include the business along with it but Carlos does not have funds to do so. He wishes more than anything to buy the truck as it means he gets the business which in return means more income. With no other option left, he calls up family to come up with the money. After convincing his sister the truck will eventually bring the money needed to pay her back, he gets the money.

Excited as can be, right after buying the truck he has it washed. Now that Carlos has his own transportation he is able to do some shopping, which he does to get his son a gift. He proudly shows up at after school to show Luis the truck but he does not show much enthusiasm about it. That is until his father tells him he gets to drive it when he gets his license.

All Carlos wants to do is to give Luis a better life, hence the title of the film. Now with his own work truck he can hire people now to work for him. That means he will make more money and eventually be able to move to a better place for Luis and him. He hopes that it would also mean that he would not have to work weekends so that he can spend time with his son.

Carlos picks up his first immigrant worker for a day out of a group of twenty or more begging for work. The first thing he does is show the worker how to trim a palm tree. As he is at the top of a very tall tree the worker takes off with the truck with the keys Carlos left on the ground. He was never able to catch up to his truck.

The truck symbolizes his dream of a better life and is once again chasing after it. It is now up to him and his son to try to track down the man who stole his truck. Perhaps more important than finding the truck is the bonding time he now gets with his son helping him.

The best scene by far is the conversation between Carlos and Luis near the end of the film. The scene has enough emotion to have you fighting back tears or at least a lump in your throat. If the film played it’s cards right, it could have had more scenes like this.

Demián Bichir was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars and Independent Spirit Awards for his portrayal of Carlos Galindo. His genital eyes undoubtedly helped him fit the role of his character well. The man was a hard worker whose only goal in life was to give his son a better life than his, how could you not like his character?

All said and done the performances in the film outweigh the thin and predictable plot. I felt like A Better Life was a little safer than it needed to be. Instead of throwing some hard punches, the film seemed to play it conservative by only throwing a few jabs. Which is really too bad, because the potential was there but the outcome was not. I believe it is the writing to blame because it was too plain vanilla to be anything more than mediocre.