NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK (JUL 13-20)

Well it's safe to say that this week will be Harry potter week at the movies. I just saw the film and really thought it was a great ride. The series has reach a good maturity and they have learned how to balance action and character development. In this particular one, character development takes over as the actors improve their skills, the writing gets less cheesy and the directing uses a new realistic style....

other releases worth mentioning this week are:

Adam's Apple, a funny, weird comedy about a priest with strict and irrevocable faith who reforms prisoners in his small town church.

Lars Von Trier's The Director. I've seen the film back when it was playing at the New Cinema Festival and it's really a departure from his recent work and a return to the type of movies he made in his dogma era (the idots etc...). This film is cute, original but overall doesn't leave you with much more than a cute story with amusing characters. It's like The Office goes on the big screen, with a little less catch phrases ;)

Scenes of a sexual nature is also out and features everything but sex! I've seen bits and pieces of the film and it's really a long bore with endless discussions. The acting however is fine and intelligent and the editing is interesting.

Another interesting title out this week is God grew tired of us, a story of 4 africans (from soudan) who aren't familiar with our civilization, and are brought to NYC for this documentary. An interesting look at our culture through the eyes of traditionalism. I foresee a nice reflexion on where we're coming from and where we're heading....


other releases : Captivity, Belle Toujours, Introducing the Dwights

all showtimes at cinemamontreal.com

Movies this week (June 30- July 6) (updated)

Well, this week is certainly one to watch in movies. Two big productions worth checking out and a great foreign gem.

Starting off with Michael Moore's new film, Sicko. that takes a hit at the health system in the states. It is said to be controversial, not particularly democrat (as his previous movies where) and extremely funny. Seems to me like a typical Moore Movie and I'm in !

Also out is the new Pixar effort, Ratatouille. Featuring a talking mouse that gives cooking instructions to a french rookie chef, can anything really go wrong ? Plus, pixar hasn't released a bad movie EVER ! which is enough for me to check this one out. Just saw the movie and all I can say is that Pixar managed once again to top themselves and deliver a movie that is so visually stunning and whose story is so compelling that we wonder why we still watch live action films....

Lastly, on a more indie note, La Raison du plus faible, a Belgian film is out at the Ex-centris and is definetly worth checking out. I saw the film recently and I found it extremely realistic and well paced. The characters are so interesting and layered that you don't get bored for a second in the film. The tension builds naturally and leads to a very grandiose conclusion....

Other films out : Live free or Die Hard (aka die hard 4), Evening (star-studded indie drama), eagle vs. Shark, L'homme de Cuivre, Nitro (Quebec made action film)

All showtimes at cinemamontreal.com

MY MOVIE PICKS THIS WEEK (UPDATED)

This week is another interesting movie week. A lot of documentaries, some horror and a blockbuster comedy are on the menu.

First off, you should all check out a documentary called MANUFACTURING DISSENT. It's a doc about Michael Moore, documented by two Canadians that start off with a blatant admiration for the guy and end up shedding some light on his unorthodox methods. I saw the film and It's sometimes very deranging : isn't the whole point of documentary film making to tell the truth ? Is it acceptable to bend it to make a point ? I'm personally not sure about the answer, but it's definetly an interesting question to ask. Saw the film. It's interesting but it did'nt succeed to make me doubt Moore's methods. I personally believe that a little deceit and manipulation is needed to shake people up. So I say : Go Michael ! That being said, this documentary is very well paced and extremely interesting.

Also out this week end is A MIGHTY HEART, just fresh out of the Cannes Festival and features Angelina Jolie (in what the press are calling her best role yet) as the wife of a journalist who disappears in Pakistan (based on a very interesting true story). Just saw the film, it's a very good depiction of those events and it was shot in a very respectful, non-exaggerated, non-cheesy fashion. Performances feel reel and are gut-wrenching. I loved this film !

Other releases :
1408 (horror), Evan Almighty (comedy), Zidane (documentary, apparently very good one), Gracie (sports dramatic comedy) and Trois rois (music doc)

For showtimes, check cinemamontreal.com