RIP: Maurice Jarre 1924 - 2009

Les Amitiés Maléfiques

Writer and director Emmanuel Bourdieu's character study of a charming and pathological liar who has a profound influence on several people that consider him a genius. The film is as much about the influence of friendship as it is about the fragility of creativity where a false friend can kill talent before it matures in this morality tale. It's refreshing to see a film about something other than just entertainment. A fine cast makes the film a rewarding one to watch. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Anthony Minghella's last film shows what a brilliant writer and director he was before his untimely death. A colorful, gorgeous and hugely entertaining film where the location is as much a character as the actors with Jill Scott giving a winning performance along with a fine cast and crew. After all these years of bad news from Africa, it shows that there's a lot of good about the continent as the films shows with great heart and humor. The film has top notch A-list talent from cinematographer Seamus McGarvey(Atonement, The Hours) to composer Gabriel Yared (The English Patient, Betty Blue) and Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral). YRCinema's coverage of films for TV.

Memento

This film remains Christopher Nolan and Guy Pearce's best work. A brilliant film with one of the best endings ever. It's easier to have a great beginning than to have a great ending. So many films year after year burn because they fail in the third act. The story about the importance of memory is told in reverse about a man suffering from short-term memory loss on the hunt of his wife's murder. Rarely does a film require the audience's total attention as much as this film does. Nolan brilliantly controls every beat of the film with a brilliant cast and crew. It remains of the best films of the decade. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The Mother

Director Roger Michell (Persuasion, Notting Hill) redeems himself with this film after a short detour to Hollywood. The story of an elderly and frigid woman's sexual awakening after the death of her husband when she falls for her daughter's unstable lover. Writer Hanif Kureishi delivers his best script since his brilliant debut for Stephen Frear's My Beautiful Laundrette. Michell and Kureishi bravely address the taboo issue of elderly sexuality with care and compassion. Anne Reid and Daniel Craig equally give powerful and honest performances along with a talented cast and crew. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Savage Grace

Tom Kalin's second feature in more than a decade fails despite a talented cast and crew. The story behind the murder of the socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland by her only son. The problem with the film is the script that tries too hard to give insight into the psyches of the privileged Baeklands but comes short. Julianne Moore gives a riveting performance as the unstable woman who destroys her marriage and her son's life. Instead of covering the three decades, it probably would have been better to narrow it down to a shorter time period. The characters behaviors in 1946 is similar to the ones in the 50's and 60's except for their stylish outfits. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Mon Oncle d'Amérique

Legendary French master Alain Resnais (Hiroshima, Mon Amour) is never been shy to break the rules that were either hits or misses but always with interesting results. He brilliantly brings the theories of human nature to screen with this film where narrative and documentary mix seamlessly as he mixes behavioral theorist Henri Laborit with fictional characters to demonstrate his point on how we function in the society. The film grabs you from the first minute till the last where everything makes perfect sense yet hard to describe. A true masterpiece that has not lost one bit of its sheer power with wonderful performances all around, specially Gérard Depardieu. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Twilight

Production designer turned director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) still has not found her vision as a director that's clearly evident in this film that struggles between the teenage coming of age story and the supernatural thriller. She never finds the balance to satisfy the both aspects of the teenage love story between a vampire boy and a human girl. The flaws are all over the place, specially the screenplay but the leads Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson save the day without whom the film would have been a total disaster. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Street Kings

Writer turned director David Ayer (Training Day, Harsh Times) opts for somebody else's script for his second feature but remains thematically in the same territory of police corruption in Los Angeles. Keanu Reeves plays a burned out LAPD detective Tom Ludlow who finally realizes that the corruption in his department is more widespread than he previously thought. After the murder of his former partner, he finds out with the help of a rookie (Chris Evans) that the murder was setup by his colleagues and friends. The fine cast includes Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

RIP: Natasha Richardson 1963 - 2009

Breach

Chris Cooper gives a riveting performance as Robert Hanssen who caused the biggest security breach in the history of the US intelligence in this chilling and cold film. The tone of the film is as cold as it gets in this psychological thriller that tries to shed some light on the motives behind the crime. The film begins in the last two months of Hanssen's life before his arrest through the eyes of Eric O'Neill who was assigned as his assistant. Obviously the true story behind the film is the real star of this somber film. Ryan Phillippe and Laura Linney round up the excellent cast. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Duplicity

Tony Gilroy remains in the corporate world after his smashing debut in "Michael Clayton." He delivers another knockout with this romantic thriller that manages to thrill without sex or violence. The perfect cast and crew includes Clive Owen and Julia Roberts who sizzle as spies who leaves their government jobs for more cash in the competitive and greedy corporate world. Gilroy's smart and intelligent script proves that there's enough original material out there without the cliches of that plagues most thrillers with a single bullet or drop of blood. It's no wonder that great actors flock to work with Gilroy because his sharp script gives everybody enough to chew on. The excellent cast includes Tom Wilkenson, Paul Giamatti and Thomas McCarthy amongst others. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

The Painted Veil

Edward Norton and Naomi Watts shine in this lavish adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel which they also helped producing. They play a couple trapped in a loveless marriage in 1920's China. After the husband finds out that his wife has been unfaithful, he accepts a position in a remote region to fight Cholera where they find love for each other. Director John Curran makes up after his disappointing "We Don't Live Here Anymore" with this gorgeous film set in the amazing Guangxi region of China with an excellent cast that includes Toby Jones, Liev Schreiber and Diana Rigg. Alexandre Desplat delivers an equally perfect score to the scenery captured by cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh, mostly known for his gorgeous work with Jane Campion. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

August Rush

This feel good modern fable about a gifted boy who sets out to find his parents through the mystical powers of music. Director Kirsten Sheridan finds a pitch-perfect cast in Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers who sail the film through all its flaws. Anybody who loves music and believes in its powers will be delighted with this film that makes such an original use of music. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Body of Lies

Ridley Scott's thriller about the war on terror sheds some light on the problems of intelligence gathering by Western agents who risks everything including their lives only to be compromised by the failure of their governments. Scott and his superb team deliver a film that doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience in the tradition of "Syriana." The only problem with a film like this lies in the nature of the beast of post Cold War thrillers where things are not as black and white as the audiences are used to and pay off depends on the audiences knowledge and involvement. The film also unites Scott and frequent collaborator Russel Crowe with Leonardo DiCaprio who continues to prove that he's one of the best actors of his generation. Among the excellent supporting cast, Mark Strong stands out as Hani Salaam. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

24 City

Chinese writer and director Jia Zhang-Ke blurs the line between documentary and drama in this feature where real people and actors of different generations tell stories of sacrifice in a doomed factory that's being shut down to be replaced by luxury apartments, leaving the workers on the margin of society to fend for themselves. This timely and relevant film shows how progress is rampant in China, specially in the big cities where buildings and people have to make way for the future. Zhang-Ke is a smart filmmaker whose interest is not only to tell a relevant story but also how it's told in cinema and its limitations. He's well aware of being accused to manipulate the audience with this tale that will resonate with many people around the world; therefore he mixes real people with actors to tell everybody that they are watching a film after all, even if it's feels real. YRCinema's coverage of upcoming releases.

Tôkyô Sonata

Writer and director Kiyoshi Kurosawa shows the consequences of communication failure and unemployment through a family in contemporary Japan. When the father loses his job, he does not dare to break the news to his wife and pretends to go work as if nothing happened. As he tries to find another job, he finds out that he's not the only fighting for positions way below his standards. Meanwhile his wife has to keep appearances for their two sons who have struggles of their own. Kurosawa who only shares the name of legendary Japanese filmmaker weaves a nuanced tale full of heart and humor in this film that owes more to Ozu than Kurosawa. Beautifully filmed with a fine cast, Kurosawa proves to be of Japan's most versatile directors. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

The Black Dahlia

It's hard to make a film set in Hollywood of the 40's and 50's without being compared to Roman Polanski's "Chinatown", the last film to pull it off brilliantly was Curtis Hanson's "L.A. Confidential" so you have two great films to measure up to. Brian De Palma who either has hits or misses fails to live up the expectations with this beautifully shot film despite the good looking cast who also have to live up to the great actors of the previous films. The problem is the screenplay that's full of cliches and too far fetched to be believable. Josh Hartnett plays a detective who get entangled in a web of lies and deceptions on and off his job at the LA PD. Another problem is the over stylized look of the film, while a every frame is beautiful, it takes away from the authenticity of the story. In any case the story at the core about the mysterious and notorious murder gets lost that has to be told someday properly. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Toi & Moi

This French comedy stars Marion Cotillard and Julie Depardieu as very different sisters who have trouble with their love lives because they look for the right guy in the wrong places. Cotillard plays the insecure cellist who has fallen out of love with her long time lover but doesn't have the courage to go after love when she encounters it. Depardieu plays a writer for cheesy romantic photo magazine who chases the wrong guy without knowing while ignoring the right guy. The film has a strictly female point of view by writer and director Julie Lopes-Curval. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The Chaser

Korean director Na Hong-jin makes an explosive debut with this heart-pounding thriller and proves that the Korean cinema is one of the hottest in Asian cinema. A serial-killer film like no other that grabs you from the beginning till the end and keeps you on the edge of your seat. A former detective turned pimp sends unknowingly one of his prostitutes to a serial killer, only to chase after them that changes his life. It's not an easy task to make an entertaining genre film that also has a social message. Hong-jin takes no prisoners by making the entire police a bunch of idiots that fail to lock a serial killer that's literally delivered to them. Having the main character as a former police turned pimp delivers another blow. The criminal is as evil as you can imagine but thrives because of the incompetence of the police. The victims are of course women, specially desperate women who are forced to prostitution which is one of the heart-breaking elements of the film. The film is above all pure entertainment and it doesn't disappoint which makes it one of the finest thrillers in recent memory. As you would expect with first rate cast and crew. YRCinema's coverage of upcoming releases.

Water Lilies

Writer and director Céline Sciamma makes a powerful debut with the poignant coming of age story about three teenage girls who struggle with their sexuality. Nothing is as it seems in the world of teenagers where pretension and appearance is far away from the bitter truth. Confused Marie hopes to gain more knowledge about her sexuality in two different friends, the outsider Anne and beautiful Florianne but finds out they are as lost as she. Sciamma finds an ideal and unique setting in the world of synchronized swimming with a talented young cast. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

34th César Awards

Best Film
Entre Les Murs
Il y a Longtemps que je t’aime
Mesrine
Paris
Le Premier Jour du Reste de ta vie
Séraphine
Un conte de Noël

Best First Film
Home, Ursula Meier
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, Philippe Claudel
Mascarades, Lyes Salem
Pour elle, Fred Cavaye
Versailles, Pierre Schoeller

Best Foreign Film
Eldorado, Bouli Lanners
Gomorra, Matteo Garrone
Into the wild, Sean Penn
Le silence de Lorna, Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne
There will be blood, Paul Thomas Anderson
Two lovers, par James Gray
Valse avec Bachir, Ari Folman

Best Director
Rémi Bezançon for Le premier jour du reste de ta vie
Laurent Cantet for Entre les murs
Arnaud Desplechin for Un conte de Noël
Martin Provost for Séraphine
Jean-François Richet for Mesrine

Best Actress
Catherine Frot, Le crime est notre affaire
Yolande Moreau, Séraphine
Kristin Scott Thomas, Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Tilda Swinton, Julia
Sylvie Testud, Sagan

Best Actor
Vincent Cassel, Mesrine
François-Xavier Demaison in Coluche, l'histoire d'un mec
Guillaume Depardieu, Versailles
Albert Dupontel, Deux jours à tuer
Jacques Gamblin, Le premier jour du reste de ta vie

Best Supporting Actress
Jeanne Balibar, Sagan
Anne Consigny, Un conte de Noël
Edith Scob, L'heure d'été
Karin Viard, Paris
Elsa Zylberstein, Il y a longtemps que je t'aime

Best Supporting Actor
Benjamin Biolay, Stella
Claude Rich, Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera
Jean-Paul Roussillon, Un conte de Noël
Pierre Vaneck, Deux jours à tuer
Roschdy Zem, La fille de Monaco