Red Road

British writer and director Andrea Arnold made her stunning feature debut with this riveting film, part thriller and part urban drama. The story about a female operator of security cameras in a run down neighborhood of Glasgow who wants revenge from a man responsible for destroying her life. Beautifully written with fully developed characters, Arnold never looses sight that makes her one of the best British directors today. Kate Dickie who makes her feature debut is perfect as the lead along with a solid supporting cast that includes Martin Compston (Sweet Sixteen). The cinematography by Robbie Ryan is absolutely breathtaking. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Sydney Pollack's classic film is a bleak portrayal of the American Depression era that's prophetic in many ways of the reality shows. The story about several desperate people competing at a gruelling and vicious dance marathon in Los Angeles in the hope of winning the coveted cash prize. It shows the extent humans will go for money and exposure which is the reason why the masses take part in the reality shows and expose themselves to exploitation by the TV networks. Even the film is set at bygone era, the characters and situations are timeless. The contestants, the host and the audience are the elements of every popular reality TV today. A relevant classic with superb performances by Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young and Red Buttons. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The Red Shoes

A masterpiece by the writer and director duo of Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell that's one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of cinema where all art forms come together in every department of the art form. Based on the fairy by Hans Christian Andersen, the story of a beautiful ballerina who's torn between her art and her heart with devastating consequences. The film gloriously sheds a light on the life of artists who are torn between their art and its price. The film is also one of the best film about ballet with a stunning dance sequence that has to be seen to be believed thanks to ace cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring are pitch perfect as the three leads as the entire cast and crew of this stunning classic. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

CRITICS AWARDS 5: National Society of Film Critics

Best Film: THE HURT LOCKER
Best Foreign Film: SUMMER HOURS
Best Documentary: THE BEACHES OF AGNES
Best Director: KATHRYN BIGELOW, THE HURT LOCKER
Best Actor: JEREMY RENNER, THE HURT LOCKER
Best Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPH WALTZ, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
Best Actress: YOLANDE MOREAU, SERAPHINE
Best Supporting Actress: MO'NIQUE, PRECIOUS
Best Screenplay: JOEL & ETHAN COEN, A SERIOUS MAN

Bried Encounter

The first masterpiece by legendary British director David Lean is an absolute cinematic tour de force that has not lost one bit of its power as one of the greatest love stories on cinema. The story of a doomed affair between a doctor and a housewife who fall in love randomly in a train station. Based on the play by Noel Coward, Lean brilliantly adapted the play and made a classic that displays his skills as one of the greatest directors in cinema. Besides the flawless performances by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, the film is pitch perfect in every level from cinematography to editing and use of sound and music. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Ship of Fools

Director Stanley Kramer got an all star cast for this adaptation of a popular novel about a German cruise ship right before the rise of Nazi Germany. The passengers reflect a cross section of society in general from the rich to the poor, from the old to young and everything in between. The era that these characters existed is long gone but the human condition and its problems remains. The film remains a classic because of its stellar cast, specially the magnificent Simone Signoret and the superb Oskar Werner. The cast includes the excellent Vivian Leigh in her last performance along with José Ferrer and Lee Marvin in solid performances. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Away From Her

Actress Sarah Polley (The Sweet Hereafter, My Life Without Me) turned writer and director for this solid film about the devastating consequences of Alzheimer's disease that comes between a couple. The magnificent Julie Christie continues to dazzle and proves that she's still a great actress who elevates this film to greater heights because of her presence and makes everybody else look good. Gordon Pinsent and Olympia Dukakis are also great in their roles as the husband and the wife of another patient. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Top 10 of the Decade 2000 - 2009

01. 21 Grams by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Mexico, USA)
02. Amélie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France)
03. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Ang Lee (China, USA)
04. Gladiator by Ridley Scott (UK, USA)
05. In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong, China)
06. Old Boy by Park Chan-Wook (Korea)
07. Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle (UK, India)
08. Talk to Her by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)
09. The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke (Germany)
10. Yi Yi by Edward Yang (Taiwan)

TOP 10 of 2009

TOP 10 Films & Directors
01. Agora, Alejandro Amenábar
02. A Prophet, Jacques Audiard
03. The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke
04. The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow
05. I Am Love, Luca Guadagnino
06. Broken Embraces, Pedro Almodóvar
07. Up in the Air, Jason Reitman
08. Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold
09. Mother, Bong Joon-ho
10. An Education, Lone Scherfig



TOP 10 Performances, Female
Leading & Supporting in Alphabetical Order
PENÉLOPE CRUZ - "BROKEN EMBRACES"
MARION COTILLARD - "NINE"
VERA FARMIGA - "UP IN THE AIR"
KIM HYE-JA - "MOTHER"
KATIE JARVIS - "FISH TANK"
CAREY MULLIGAN - "AN EDUCATION"
MICHELLE PFEIFFER - "CHERI"
TILDA SWINTON - "I AM LOVE"
AUDREY TAUTOU - "COCO AVANT CHANEL"
RACHEL WEISZ - "AGORA"



TOP 10 Performances, Male
Leading & Supporting in Alphabetical Order
JEFF BRIDGES - "MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS"
GEORGE CLOONEY - "UP IN THE AIR"
MICHAEL FASSBENDER - "FISH TANK"
COLIN FIRTH - "A SINGLE MAN"
ALFRED MOLINA - "AN EDUCATION"
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - "THE LAST STATION"
TAHAR RAHIM - "A PROPHET"
JEREMY RENNER - "THE HURT LOCKER"
PETER SARSGAARD - "AN EDUCATION"
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - "INGLORIOUS BASTERDS"

Umberto D.

Director Vittorio De Sica's masterpiece is a profound and timeless tale of poverty and loneliness in old age. The story set in post war Italy where Umberto barely lives off his pension. After his hostile landlady wants to evict him if he doesn't pay his rent on time, a desperate Umberto sets out to raise the money along with his beloved dog with devastating results. One of the most humane films in the history of cinema that's just devastating and hasn't lost one bit of its sheer power. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

General Della Rovere

Two giants of Italian cinema, director Roberto Rossellini and director/actor Vittorio De Sica collaborated on this film, each proving their worth beyond the neorealist movement with which they revolutionized cinema. They both return to familiar territory of WW II with a riveting portrayal of a fallen man who finds redemption. Vittorio De Sica plays a gambler who swindles his own people to make money which leads him to the Nazis who force him to pretend a resistance fighter in order to bring down the movement. Rossellini proves he can deliver a great conventional film beyond neorealism while De Sica delivers one his best performances. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Far from the Madding Crowd

Much of the human nature complexities and classic themes of Thomas Hardy's classic novel are missing from this epic adaptation by director John Schlesinger which boasts stunning cinematography and a first rate cast that includes the stunning Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch and Alan Bates. The story about a beautiful heiress caught between three different suitors, a loyal shepherd, a noble landowner and an arrogant soldier whose pursuit has devastating consequences. The problem lies in the superficial screenplay which struggles with the core issues of the novel that dealt with the ironies of life. The actors try their best to overcome the flaws but are at loss. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Lady Chatterley

French writer and director Pascale Ferran transforms D.H. Lawrence's notorious and controversial book into a sensual film about a woman's sexual awakening from a woman's point of view. Ferran stays away from controversy that has plagued the novel and goes to the heart of the matter which is about characters trapped by circumstance. While Lady Chatterley loves her paralyzed husband, her life lacks intimacy. Without seeking a way to escape, she gradually falls in love with the gamekeeper of her husband's estate. All the characters are well developed thanks to Ferran's vision and the performances of actors that includes the radiant Marina Hands and Hippolyte Girardot as Lady and Lord Chatterley. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Invictus

Clint Eastwood returns with this solid film about true leadership that's inspiring and touching. The story about how South African President Nelson Mandela found an ally in rugby team leader Francois Pienaar to reunite his country when they went to win the World Cup in 1995. The ever reliable Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon are perfect as the leads. Eastwood's no nonsense style lets the story unfold without much interference. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The title refers to Mandela's favorite poem by English poet William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

A Married Woman

French auteur extraordinaire Jean-Luc Godard takes on ménage à trois in this stunningly beautiful film with a message. A married woman can't decide between her husband and her lover while discovering she's pregnant. Raoul Coutard delivers his usual striking cinematography of sensual close ups of the fetching and ravishing Macha Méril and her attractive men played by Bernard Noël and Philippe Leroy. Godard is on top of his game with this fascinating character study through a woman's point of view. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

The Last Station

Writer and director Michael Hoffman (Restoration) makes a smashing comeback with this moving film about the last days of celebrated Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sofya. A poignant film about the complexities of love that excels because of the performances of Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, Paul Giamatti and James McAvoy. Hoffman hits all the right notes to give an accurate portrait of one the greatest writers in literature as he deals with his legacy that has come between him and the love of his life. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

A Perfect Day

Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige wrote and directed this drama set in a day where a mother and son who declare their beloved husband and father officially dead after he has been kidnapped 15 years earlier and has been missing ever since. Set in Beirut the mother and son are still haunted by the past who have to leave behind the past in order to face the future. Julia Kassar and Ziad Saad are perfect as the leads and deliver authentic performances as the mother and son crippled with the burden of the past that threatens their relationship. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Delbaran

Iranian writer and director Abolfazl Jalili's poignant film about an Afghan boy caught in between political turmoil at the Iran-Afghanistan border of the title. It shows the heartbreaking condition of children who try their best to cope with their situation caused by war. Most of Afghan refugees tried to escape the war to Iran and Pakistan where more trouble awaited them. Jalili manages through poetic images to show the resilience of a young boy. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.

Avatar

Director James Cameron returns after a long absence and delivers a spectacular extravaganza with mind blowing 3D effects that has come here to stay. The story about a paraplegic marine is sent to a distant planet to bond with the natives, so that a big corporation and its military can exploit the natural resources at the cost of destroying everything that comes in their way. Nothing new on the story front which is simple enough that has been done before and better but the story's just an excuse to get on the ride which is the film all about. What Cameron lacks as a writer, he makes it up with his usual finesse as a director who has always been ahead of everybody else in Hollywood by opening the Pandora's Box of visual effects that will become the new standard for Hollywood big blockbusters that has dominated the global box office. The cast and crew help Cameron with his vision that allows him to reunite with his "Aliens" star Sigourney Weaver who's a welcome sight and Sam Worthington has everything to become the next big action star. YRCinema's coverage of current releases.

CRITICS AWARDS 4: SATELLITE™ Awards

Motion Picture, Drama
The Hurt Locker

Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
Nine

Motion Picture, Foreign Language
Broken Embraces & The Maid

Motion Picture Documentary
Every Little Step

Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Actor In A Drama
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Actress In A Drama
Shohreh Aghdashloo, The Stoning of Soraya M.

Actor In A Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
Michael Stuhlberg, A Serious Man

Actress In A Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Actress In A Supporting Role
Mo'nique, Precious

Actor In A Supporting Role
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Screenplay, Original
(500) Days of Summer

Screenplay, Adapted
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

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