MAMMA MIA
A kitschy yet enjoyable adaptation of the Broadway hit, with the immortal songs of ABBA as the thin plot of this romance drama. Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, and Amanda Seyfried are impressive, while the guys (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper) are (sadly) bland and overshadowed by the gals. Mamma Mia indeed!
THE CHASER (pictured, above)
Hong-jin Na has crafted a fast paced, highly involving suspense thriller about a handsome serial killer (Ha Jeong-Woo) who is chased by a corrupt ex-police/pimp (the great Kim Yeon-Seok. The plot unfolds in an assured pace as the characters outwit and come together in unexpected ways. The acting was strong, the script was dramatically urgent, and the direction was focused especially in the final chase scenes.
THE DEVIL'S ISLAND
Life in the outskirts of Reyjavik circa 1950s is the setting of Fridrik Thor Fridiksson's (Oscar nominee Children of Nature, 1991) tart social commentary/satire. Performances (particularly that of actor-director Baltazar Kormakur, The Sea) are strong, characters were varied yet well developed, the plot structure was fast paced, the direction assured, but the themes (Western imperialism, decaying family values) were overly familiar.
THE BEST MAN
Italian director Pupi Avati (A Heart Elsewhere, The Story Of Girls and Boys) has crafted an intriguing period drama about a complicated woman's (Ines Sastre, in a weak performance) struggle to break free from family tradition, especially when she experiences "love at first sight" with her best man. The intelligent written script evokes extensive period detail, and the plot progressed unpredictably.
LE TEMPS DE LOUP (TIME OF THE WOLF)
The director and lead actress of The Piano Teacher team up in this intriguing yet dramatically staid apocalyptic thriller. The reliable Isabelle Huppert plays a mother whose husband was killed by unidentified cave people/tribes (the characters were vague, except that they look like the latter) upon arriving at their vacation house. From then on, the journey becomes a survival of the fittest as she attempts to save her son from the assailants. Michael Haneke does not know where to focus: is it about the decaying social structure, inexistent family values, or the impact of organized socio-political system? His intentions were fascinating, but the results were pretentious, hokey, and emotionally blank.
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