Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Another surprise!!!  This Israel film which blends Munich with the Australian Father and looks at how a Mossad agent sent to locate and kill an old Nazi war criminal ends up becoming immersed in the German family’s life through his contacts with the grandchildren, Pia a rebellious kibbutzer and Axel, a gay teacher and bon vivant.  In all of this, we not only get a look at issues like the continued persecution of the war criminals but themes that relate to today: the treatment of the Palestinians, the macho attitudes embodied in Eyal, the current German attitudes to the Holocaust, and to immigration today, skinheads and transvestites and how much the past should influence the present.  Amazingly, all of this is handled in a deft, natural and at times very humorous way by Eytan Foz and Gal Uchovsky.  Lior Ashkenazy, top Israeli star of the moment does a good job in the Mossad role, Knut Berger is excellent as Axel and there is a rare beauty in Carolina Peters performance as the sister.  I also liked the soundtrack which blends traditional and modern Israeli music with American hits.  We are also given a good look at modern Israel and some of the old sights. Although there are one or two cursi moments such as the ending, this movie is both entertaining and educational and as it comes from such a minefield that is definitely meritorius.

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A pleasant surprise  of a film which is about teenage angst and many adjacent themes like hyperactive kids, the environment, addictions, the suburbs and frustrated dreams with a wild and wonderful bunch of characters who are normal enough to be credible and strange enough to be interesting.  Mike Mills and his team do a good job of transferring a novel to the screen and there is both good photography and a solid soundtrack to enjoy.  Lou Taylor Pucci as 17 year-old Joel is totally suitable for the part and holds the film’s centre very well.  We have solid performances from the ever watchable Tilda Swinton and the ever chameleonic Vincent D’Onofrio, a great little debut for Kelli Garner as the girlfriend, Rebecca and several supporting moments from the likes of Keanu Reeves and Benjamin Bratt.  The films throws a lot of interesting things at us and cruises along nicely to its inevitable ending.  Maybe it’s no classic but it is worth a watch and even makes Volver seem rather predictable.

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One of the answers to where are the new cinema releases is straight to DVD.  Like this one.  Separate Lies is a neat British drama about lies and honesty silence and disclosure, faithfulness and loyalty.  Set in the Home Counties and London, it takes the married couple played by Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson and sees what happens when an affair and a accident which turns into a crime affects their life.  The film is gently paced but never drags and has plenty to say on the topics above.  An older looking Rupert Everett does a turn as the lover, Linda Bassett is great as the housekeeper and there are the usual supporting parts in the hands of competent actors.  Julian Fellowes makes a very good fist of his first film as a director, pens an intelligent screenplay and coaxes a very nice performance out of each of his stars.  It reminds me of a less frantic Match Point and probably makes its points just as well.

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The latest Almodóvar.  Good?  Yes.  Great?  Maybe not, but you get a good two hours slice of Spanish life and philosophy from their number one director.  I liked the film for the  quality of it`s making and for the entertainment it gives us weaving thriller, melodrama and all sorts of references to life, love and women into a coherent whole.  Almodovar no longer has the same hysterical vein in his films – although there are moments of pure hilarity like the wake and the hairdressers.  What he does now, apart from sprinkle his trademark visual feasts is to lighten up on the dialogue a bit, focus on the faces and add poignancy and wisdom to his work.  You have to make a little effort to interpret all the strands as he leaves some things suitably ambiguous but that is all the fun.  Jose Luis Alcaine is at his best with the photography, there is more good music from Alberto Iglesias (only the best), the direction is that of a master and Almodovar’s script picks up all the nuances of his characters.  But it is the performance of his girls that most people want to see and they are great here.  Penelope Cruz nails another great characterization of a sultry mum whose life starts to change dramatically, Carmen Maura is almost unrecognisable as her mother, Lola Dueñas does great as the sister Sole, Blanca Portillo is also excellent as the aunt’s neighbour, Agustina and even Chus Lampreave has a cameo. And there are even more!  A most enjoyable film with plenty to remember and to brighten up this cold dreary winter.

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A documentary by Jonathan Nossiter who introduces us to some of the movers and shakers in the wine industry today, especially the Mondavi clan, an unctious Californian family who with some well placed allies are developing an uber flavour that they can sell globally – wines that meet American tastes but lack the individuality of their place of origin.  Nossiter puts together an interesting pastiche of the weird and wonderful, of their dogs, of the French and Italian small winemakers and their traditions of the barons and money men, of the vulgar monied crowd as he takes us across three continents and shows us the battlelines between old and new worlds in wine making.  A very interesting subject, well but perhaps not brilliantly handled by Nossiter (the film drags in parts and the hand held camera can tire), Mondovino is nevertheless a welcome documentary to mainstream releases.

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A trip to the video shop confirms that I was wise to give this a miss on its cinema release.  It’s not that bad, just insipid and frothy and not very credible – perfect for a cold wet weekend when you have nothing better to do.  Though Aniston is watchable, she is not especially captivating and the scenes with Shirley Maclaine and Mark Ruffalo tend to steal the show even if both also play caricatures.  Kevin Costner is a suitable centrepiece – dull and solid which he does so well!  Self conscious script, cliched direction, but you get a few chuckles and it motors along quickly enough to a forgettable end.

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This decade’s Heavenly Creatures without the murder and with a slightly toned down fantasy but with many other elements intact.  Set in Yorkshire and with a definite claustrophobic atmosphere, My Summer of Love is enjoyable, especially for the accomplished direction of resident Brit Pawel Pawlikowski, the themes which are sufficiently meaty to sustain the film and the acting by the two lead girls and by Paddy Considine as the god fearing brother.  Emily Blunt as Tamsin is a great find and is undoubtedly headed for fame as the latest in a long line of classy English beauties.  And she can act too!  Even more impressive for me was Natalie Press as Mona, the lower class girl.  She has a beautiful open look and manages to throw away lines wonderfully.  This is a powerhouse performance of naturalness.

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