Tangerines: This is not to be confused with a movie released this summer called Tangerine. This was one of the five films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, and I can now safely say that it is the best of the 5. Unfortunately it's a pretty ho hum group of movies. This one is an Estonian-Georian film that takes place in the 1990s during a time of war. A tangerine farmer is in the middle of a battle from which he saves two men. As fate would have it the men are from opposing sides of the battle and at first are at each other's throats, but they agree to not kill each other until they leave the farmer's house. They learn a lesson that all people at war should learn and that is killing a man is killing a man regardless of what country he comes from. The films short length makes the two enemies relationship turn a bit too quickly, but it is ultimately very watchable and touching.
7 out of 10
The Clouds of Sils Maria- This film about acting and aging is a great showcase for its three actresses Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace armorers and especially Kristen Stewart (who is working her ass off to make us forget about those horrible Twilight movies). The film itself tries to be deeper and more elusive than it really deserves to be. By the end I kind of shrugged and said "What was that?" It is definitely worth it for the performances though
6 out of 10
Atari: Game Over
This is a short documentary about the rise and fall of Atari video games mixed with the excavation of a pit in New Mexico that ends up being filled with unsold Atari cartridges. It mainly deals with the game E.T. Which has been called "the worst video game ever" by many. I played it when I was a kid and I can attest that it was pretty awful. Since I was in the Atari generation I would have liked more about the rise and fall of Atari and its games and less digging around New Mexico. As such it's a welcome fleeting diversion
6 out of 10
And then I watched two HBO movies/mini series
Olive Kittridge- Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement regarding this four part mini series. I didn't know what to expect, and a I really enjoyed this Frances McDormand led project. It is basically the story of Olive Kittridge's life as she interacts with different people throughout it. She is not necessarily a lovable person and McDormand is so good in the role at being hateable but also loveable. This is probably the best performance of her career and yes I've seen Fargo and Almost Famous. Richard Jenkins, Zoe Kasan, John Gallagher Jr., Cory Michael Smith and Bill Murray are also excellent in their roles of different sizes. It is some of the best television that I have seen in some time. If it had been made as a film, I imagine it would have been Oscar nominated.
9 out of 10
Nightingale- Selma's David Oyelowo gives an amazing performance in this one man show about a man unraveling after he has killed his mother. Even though it is only 80 minutes long the monologue goes on way too long. There just isn't enough story there for one person to merit a full length film. It reminded me of this guy in high school who I remember didn't learn an assigned monologue so he just made up a very very dramatic one. I probably shouldn't have thought about that considering the film's serious subject matter, but I did. But definitely check it out for Oyelowo. He proves again that he is the real deal.
6 out of 10
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