Ondine (2009)

An Irish fisherman finds a mysterious woman in his net. His daughter believes the woman is a silkie, a mythical creature who takes the form of a seal and also a woman. 

    This is a rather sweet movie. It uses a very interesting concept to explore what truth is and its mystery keeps you watching. However, I felt it could have been a lot more powerful, and where it fell short is the acting. 

     The main problem I have is the casting of the daughter. She is supposed to be the wonder aspect of the movie, she is the character who drives the fairy-tale of the plot as she becomes convinced this strange woman is a silkie. The actress is sweet to look at, but she is very limited both in her voice dynamics and expressions. If she had inspired tears, the movie could have been much better. Also, I thought Colin Farrell could have improved his diction, he once again proved himself to be the least understandable Irishman EVER, his accent is so thick and so soft it's nearly impossible to hear about 40% of his lines. Other than that, he was decent. The Polish actress who played Ondine had the easiest role, I felt, she just had to look mysterious and alluring, and she did. Kudos to her. 

    The story was good. There were a couple of rather baffling moments, where we ask ourselves: why is this happening? Also, a couple of plot holes. To describe them would be to give the ending away. 

   All in all, this was a good movie, a lot better than most of the romance movies in theaters now, it's very classy, very beautiful, and it doesn't rely on formulaic funny moments or overdone plot twists, whatever surprises we find in the film were set up long before they happen, and so they make sense. 

Toy Story 3 (2010)

The "Toy Story" saga continues in this third installment, which features Woody, Buzz and the gang dealing with their owner, Andy, going off the college. 

   This is a great sendoff to the best trilogy in Hollywood. Everything about "Toy Story" is brilliant - the characters, the story, the animation, the franchise...this third one beautifully sums up all those things that make the movies great. 

    First, the story. It's magnificent. Some might think it's cheesy, but to me, no movies have better summed up the progression of children growing up while maintaining razor-sharp creativity than "Toy Story," and this third one captures the bittersweet aspect of growing up. Andy is going to college. He is moving on from childhood things, including his toys. This is the saddest movie of the three, but also the most touching. The final 5-7 minutes are sheer genius. Oh, and the movie also has hilarious moments. 

    The animation is amazing. Technology has come so far from the original Toy Story done in 1995, it's incredible the kinds of expressions these toys can have. The 3D is done very well, it's not distracting, it gives the movie that beautiful layered look. My favorite scene in the movie involves a tortilla and toys parts, and it amazed me how funny just those few simple items could be. 

    Pixar is absolutely brilliant. They spaced these movies out over the course of fifteen years, so when that final goodbye has to inevitably come, you really feel that you know and love these characters. I grew up with them. It also makes me very, very glad none of my toys are actually alive....or are they? 

    

Paris (2009)

A French film centered around the lives of various Parisians explores the culture of Paris and humanity in general

   More foreign films. This was my first French movie and it was VERY French. The film style was decidedly not American or German, the music was all very jazz-techno-cafe-like, and the acting was so natural some might see it as simply bad acting. However, it was a charming movie that very closely detailed just a short while in our characters' lives. 

    The color of the movie was interesting to me. It was all very brown, gray, and other pale colors. The only real color was in flashbacks of one of the characters, a sick ex-Cabaret dancer who wears a silver suit and blood-red shirt. It rained a lot in the movie, too, or snowed. It looked rather drab, but it added to the grungy realism. 

    The acting as stated before, was very natural. The emotions were raw, characters were neither bad nor good, and most of them were very confusing. Like real people. 

    This is a very long movie. It's over 2 hours, and I wouldn't recommend it as a first foreign-movie experience. It's so European that American audiences would find it tedious. As a film though, it's very well-done, if a little disappointing. 

The Young Victoria (2009)

The story of Queen Victoria's rise to the throne and her love for Prince Albert

   This is a cute movie, if any movie about English monarchy can be called "cute." A lot of people might find it very dull, as nothing terribly dramatic ever happens, but for history buffs and those who understand that true cinematic boredom is found in many films by Merchant & Ivory, it's quite enjoyable. 

    One of its advantages is that it's a short 1 and 44 minutes. It this movie had tried to be a sprawling epic, it would have fell flat. It's not about battles and wars and intrigue, it's about the challenging transition a young woman must undertake when she becomes queen at seventeen. 

   Emily Blunt is very charming as Victoria. She's much prettier than the queen was in reality, but she captures the queen's naivety and desire to work hard well. The actor who plays Prince Albert is also quite good, though very subtle. They have very sweet chemistry. 

    This was not an especially memorable movie, but it's a good family movie as there is no violence, no language, and only one brief sex scene - no nudity- taking place on a wedding night.