The Secret of Kells (2009)

 Nominated for best animated picture in 2009, this film takes a fantasy twist on the history of the famed Book of Kells, Ireland's most valuable artifact.

   I knew that "UP" would win the Oscar, it's Pixar, but "The Secret" is probably the most beautiful animated movie I've ever seen. Every frame is unique and drawn with such care, the music is crystalline, and the story is simple but drenched in historical significance and spirituality. The problem with that combination of simple and layered is that if you are not familiar with the Book of Kells, that history is lost on an audience. The Book of Kells is a beautifully-illustrated collection of the Four Gospels. If you don't know that, the book could be anything. Knowing that is the Word of God, the story of Jesus, makes it more understandable why the monks would be willing to protect those papers with their lives. However, the sheer beauty of the film overwhelms the weakness of the story. It's a beauty that doesn't take itself seriously, there is lots of humor in it, but never losing that feeling of sophistication. This is not "Cars." This is something deeper, something artistic. If I were an animator, this is how I would want to animate.

Blue Beard (2009)

Shot as a story within a story, two young girls read the gruesome fairy tale "Bluebeard" in the 1950's while the audience watches the action unfold in the 17th century.

   This is definitely a "WTF" movie. It's very short, not even an hour and a half, and it's beautifully-filmed, but I really did not understand the purpose of the film. The story is very straightforward, it's "Bluebeard," no question about it, but the last two minutes or so completely blow the movie into the bizarre and you're left feeling devastated and utterly confused. I have a feeling the director tried to be too....vague, maybe? Not necessarily artsy...I don't even know what was going on in her mind. I really liked Bluebeard and the young girl as a couple in terms of filming though, her smallness was exaggerated by large furniture and the giant who played Bluebeard who happens to wear like 100 pounds of clothing. There's a brilliant scene where they're eating breakfast side by side and he has this huge ostrich egg and she's eating these tiny quail eggs. He's very gentle with her, they barely touch in the movie, and he seems so devastated when he knows he has to kill her, I question the very foundation of the story and WHY he has to do it. In the original fairy tale, it's pretty clear he's just crazy, he gets really mad and drags her by the hair, but in this, he seems to rational and like he really loves her, it makes me think there's more going on than what the simple story portrays. Again, I feel this confusion is a shortcoming of the film itself.

Deliver Us From Evil (2006)

Using interviews with victims, their families, and Oliver O'Grady himself, this film chronicles the horror of a priest who is responsible for molesting children for over 30 years.

   This is probably one of the more disturbing movies I've ever seen. It's an excellent documentary. There is no voice-over and minimal text. Most of is pieces of interviews, images of newspapers, conferences, etc. It really grips you with absolute horror. This is evil. A man with a priest's title who can slide into your house and your heart, earning your trust, and then causing such damage...it's the stuff of nightmares.

   What is most disturbing is the long interview with O'Grady. His voice is completely normal, completely matter of fact. There is no tone of regret, nothing. He even laughs when he's describing going to confession and telling the other priest of an incident with a young boy. You are absolutely dumbstruck by this man.  

    One is also pretty shocked by how the Catholic Church dealt with it. The bishops and archdeacons were sending this man across California, switching from parish to parish, trying to escape the eye of the police. It's unbelievable. 

   This is not a movie for everyone. It pretty graphic in terms of describing of the actual incidents. However, it's a major issue, especially recently, and this is the documentary to see on this topic.