Cannibal Holocaust (Italy, 1980)

With that title, what can you expect? It says it all, and it gives you an idea of the hardcore scenes that the movie contains. Director Ruggero Deodato decides to shoot this film in Colombia, right on the shores of the Amazonas river in the middle of the jungle. The film tells the story of a group of journalists who go look for a cannibal tribe. And of course they find it, but they all get killed, and eaten for that matter. Years later, another expeditionist goes to the same place and recovers the film tapes that the group had left. When he goes back to New York and watches all the reels, he and his crew are shocked (to say the least!) with what they see. Cannibalistic rituals, murderous rapes and killings, and a lot of flesh eating. This movie was banned for three years in Italy right after its release and many compare its plot to that of the Blair Witch Project. And this film was shot 20 years before! But believe me, this movie makes Blair Witch Project look like entertainment for kids.

Viaje a Boston (14 - 17 abril)

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Where The Truth Lies (Canada / UK, 2004)

This is another film from Canadian director Atom Egoyan. The film tells the story of two comedians, Lanny Morris and Vince Collins, who had a TV show and were rich and famous in the US, very well known for their charity TV marathons (whether this is a true story or not, I haven't found out yet). One day a dead girl is found in the bathtub of their suite in a hotel, and their fame and careers come tumbling down. Fifteen years later, a young journalist has taken the case and wants to find out the truth about the dead girl. The further she investigates and interview these two eccentric persons, the more she becomes involved in their lives until finally the terrible truth is revealed. I particularily like the way Egoyan adds music to his scenes; it makes it all very mysterious. Some shots are of particular interest, especially when the journalist finds out who committed the crime. We see flashbacks and shots of objects that point out to the real killer. The opening scene is one of the best I have scene recently. We see both Lanny and Vince doing a TV marathon, then we cut to another scene were the camera shows us the body of the dead girl.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (USA, 2005)

This is the story of Melquiades Estrada, a Mexican farmer and cowboy living in the US. Tommy Lee Jones plays the part of Melquiades' friend. He is also a cowboy and the director of the film by the way. After an accidental shooting where Melquiades is killed by a border patrol officer, Tommy Lee decides to seek revenge. He finds out who did it, and embarks on a journey to Mexico to find Melquiades' family. He kidnaps the officer and takes with him also the dead body of Melquiades. The adventure that follows is really entertaining, and we see until what extent Tommy Lee will go to find this family in a remote village in Coahuila, Mexico. It is also worth seeing Tommy Lee Jones speaking Spanish with a Mexican accent. He is really good at it.

Junebug (USA, 2005)

This is another independant film from US. I have been watching recently a couple of interesting entries, but Junebug fails to provide the necessary emotion. A couple of newly weds decide to visit the husband's family in the countryside. At the same time, they go visit a possible future artist whose paintings they have just discovered. We find out that the husband's family has some problems, and is actually quite dysfunctional. Although the plot is interesting, the movie runs very slow. Director Phil Morrison creates an atmosphere that makes it hard to believe the story is happening in the United States. It is very non-Hollywood, and that is precisely why I like it. But the pace is sometimes too slow, and some scenes could have been shorter. In any case, the movie has had a lot of nominations in different international film festivals.

Schultze Gets the Blues (Germany, 2003)

Schultze is an accordion player in a small German village who has just retired from working in a mine. When the local music band celebrates its 50th anniversary, his music tastes change radically and he know prefers blues. To change his daily routine, he decides to make a trip to Texas and discover more about the blues style of music. I must admit the movie is a somewhat slow, and there is little dialogue. The ending is worth watching, but for some of you the wait may be too long.

Days of Being Wild (China, 1990)

With this and other previous films, Director Wong Kar-Wai began to shape his style of filmmaking in order to be able to make films like 2046 or In the Mood for Love. This drama is about York, a young guy who is way too selfish and self-centered. He attracts women and then betrays them. These lovers are affected by this sooner or later, and they get back at him. The story is nothing special, but the mood, the exacting pacing and sultry atmosphere make a difference.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (USA, 2004)

This is a film about a failed oceonographer, Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) who directs his own documentaries with his crew. The documentaries are so cheezy and phony it makes you laugh everytime we see scenes from them. To avenge the death of one of his colleagues who was eaten by a mysterious shark, Steve Zissou puts together a crew to go find this mytical sea beast and make a documentary about it. They have almost no money, old navigation equipment and low morale. This is dark humour at its best, and Bill Murray keeps reminding the audience that his life as oceonographer pretty much sucks. His wife, played by Angelica Houston, is a "rich bitch", as he calls her, who at the end finances all the expeditions. To further enhance the false aspect of the story, all the sea animals are non-stop animations.