The Hurt Locker This successful Iraq movie has been gaining steam in the awards circuit, especially for director Kathryn Bigelow and lead Jeremy Renner. Overshadowed by much of the summer’s louder and overly violent action fare, The Hurt Locker is a tense, gripping story about U.S. Army soldiers who defuse bombs and quell insurgency.
Bigelow’s taut direction will leave you motionless in your seat and holding your breath as the fates of Renner’s Sgt. James and Anthony Mackie’s Sgt. Sanborn lie with the click of a switch. The complex emotional bond between the two soldiers—a begrudged brothership of sorts—is as explosive as their work. Bravo, Bigelow.
The Cove Easily one of the best documentaries of the year, The Cove exposes a small Japanese town that kills and captures thousands of dolphins each year and the poisonous effect of incorporating dolphin meat into the Japanese diet. Former Flipper trainer Ric O’Barry and director Louis Psihoyos, in Ocean’s Eleven-style, put together a team of professionals and masterminds to illegally set up cameras and catch the culprits, while also exposing the more nefarious actions of the Japanese government in terms of whale-hunting. What unfolds is a thrilling piece of filmmaking that bristles with tension and triumph, proving that documentaries can make your knuckles as white as any Jason Bourne flick can.
The Yellow Handkerchief Officially premiering at Sundance in January of 2008, The Yellow Handkerchief didn’t gain distribution until this past year by Samuel Goldwyn Films. And that’s a great thing, for it’s a beautifully languid drama that follows an ex-convict played by William Hurt as he tries to restart his life.
Picked up along the way by a restless teenager played by Kristen Stewart and Eddie Redmayne as her clumsy and vulnerable driver, the trio travel through Louisiana, forging dynamic new relationships as their pasts slowly unravel. Hurt’s Brett morally questions his decision to return to his ex-wife, the fiercely independent Maria Bello, as he gropes for former aspects of his being. Captiving and gorgeously shot, the film resonates.
Away We Go Sam Mendes departs from his trademark dark, brooding look at suburban America to accompany early-30s couple Burt and pregnant Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) as they journey around North America trying to determine the best place to raise a family.
From Arizona to Wisconsin to Montreal and finally to Florida, the two encounter diverse and memorable characters from their past. Standouts are the progressive, anti-stroller, new-age mother played by Maggie Gyllenhaal and the good-hearted husband and father to five adoptees played by Chris Messina. Krasinski and Rudolph break out of their pigeonholed roles, showcasing surprisingly impressive range.
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