The Others: This is defenitely a scary movie, and one of the good ones. It doesn't use blood, gore or violence, yet the sound of a door opened frightens you more than you'd think possible. The movie has great performances: Nicole Kidman shows once again why she's considered one of the best of her generation, portraying a woman on the verge of madness while trying to protect her children; Alakina Mann and James Bentley give realistic child acting, making you believe their characters.The screenplay is effective: there aren't flaws in the plot, it's deliberately slow-paced, making you want to know more, the characters are well-written, nothing is what it seems and there's a truly thought-provoking analisys of religious obsession. The use of light and dark creates an original athmosphere and the direction and shots are very suspenseful.
Babel: This is truly an amazing movie which is also very powerful and emotional. It's excellent in all aspects: the actors are all brilliant (Adriana Barraza, the moroccan boys and Rinko Kikuchi are the best, but all the others are also mind-blowing); the screenplay is flawless, tackling difficult subjects such as lack of communication intelligently and having the stories complement each other with many layers of depth; the direction, that portrays different cultures so well; the editing, that makes the four stories flow gently along and adding the movie notion of time and keeping you hooked; the cinematography, capturing the different aspoects of the world and the music, capturing more emotions out of the scenes. A true work of art not to be missed.
Babette's Feast: This is a lovely movie with a beautiful message about how we must enjoy our lives. The story is very simple and subtle, with well-written characters and it's slow-paced, but fascinating, character sudy. The acting is very good by everyone, and the standouts are4 the direction, with the beautiful wide shots and the cinematography, giving the movie a dream-like feeling.
Rabbit-Proof Fence: This is a very moving, touching story about three very corageous girls and the racism against australian aboriginals. It's an intimist story, with excellent acting from the three girls, who are very natural and realist, beautiful music, interesting direction (shooting both the faces and the huge landscapes), close to perfect cinematography (the frightening desert) and organic editing. The screenplay is simple but effective, making you feel for the characters without being sappy.
Duel: This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat , without cheap thrills. It builds its suspense slowly, with the ennerving music and atmospheric direction,without gore and physical violence. It's very intense and it shows Steven Spielberg's talents. I found it better than Jaws, because it doesn't rely at all in special effects. The screenplay is simple and in the hands of the director, very powerful. Dennis Weaver gives a good performance showing the character's feelings.
The Devil Wears Prada: This is just an enjoyable, funny comedy, with some elements that make it special. The story, even if banal, has an interesting message about private vs. professional life, satyrical characters and hilarious, highly-quotable sentences. The acting is the best thing about the movie, with Meryl Streep presenting us with an excellent, very charismatic performance, Anne Hathaway, playing a sweet, intelligent young woman with quirks and some realism and Emily Blunt, who delivers a very good supporting performance. The rest of the movie is just a common romantic comedy.
El Laberinto del Fauno: Not just this movie is gorgeous (you can see that by the beautiful poster, can't you?), but it also has an amzing story about innocence, horror and evil. It's truly original, with both parts of the story (the real and the fantasy world) complementing each other. The acting is excellent, particullary Ivana Baquero, giving one of the best child performances, very real, affecting and easy to connect with and Sergi Lopez, playing a sadic, violent man to perfection. The direction, editing, special effects and cinematography are out-standing and some of the best I've seen, pulling you into the movie. It's very violent, but it's never exploitive.
Hotel Rwanda: This is a beautiful story about survival and how one person can make the difference. The screenplay avoids the biggest clichés, it's very touching and all the characters are well-developed. The acting by Don Cheadle is amazing and he has very good support by Sophie Okonedo and Nick Nolte. The direction is subtle and it pulls you into the movie and the cinematography captures the warm, envolving color. Recommendable to everyone who's looking for a very well-done and honest tear-jerker.
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