Review: The Rape of Europa (2007)

* * * 1/2
Director: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, Nicole Newnham

The documentary The Rape of Europa, inspired by the book of the same name by Lynn H. Nicholas, is a fairly straight forward and workmanlike film, but fortunately it doesn't need a lot of flash. This story of art plundered and preserved during the course of World War II is endlessly compelling even without a lot of narrative pomp and extravagance.

Review: Certified Copy (2011)

* * * *
Director: Abbass Kiarostami
Starring: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell

If something is beautiful but a copy, does that diminish its value or is its value determined by what it inspires in the observer? This is the question at the heart of Abbass Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, a film of elusive construction and surprising comedy. This is a film that I've been anticipating seeing for months and it definitely wasn’t a letdown. This is a great film and, as always, Juliette Binoche gives an absolutely luminous performance.

Friday's Top 5... Least Necessary Sequels

Note: for the purposes of this list I'm only considering movies that spawned one follow-up rather than multiple films to form a series, otherwise this list would be made up pretty much entirely of Saw movies and perhaps an Ocean's (or two)

#5: Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

You know, the first one wasn't a hit because of its sophisticated storytelling, innovating technology, or resonant themes and characters. So, if Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels took a pass on returning, it was probably best to just abandon a sequel as a beautiful dream.

Canadian Film Review: The Corporation (2003)

* * * 1/2
Director: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott

"Some of the best creative minds are employed to assure our faith in the corporate world view. They seduce us with beguiling illusions, designed to divert our minds and manufacture our consent." The Corporation is one of those movies you watch with a divided mind. On the one hand, at some level, the film is telling you a lot of what you already know but, on the other hand, you'd also prefer not to acknowledge it since it's so damn depressing. The Corporation has a nice thread of dark humor running through it, which alleviates things a little bit, but the film's subject is still depressing to think about.

Great Last Scenes: The Ghost Writer

Year: 2010
Director: Roman Polanski
Great Because...: It so elegantly pulls the rug out from under the audience. This is the work of a filmmaker at the top of his game, taking a sequence that, for a number of reasons, probably shouldn’t work at all and not only making it click, but making it thrilling.