California Company Town (USA) - interesting to look at. Not sure what to make of it beyond there are a bunch of dead towns in CA. Some because big companies set them up (probably both to be up and running quickly in remote spots with the bonus ability to do evil). Others because of failed experiments in either utopian thinking or business ventures. I guess experimental documentary means you have to figure the point out yourself. No freaking clue what the final reference to Silicon Valley was about.
French Gigolo (France) - some women like sex and don't want to deal with annoying men their own age. Here's a story about one of those women and the tough choices that drive a man to prostitution. Not bad - not the most interesting film of the year. Not even only judging amongst the guys falling into prostitution genre. French though with some amusing rap mixed in. Therefore I sort of enjoyed it - up to a point.
Spring Breakdown (USA) - Friends don't let friends see Spring Breakdown. At least not at film festivals. In place of Saturday Night Live, maybe. See Baby Mama first. That's all I'm saying...
The Anarchist's Wife (Spain) - if you're reading the description of Spanish civil war melodrama and it sounds good then you should go. Love story amidst the fall of Madrid and beyond. It's nothing unexpected but the cinematography, costumes and the female leads (mother and daughter) made it work for me. Did folks really dress so finely during the bombing to go to the beauty salon?
I Sell the Dead (USA) - tough tales of the unsung heroes of the resurrection and body theft trades. Fun, goofy camp. It wasn't quite as amazing as folks have been describing it. But if it sounds good to you won't hate it. More comedy than horror. Well shot for the genre from a filmmaking perspective.
Shrink (USA) - Kevin Spacey plays the stereotypical fucked up shrink. Healing comes or doesn't based on all the character's ability to perfectly overlap each other's life stories. Finds a bit of a stride halfway through. But wasn't especially noteworthy for me. Nice performance (especially perhaps given some of the cliched material by the younger female actress whose name/credits I need to lookup) who plays the healing opportunity for the self medicating shrink.
The Higher Force (Iceland) - dysfunctional Icelandic gangster slice of life tale. Some thought it was slow but I quite enjoyed this often amusing story. Not a hard boiled gangster thing even though Christopher from The Sopronos makes an appearance. Yes - that Christopher. And yes, that's confusing. But it definitely worked for me. Just hard to explain why.
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