3 out of 5. ARMADILLO by Janus Metz Pedersen
is a beautifully crafted documentary almost to a fault. It follows the
lives of a group Danish soldiers to Afghanistan. Much in the same vein
as RESTREPO it balances the intensity of
firefight with the sheer boredom of nothing in between. Why this one
stands out is because it is so well shot and edited with post-coloring
effects that you sometimes forget it's real. It's still no less moving
and worth a look.
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4 out of 5. David Michôd's ANIMAL KINGDOM was
beautiful surprise of cinema when I first saw it. The clarity and depth
of his characters was alarming. What I didn't realize, was like SLING
BLADE this was shot once before, but
from a different POV with many of the same cast. It was a short film, a
practice run if you will, that made this film feel so polished. If you
like crime and want a taste of something a little different check it
out.
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4 out of 5. Director Benh Zeitlin found the right alchemy with people and place in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD. As far as indie films go, which I do not watch many, this has opened my eyes to some fantastic possibilities. Perhaps it was his short film GLORY AT SEA that got me excited to see his feature. It's smart storytelling with an intensely successful DIY approach to just about everything. I say this because they get a lot of mileage out of so little. The Art Direction of this film is as textured and prevalent as the acting. Easily one of the best films I saw last year.
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