Poulet aux Prunes (Chicken with Plums) 2011))

Ready to die

Nassar Ali Khan is a well known violinist who has decided to die.  His career is stalled, his marriage is suffering, and he pines for a long lost love.  This whimsical, humorous, and sad story tells of lost loves and relationships gone bad.  I love the visuals in this films and am reminded of films such as Bunny and the Bull and The Science of Sleep. 

Poulet aux Prunes gets 3/5 out of 5 stars!

Director: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Writer: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 70%

Melancholia (2011)

Its the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)
What if a planet were to collide with Earth?  Of course that would be bring worldwide disaster.  Lars von Trier takes us into the minds of a few people as they anticipate this event.  The wedding of Justine and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) and later how Claire (her sister) deals with Justine's mental breakdown are the events through which we view this apocalyptic disaster.   Kirsten Dunst as Justine and Charlotte Gainsbourg (The Science of Sleep ) as Claire give equally stunning performances. The emotions conjured up by the actors is convincing to the point of making the viewing experience feel more like an intrusion on some of life's more intimate, painful, and embarrassing moments. And I mean that as a positive aspect of the film.  With Melancholia, von Trier gives us is a stunning viewing experience.  The intro alone is worth the price of admission and could easily stand on its on as a short film.  Lastly, I love Magnolia Pictures!

5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Lars von Trier
Writer: Lars von Trier
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Metacritic: 81 out of 100

Bunny and the Bull (2009)

Road trip!
Stephen has not left his home for over a year.   He trips down memory lane recalling the European road trip he took with his friend Bunny.  I was hooked on this one from the neatly imagined long shot opening credits.  And the rest of the film did not disappoint.  Mixing stop motion animation, live action, and creative sets we voyage across Europe with Stephen and Bunny as they meet a fiery Spanish girl, a stuffed bear, and a crazy homeless man.  Offbeat and slightly weird, this one is laugh out loud funny.  Recommended if you like anything by Michel Gondry especially The Science of Sleep. 

This long strange trip gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!


Director:  Paul King
Writer:  Paul King
Starring:  Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby and Verónica Echegui
Rotten Tomatoes:  61%
Metacritic: no ratings