girl on film: avatar, antichrist, almovodar

Although I have a lot of films to catch up on, I have managed to catch three flicks so far in 2010. I wouldn't see any of them again, but for very different reasons.

First up was Broken Embraces, the latest from acclaimed director Pedro Almovodar. This is one of those movies that would've been "good," if you did not know that the director could do way, way better. When someone has created incredible films like All About My Mother and Talk to Her, it's understandably hard to match that with every movie. I'd definitely recommend this one as a renter to folks, but if you've seen this director's better works, rewatch them instead of settling for this somewhat predictable and disappointing film.

The next one I caught I knew would disturb me before I went. In fact, I went to see Antichrist solely for the fact that most reviews said it would be the most f*cked up thing I ever watched. That was an understatement. Lars Von Trier beyond outdid the shock value with this one. And unlike a cheap horror film, which this easily could've turned into, the startlingly raw performances from Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe add an extra element of terror to the whole thing. I could not in good conscience recommend that anyone see this movie, unless you too want to experience replaying the most graphic images you'll ever see in your mind for about the next week straight. My yoga meditation was definitely tainted.

Finally, I gave into the hype and sucked it up to contribute .0000000000000000001% of the earnings of Avatar over the past weekend. I should've listened to my initial gut feelings to avoid this movie like the plague. While I agree the visuals were absolutely amazing, that is the ONLY redeeming quality of the film. The writing and acting in this one-dimensional crapfest makes Titanic look like Citizen Kane. James Cameron's cliched and predictable special effects wank-off is a total insult to those who love the complete magic of the movies. I don't know why anyone would buy this on DVD, because once you strip out the 3D and big screen stunningness you're left with nothing but a terrible movie. Needless to say I wouldn't recommend it. Mainly because I'm afraid that if you like it, I may lose some respect for you.