Caché

Stunning, arresting and dark, this thriller slowly and methodically (and oh so Frenchly) explores a who-done-it where who-did-it is a problem that pales in comparison to the other problems it uncovers. Set in a Parisian suburb, it has not-so- subtle political underpinnings. A family struggles with being stalked and the past catches up with a well-to-do man. At one point, so shocked by what happened in a scene, the whole audience uttered a collective gasp.

Stats
Length: 2 hours
Cast: Juliette Binoche est superbe (and how does she manage to be so sexy in frumpy flat smocks that she wears in a few scenes??) Interestingly, Daniel Auteuil who plays the main character is Algerian, which, given the texture of the story, ads another layer.
Director: Michael Haneke (The Piano Teacher and The Time of the Wolf) does heavy and grim really well.

Match Point (or Woody does Crime and Punishment)

I really feel like Woody Allen makes two bad films for every good one. Some people love him, some hate him, but I am in between. This is a great character-driven drama and it unfolds gorgeously and leaves you gasping at the end. It's Woody at his most focused and efficient.

The Weeping Meadow

Our first movie of 2006 was slow, sad, long and beautiful.

Set in Greece in the early 20th century. Weary refugees from Odessa arrive in Greece and set up a small village home. One of the kids is an orphan who falls in love with her brother and then he dad wants to marry her and she flees. The fascists take control from the popular front and war tears the heroes apart. Childhood pregnancy, incest, vengeance, death and twins -- all the Greek tragedy requisites are present and played out in all their glory. Difficult to watch, but visually stunning and emotionally compelling. The horrors that the poor woman protagonist goes through are reminiscent of a Lars von Trier epic.

The Stats:
Really freeking long! (3 hours-ish)
Cast was unknown to me although the lead woman, Alexandra Aidini, did amazingly.
First part in a trilogy

Bubble - Another Steven Soderbergh Experience

We saw Bubble last night and LOVED it. Most people won't. (Love it or see it.)

Adding to my appreciation of this film, was knowing that Soderbergh took a group of non-actors and made them into his characters. It is both funny and sad and felt so authentic that is was hard to remember the actors were acting. The costumes and little touches (like the food they ate meal after meal after meal) were perfect. On the down side, it felt a little like a joke that people only on the coasts (and perhaps the more urban areas of Minnesota) might understand.

Here's the stats:
85 minutes
No one famous
Doll factory workers experience a little drama and a little reality