"Burn, Burn, Burn"

What a subtle yet powerful movie. It's a story about two women who are charged with spreading the ashes of a recently deceased friend. It's a road movie that is full of self-discovery. They have to scatter the ashes in various locations through ought Great Britain that are meaningful to their dead friend. At each location they play a video where their friend reveals the importance of the place. The acting is wonderful and the cinematography is gorgeous. It's very slow moving but you get caught up in the pace of the movie.
4.5 out of 5 stars

"Bass Ackwards"

Absolutely one of the most twisted, off-the-wall movies I've seen in a long time. I found this movie by doing a search for Linas Phillips, who starred in "Rainbow Time", which I'll review next. This one is about a guy who drives a mini VW bus from Seattle to NYC. At every stop he encounters a crazy situation. And each situation gets stranger. It's a total riot. If you liked "Wayne's World", you'll enjoy this one.
4 stars out of 5.

Couldn't find a trailer. Here's the full movie. Enjoy!

"Blue Jay"

Another sleeper of a movie that was recommended to me by Netflix. (I love their recs!)  A couple who were sweethearts  in high school reconnect, twenty years later at a grocery store one morning. This movie is about one day they spend together rekindling old memories. The scene where the two of them pretend they're celebrating their 20th anniversary is just wonderful. There are only two actors in the movie, Paul Duplass and Sarah Paulson, and I suspect could have originally been a stage play. The charisma between the two actors is amazing.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars

"Sing Street"

Very cute movie. When a young Irish teen (Conor) falls for an older girl (Raphia), and gets hassled by the school bully, he decides to form a band--even he knows almost nothing about music. The older girl plans on moving to London with her current boyfriend, however she and Conor becomes good friends. Meanwhile, his parents are constantly fighting and are on the verge of splitting up. Add to the mix his older brother, who's a pothead and a sage--he offers him musical advice along the way. It's one of those rare movies where nothing really bad happens, although you sort of expect it to.  

"Heavy"

Not a happy film. And not a lot happens in this small, indie film. But the acting is so wonderful. The lead actor is a painfully shy cook at his mother's restaurant/bar. He has ambition to attend the Culinary Institute of America, which is located nearby. When a beautiful girl gets a job as a waitress at his mom's restaurant, he comes out his shell, sort of. What an amazing acting job. Just watching his twitching eyes amazed me.

"Tracks"

What a wonderful movie. Just about everything about this film is great. tI's based on a best-selling novel by the same name. It's a true story about a young woman who decides to embark on a 1,700 mile trip across the Australian desert, in the early seventies. The acting, photography, and storyline are all incredible. Sure, it's a bit slow moving and "subtle" as my kids would say, but I absolutely loved this movie.
5 stars out of 5.

"Riphagen-The Untouchable"

What a dark movie. It's based on a true story set in WWII. A Dutch collaborator with the Nazis makes deals with Jews to help protect their valuables until after the war. Well, let's just say he's not totally honest with them. He's one of the most vile human beings I've ever seen depicted in the movies. Riphagen (Jeroen van Koningsbrugge), gives one of the most amazing performances I've seen recently. You just want this guy to die.
4.5 out of 5 stars



I have to apologize, I could only find a Dutch trailer and I couldn't embed a video. You'll have to do a cut and paste. Sorry, but believe me, it's an incredible movie.