newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MIRIAM RINN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

MOVIE REVIEW

It’s December, so it must be time for a favorite-movies-of-the-year list. Since I spend most of my film-watching hours enjoying foreign and really indie movies, here’s a list of films in no particular order guaranteed not to be at your local multiplex. Many of them are available for viewing through Netflix or VOD, though.

The best film I saw in 2011 was the NY Film Critics Choice winner for best foreign film, “A Separation.” Set in Tehran, this movie manages to expose the multiple fissures in Iranian society through what seems at first to be a domestic drama. It turns into a legal thriller, but always maintains its focus on the characters and their tortured choices. Terrific.

The wonderful French film, “Of Gods and Men,” also deals with great social change and its impact on a group of French monks caught in the Algerian civil war in the early 1990s. Beautiful performances and exceptional direction bring out the holiness of these men without robbing them of their humanity. Truly spiritual, and I don’t use that word often.

There’s nothing holy about the situation in the Romanian adultery tale “Tuesday After Christmas,” but the director exhibits the same compassion. A man, his wife, and his mistress all suffer deeply as a consequence of his affair. Exceptional camera work enhances the sense of suffocating intimacy in a way that‘s reminiscent of the work of John Cassavetes.

The Rape of Nanking is depicted with heart wrenching horror in “A City of Life and Death,” a film that was controversial in China because it was judged too kind to the Japanese. Indeed, the Japanese soldiers are presented as human beings, but their brutality isn’t glossed over. Deeply affecting presentation of a historical event that most Americans know little about. Strangely, the film includes some of the most beautiful images you’ll see on screen.

“The Names of Love” is a French rom com that deserves that designation. It’s funny, and it’s romantic, with one of the zaniest, most delightful female leads in Sara Forestier to grace the screen in a long time. Mismatched couple meets cute, and goes on from there. Reminds you of Woody Allen’s early films.

Then there’s Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” which proves that the old man is still one of our best filmmakers. This one has a great lead in Owen Wilson, who can deliver Allen’s dialogue without turning himself into a caricature. It’s a nostalgic valentine to Allen’s greater films, to a long-gone Paris, to an intellectual fantasy, to everyone’s youth and ambition. Delicious.

A very different film with an equally strong sense of place, “Cold Weather” is set in Portland, and while it’s not quite a romance, it does capture the warmth between a brother and sister who are back home after college and slowly getting to know each other again. A bit of a mystery keeps the plot ambling along, but the pleasure comes from the laid-back mood, the sly humor, and all that rain on the windshield.

It didn’t strike a chord with audiences, but “50/50” was a fine movie about a young man diagnosed with cancer that managed to be deeply affecting and genuinely funny without resorting to cheap sentiment. Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt give super performances, and Anjelica Huston is both maddening and heart-breaking as the patient’s mother.

Just to prove that I’m not immune to the occasional popcorn feature, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was exciting and convincing, or as convincing as a story about the takeover of our society by chimps can be. Well directed, with exceptionally good performances and special effects, this was almost as good as the original “Planet of the Apes.”

Finally, the delicate and charming “Tomboy” features extraordinary performances by children in a story about a young girl who impulsively decides to pass as a boy for a few weeks after her family moves to a new town. Avoiding preaching or psychoanalyzing, this French film presents a warm family where the parents are actually adults and the kids are doing the work of childhood and discovering who they are.

Happy viewing!

RECENT REVIEWS BY MIRIAM RINN

'A Separation' movie review, trailer: Do not miss it

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ movie review, trailer: Fincher’s version shifts focus

The Artist’ movie review, trailer: A one-of-a-kind pleasure

'Tomboy' movie review, trailer: Filled with childhood wonder

'Another Happy Day' movie review, trailer: A dark family comedy

'The Conquest' movie review, trailer: French president Nicolas Sarkozy seems power-hungry

'The Women on the 6th Floor' movie review, trailer: French film similar to 'The Help'

‘Toast’ movie review, trailer: Pleasures to be found

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Chasing Madoff’ movie review, trailer: Has feel of vanity

‘Mozart’s Sister’ movie review, trailer: A family affair

'Point Blank' movie review: A French 'woman-in-distress' thriller

'The Tree' movie review: A heavy-handed and obvious drama