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[/amazon_link]In Bruges (USA, 2008)
Hitman Ray (Colin Farell) and his friend Ken (Brandan Gleeson) are holed up in picturesque Bruges, Belgium, after a job gone wrong.
Their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) has ordered them to lay low and await his orders. Meanwhile they are to sightsee, which Ken likes doing. Ray however doesn’t want to do the touristy thing and is jittery just sitting waiting. Thinks perk up when he meets lovely Chloe, but then come the boss’s orders and they are quite unexpected.
This was a great film, unpredictable and funny.
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[/amazon_link]The Intouchables (“Intouchables”, France, 2011)
Rich quadriplegic Philippe (Francois Cluzet) needs a caretaker, and finds one in Driss (Omar Sy). Everyone around Philippe is taken aback by Philippe’s unexpected choice, even Driss himself, who had never expected to get hired.
Slowly but surely, a bond develops between the sharp, intellectual Philippe and the laid-back, easygoing, rough around the edges, Driss.
This is quite a lovely film, poignant and funny and touching, without overdoing it. Cluzet is magnificent as always, and Sy is quite a revelation.
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[/amazon_link]Breakdown (USA, 1997)
This one is an oldie, but a great one.
Jeff Taylor (Kurt Russell) and his lovely wife Amy (Kathleen Quinian) are on a road trip when their car breaks down on the highway. Sans communication, Amy sets off to fetch help by taking a ride from a trucker passing by. The plan is to reach the nearest available phone and call for help.
But help never comes. And Amy seems to have disappeared.
If you didn’t see it then this fantastic edge-of-your-seat thriller then, don’t miss it now!
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[/amazon_link]Poetry (“Shi”, South Korea, 2011)
An elderly grandmother (Jeong-hie Yun) lives in genteel poverty paying her bills with a part-time job, and caring for her grandson. She discovers that she has Alzheimer’s and that a family member has committed a ghastly crime. Sad and desperate, she gains strength from her poetry class to do the right thing.
This was a slow moving film, but quite powerful in its subtlety. Yun is magnificent as the hesitant, perplexed grandmother. Quite a gem this one, although some patience is needed to watch it.
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[/amazon_link]Johnny Gaddar (India, 2007)
Indian action-thrillers are rare and not very well done when they come. This one is an exception and about junior gang-member Vikram who has double-crossed his other senior partners in crime. They are now in hot pursuit, and he is on the run.
This is an unpredictable, tension-filled film. The story’s interesting, screenplay tight, and the direction deft – an absolute must-watch! Full review here.
