Best Movie Releases of March 2010

Best Film of the Month – Broken Embraces

Within Broken Embraces, a film of love, passion, repulsion, obsession, and filmmaking, are characters facing a turmoil of emotions. It's how they choose to react to these emotions that, ultimately, leaves the characters harboring numerous buried secrets. Though, this film is not, technically, a mystery, I was delighted at how the buried secrets of the past were gradually revealed—bringing to mind the great, classic films of Alfred Hitchcock. In addition to the story, and the marvelous performances by all the actors, I highly enjoyed the vivid colors used throughout the film. This film has received very mixed reviews. It's seems people either love it or hate it. In fact, I almost neglected to watch it—what a tremendous shame that would have been! Needless to say, I fall into the category of those who love this film. It's definitely most rewarding for those, like myself, who enjoy dark, destructive love stories... and this is the best I have seen since Match Point. Highly recommend!

Watch the Trailer  |  Buy the Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon


'Under the Radar' Film of the Month – The Baader Meinhof Complex

Last year's Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Picture, The Baader Meinhof Complex, has finally come to Blu-ray and DVD in the U.S. Based on actual events, which took place in the late-1960s to 1970s Germany, The Baader Meinhof Complex focuses on the, now adult, children of former Nazis. Fearing that the newly democratic Germany may, once again, be turning toward fascism, the group begins to organize and carry out robberies, kidnappings, assassinations, and destructive bombings, in an effort to stop German fascism forever. The film never tries to judge the characters or bias the viewer. Instead, the film simply, and authentically, portrays the historical events that occurred during this fearful time in Germany. Though, I didn't like this film as much as Munich—which I love—it is in a similar vein. So fans, or haters, of Munich will most likely feel the same way toward The Baader Meinhof Complex. If you have never seen either film, they would make a great—though, long—double-feature!

Watch the Trailer  |  Buy the Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon


Blu-ray of the Month – Bigger Than Life

I can only imagine the audience reactions to Bigger Than Life, when it was first released in 1956. Keep in mind, this was a year before, the television show, "Leave It to Beaver," which, supposedly, depicted the "normal" American family, went on the air. Bigger Than Life shows a similar, typical, American family, but with one huge difference: the father is dying, addicted to prescription drugs, going crazy, and becoming violent! The father, played by—the stellar—James Mason, is diagnosed with a rare medical condition, which will be fatal if not treated with medication. However, this medication, when not taken correctly, can cause psychosis. I greatly enjoyed watching James Mason begin to lose his sanity; and I believe this is one of his best performances! This is also a fabulous Blu-ray. I cannot remember ever seeing a film that looks the way this one does. The image reminds me of antique paintings I've seen in museums. In a sense, it's like watching a painting in motion. And the way the young boy's blue eyes, almost, seem to glow, make this Blu-ray's image unforgettable. With, not only, such a unique image, but also a story that is just as effective today, as it would have been 50+ years ago, Bigger Than Life easily receives a high recommendation from me.

Visit the Criterion Collection  |  Buy the Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon


DVD of the Month – Sous le soleil de Satan

In Sous le soleil de Satan [Under the Sun of Satan], a country priest, struggling with his spirituality, meets, and is bestowed a special gift of insight by, Satan. This is the seventh, and, probably, final, Maurice Pialat film to be released by the Masters of Cinema. Though I haven't seen as many films from the French director, Maurice Pialat, as I would like, I have seen enough to know his films are unlike any others I have seen. To me, Mr. Pialat's films are admirable due to, not only, the performances he evokes from his actors, but also, his, seeming, fearlessness to not cut the camera away—thus, ending a scene—when his character is having a deplorable experience. In Sous le soleil de Satan, one such instance—though, there are more—of this fearlessness can be observed in an unforgettable scene involving a young girl (portrayed, impeccably, by Sandrine Bonnaire), her lover, and a shotgun. Yes, Mr. Pialat's films are, at times, distressing; however, as an avid cinema fan, I find them highly rewarding and inspirational. This is a wonderful 2-disc DVD release, which contains abundant supplemental material for the film, as well as, two early short films by Maurice Pialat.

When I started choosing the best movie releases of the month, I did not intend to select a film that was not released in the U.S. However, this release, in my opinion, eclipsed all of the other DVD releases that I evaluated. So it deserves this recognition. Nevertheless, please note, this is a PAL European DVD and not a standard NTSC American DVD. So, in order to play this DVD, you will need a PAL DVD player or region-free DVD player, which is what I have.

Visit the Masters of Cinema  |  Buy the DVD from Amazon UK

For information about the criteria I use to choose the best films releases of the month, please read my other blog post, located here.