Outrage

When the bosses of the rival Yakuza syndicates are sworn blood brothers, it leaves the uber-boss a little squeamish especially when the rival is dealing drugs. The task of shaking things up falls upon Otomo (Takeshi Kitano), a lower level head honcho with a flair for violence. As this setup unfolds, you are almost lead to believe that Kitano is back to what he does best… blood soaked Yakuza films with a linear plot. Alas, the myriad of twists and turns, back stabbings and the insane number of characters only leave your head spinning and reaching for a glass of scotch…

Rating: * *

Walking Too Fast

The backdrop of the film is Cold War Czechoslovakia with furtive watchers spying on their citizens for dissent. Antonín (Ondrej Malý) nicknamed Tonga is one such agent. His target is Tomás(Martin Finger) a left wing author with a beautiful wife and even hotter mistress. It is the mistress Klára (Kristína Farkasová) who proves to be Tonga’s undoing. He slowly starts to obsess over Tomás’s lifestyle and lust for his woman throws him over the edge. The film chronicles the unraveling of the agent bored of the monotony of his job and life in general. The film will definitely remind you of The Lives of Others but it lacks the tautness and pathos of it. However, the film will keep you in your seat in spite of that and the length of its play.

Rating: * * +

Le Quattro Volte

An ailing shepherd is the focal point of the movie. Or maybe it is goats that he herds. Or the fact that he believes the dust of a church to be a magic elixir. The reality is that director Michelangelo Frammartino took his artistic license and turned it in to a license to kill by stepping over the fine line between stillness and boredom. Then there is also the possibility that he is the best friend of Abbas Kiarostami.

Rating: *

The Adjustment Bureau

The night David Norris (Matt Damon) loses a US Senate seat, he finds his true love in a restroom only to lose her soon after. However, he runs in to her randomly on a bus only to find mysterious forces keeping from the woman of his dreams. Soon you are faced with the question whether every life has a destiny or is there a “man” with a plan nudging things behind the scenes. Unlike Inception, which has a cool concept but uses recursion for a plot, this film has a storyline to back it up.

Rating: * * *

Opal

Opal Whiteley was a naturalist who rose to fame as a child prodigy but down the years infamy came her way due her dubious handling of the publishing of her diary with vague details of a royal past. The film tries to capture her rise and struggle to get work recognized whilst touching on the questions of her past. Given that it was a completely independent effort with very little funding, the film comes across as an excellent package. Except that once you get over the packaging, the contents i.e. the acting lets you down and leaves you with a “what if” taste in your mouth.

Rating: * +