Funny People (2009)
Being diagnosed with cancer sorely tries a famous comedian’s ability to be funny. He employs some help to get him through his rough patch and everyone comes out better for it.

I can’t stop thinking about this movie. I was intrigued by the biographical sketch of comedian, how such people are obsessed with collecting new material. Great development of characters. Well-crafted story. Warm ending.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
A male journalist and a punk rocker girl make an unlikely team looking for clues to the fate of a woman who went missing 40 years prior. They make an even less likely love interest. The cleverness of the young girl and the bond that grows between the pair is riveting.

Now I understand why all the talk about this movie. It’s a great, tight little drama with a cast of interesting characters.

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Waltz With Bashir (2008)
Describes an Israeli raid on Lebanon from a soldier’s limited point of view.

Interesting use of animation to tell a dramatic story. Managed to be engaging and communicated the surreal aspects of war; reminded me of “The Thin Red Line”. Nice bit of in-your-face grossness at the end to communicate that this was about a real event.

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Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conqueror) (1987)
A elderly Swedish man and his young son immigrate to Denmark near the turn of the century. They are taken on by a local farmer who employs them as cowherds in exchange for little more than room and board. They sleep in a corner of the cowshed. The son dreams of a better existence and eventually sets out on his own.

This is one of the sweetest, most tender films I have ever seen. While I watched it, I lived in a time and place almost lost to history. It lovingly depicts the gritty life of commoners in Denmark around the turn of the century. It is on the order of “Antonia’s Line” and puts me in mind also of “My Life as a Dog”.

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