Netflix It: Broken English

Available from Netflix: Broken English, directed by Zoe Cassavetes

I thought Broken English was quite good, though Parker Posey's character was a little too pathetic in the beginning. Says my friend Nancy (minor spoiler alert): "As little indie romances go it had just about everything I needed: cute French guy, East Village scenes, NYC loft party, Paris Metro scene, depression, elation, a funny best friend, annoying parents, travel, etc." Yes, depression is something she looks out for in romantic comedies. I guess it comes up more often than you might think.

(Sort of misleading) synopsis from AllMovie:

A single thirtysomething whose friends all seem to be romantically involved, happily married, or with child meets an eccentric Frenchman who shows her just what an amazing place the world can truly be in director Zoe Cassavetes' entry into the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. As if it wasn't depressing enough to be 35 and still single, Nora (Parker Posey) is constantly reminded by her loving but tactless mother (Gena Rowlands) just how unlucky she has been in love. Though Nora longs to enter into a blissful union like the one of her best friend, Audrey (Drea de Matteo), she finds that the dating pool just isn't what it used to be. Things soon begin to look up, however, when Nora makes the acquaintance of handsome Frenchman Julien (Melvil Poupaud). While the two share an instant chemistry that is undeniable, Nora is saddened to learn that Julien will soon be departing for his native soil. When Julien does depart, Nora laments the fact that she wasn't able to express her feelings more effectively. If only Nora could organize her scattered thoughts long enough to remember her love object's last name, she might not have to go searching out every "Julien" in Paris to locate the man of her dreams.


  

Netflix It: Morvern Callar

Available from Netflix: Morvern Callar, directed by Lynne Ramsay

Personally, I didn't love this movie, but it got an 84% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes, so your opinion may differ.

Synopsis from AllMovie:

A woman's life is set onto a new path by tragedy and confusion in this offbeat drama from maverick director Lynne Ramsay. Morvern Callar (Samantha Morton) is a woman in her early twenties who wakes up in her flat in a small Scottish town on Christmas morning to a rather unpleasant surprise -- her live-in boyfriend has committed suicide, and his body lies on the floor in a pool of blood. She discovers that he has left a short message for her on the screen of his personal computer ("I love you. Be brave."), as well as the text of a novel he had recently completed. Changing the name on the title page to her own, Morvern begins sending the manuscript out to publishers without having actually read it. Eventually, Morvern disposes of her boyfriend's body, scrubs away the evidence of his suicide, and attempts to reintegrate herself with the world, though the shocking events seems to have built a wall between her and those around her, and she is unable to explain what has happened to anyone, even her best friend, Lanna (Kathleen McDermott). Eventually, Morvern draws the last of her boyfriend's money from the bank and treats herself and Lanna to a short vacation in Spain, where they become friendly with a group of hedonistic British expatriates and soon find their friendship stretched to the breaking point. Morvern Callar was based on the novel by Alan Warner; it was originally intended to be Lynne Ramsay's first directorial effort, but she was able to complete her film Ratcatcher before securing funding for this project.

Netflix It: Walking and Talking

I'm very excited to hear Nicole Holofcener is coming out with a movie (Please Give) in 2010; her movies are always honest and thought-provoking, at the very least. Watch this space for more info...

Available from Netflix: Walking and Talking, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener

Synopsis from AllMovie.com:

A Manhattan woman struggles with loneliness in the face of her best friend's imminent marriage in this well-received independent comedy from first-time writer-director Nicole Holofcener. Amelia (Catherine Keener) feels isolated because her friend Laura (Anne Heche) has been devoting all her time to preparing for her upcoming wedding. Desperate, she resorts to the unthinkable: dating the nerdy, Fangoria-obsessed clerk at her local video store (Kevin Corrigan). This discouraging encounter, along with some awkward conversations with her former boyfriend, leave her even more depressed and jealous of Laura's good fortune. However, Laura soon reveals that she is having her own doubts about her future.

The Big Shot-Caller

Opening this weekend: The Big Shot-Caller, directed by Marlene Rhein

In The Big Shot-Caller, David Rhein, the younger brother of the movie’s writer and director, Marlene Rhein, plays Jamie, a shy, friendless accountant living in Manhattan. Jamie suffers from an ocular disorder that renders him severely nearsighted; a symptom is the way his eyes continually dart from side to side like those of a hunted animal. Security guards patrolling the entrances to nightclubs he visits, hoping to meet girls and indulge his passion for salsa dancing, assume that he must be high and refuse to admit him. Early in the movie an omniscient, grandfatherly narrator, whose voice, booming intermittently over the soundtrack, propels the story forward, informs us that as a boy Jamie watched Strictly Ballroom 97 times. He dreamed of becoming a salsa dancer but was shamed out of it by his father, Rudy (Robert Costanzo), a boorish, poker-playing slob who cracks feng shui jokes about the arrangement of his lawn furniture. Fired from his job, his heart broken by a party-loving Dominican woman who drops him after his old-fashioned courtship proceeds at a snail’s pace, Jamie is forced to move in with his estranged older sister, Lianne (Ms. Rhein). As alienated in her own way as Jamie, she regales him with tough self-help bromides and inspirational gobbledygook in which God is “the big shot-caller.” Jamie convinces Lianne to be his salsa dancing partner, and together they venture into the night. — Stephen Holden, The New York Times

The New York Times review isn't much longer than this synopsis; the film's website is here.

Sunshine Cleaning

One of the downfalls in creating a blog inspired by how few there are of something is... is when you don't have anything to blog about. Out of all the movies being released in New York this weekend, not one was directed by a woman. (On a side note, I watched two movies yesterday—one had a prostitute as a main character, and the other had a secondary who was a stripper. Hmm.) Anyway, Sunshine Cleaning, directed by Christine Jeffs, is still in theaters, so you can go see that if the spirit moves you—I saw it a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I didn't agree with the New York Times on this one, but you can read the reviews in the Boston Globe or the SF Gate. One thing that the Boston Globe points out: even though it was marketed as a comedy, it's really more along the lines of You Can Count on Me than Little Miss Sunshine.

If the premise has piqued your curiosity about biohazard cleanup, you can read more in this LA Times piece.