Chloe (2009)

Directed by Atom Egoyan.
Seven Stars.
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Chloe is a remake of the 2003 French thriller Nathalie... starring Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Béart, and Gérard Depardieu. It's the story of Catherine Stewart (Julianne Moore) who begins to suspect her husband David Stewart (Liam Neeson) is having an affair after failing to fly home on the night of his birthday. When Catherine comes across Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), a local prostitute, she has the idea of having the young hooker approach her husband to see what he does. Chloe agrees to approach the husband and meets with Catherine afterwards to give her exhaustive details of their encounters. As Catherine prolongs the scheme, she and Chloe become more intimate and as Chloe begins to infiltrate herself into Catherine's family life things begin to get out of hand. This is a fantastic thriller. Seyfried is sensational as the seductive call girl. Moores performance is also fine although Neeson seemed a bit out of place. Direction and photography are excellent and the film employes a great soundtrack.

Winter's Bone (2010)

Directed by Debra Granik.
Eight Stars.
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Winter's Bone is the story of seventeen year old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) who must find her father who is due to appear in court on drug related charges. Complicating the situation is that fact that her father has posted the family home and land up as bond and unless he appears in court the family will be out on the streets. Set in the Ozark mountain country, Ree Dolly cares for her 12 year old brother and six year old sister as well as her mentally ill catatonic mother. Set against this harsh terrain, Ree Dolly sets out to speak with the people who may know the whereabouts of her father. When no one is willing to speak or help her,  including her cantankerous uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes), she is forced to take greater risks in an effort to save her family. This is a deeply engrossing thriller. The setting and it's people will be extremely fascinating to those unfamiliar with the Ozark region and its culture. Jennifer Lawrence is superb as the determined and strong older sister trying to keep her family intact. John Hawkes is equally convincing as the frightening but ultimately loyal uncle. The film is beautifully shot and really shows off the graceful Ozark lands. Debra Granik has done a sensational job adapting the book (of the same name) into the screenplay, researching, casting locals, and employing  local's homes for the shooting of the feature. Winter's Bone has received numerous nominations and awards including Sundance's Grand Jury Prize. 

Gainsbourg (2010)

Directed by Joann Sfar.
Six Stars.
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Gainsbourg is the first feature film from French comic book artist and creator Joann Sfar. The film, adapted from Sfar's graphic novels of the same name, tells the story of the iconic French singer songwriter from his very early life to his death. Gainsbourg is played by French actor Eric Elmosnino who bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Gainsbourg. Born to Jewish parents as Lucien Ginsburg and growing up under Nazi-occupied France, the young Ginsburg aspired to be a painter. As he grew up his ambitions eventually turned to music. Famous for taking some of the world's most desirous women as lovers, his life story is bookmarked by his various lovers which included Gréco (Anna Mouglalis), Bardot (Laetitia Casta), and Birkin (Lucy Gordon). This is an interesting take on the biopic genre and is executed in a completely original style. One interesting technique involves Sfar employing a surreal-looking Gainsbourg puppet-like character called the Face to represent his ego and illustrate some of the internal struggles the lead deals with. As is to be expected, the soundtrack is superb and perfectly accompanies the drama of the artist's life. The film is also beautifully photographed. On the whole however, the film lacks a more cohesive narrative, which unless you're a Gainsbourg fan, will leave you more curious about the artist than informed.

Inception (2010)

Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Seven Stars.
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The latest offering from Christopher Nolan is Inception. Dominic "Dom" Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an Extractor employed to perform corporate espionage by entering his target's dreams. The method developed by the military and based on sedation and connection to a central electronic hub allows Cobb to share his Mark's dream and gain access to their subconscious to steal sensitive information. His abilities cost him his family and his nationality, but a chance at redemption and regaining his old life is promised when Cobb and his team of specialists are hired to plant an idea in a target's subconscious*. An Inception. Something thought to be impossible but that Cobb claims he has done before. Businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) wants Cobb to give Robert Fischer Jr (Cillian Murphy), the heir to his main rival's business empire, the idea of breaking up his father's company. Cobb leads a team of Extractors who consist of Arthur the Point Man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne the Architect (Ellen Page), Eames the Forger (Tom Hardy), and Yusuf the Chemist (Dileep Rao). The adventure into Fischer's subconscious involves entering his dream, then entering a dream in his dream (second stage), and then entering a dream in his dream in his dream (third stage). This a throughly original script and I was surprised to find out that this didn't originate from a book given the richness of detail in the concept. I did find some details unconvincing. The character of Ariadne for instance, a new recruit, is soon advising and directing Cobb on how to do what he's been doing for years. Overall however you can't help but be impressed by Nolan's achievement as a writer. The special effects are impressive and the sound score extremely effective. Nolan creates a world you can really throw yourself into and you'll probably walk out of the cinema theatre talking about dreams in dreams of dreams with your friends. The Matrix (1999) cubed.