Emi Awards

So sometimes Jackie and I happen upon some free time.  Luckily for us, there are a few movie shops in a 2-block radius of our apartment.  Of course we aren't talking Blockbuster (oh the days!), or K-Mercado, or even RedBox.  We are talking about the "Peliculas Rodrigo" and Movie Car with Big Trunk Outside Mexican Restaurant, for lack of a better name.  From what I can tell, Peliculas Rodrigo consists of an older woman who sits on the curb with a stack of 50 movies, who once helped me break my big bill to buy a phone card.  When we went to watch Lincoln she sold us, Jackie's computer said "Do you want to put something on this blank disc?".  No, no we would like Lincoln actually.  So since then she has been stamping the CDs with "Peliculas Rodrigo" to exchange if that happens again.  Hence, we know this mobile human of a shop has a name!

not sure why I took a photo of "Peliculas
 Rodrigo" 4 months ago..  probably
had something to do with that cake

they go for aboue $1-2 dollars each, depending on your
mass purchasing and bargaining

Now do realize that I have some moral objections to pirated discs.  But they only go so far.  And honestly, there is no real place to buy a movie here, because it would be a market for me on a feeling-guilty day and one other rich and overly-conscientious (or more likely naive) tourist.  Jackie and I have supported the industry at the movie theatre here, mostly in English with subtitles, which go for about $8/movie or $10 for 3D.

Anyways, so Jackie and I recently attempted all the movies (and failed).  Can we stop with all the ridiculously long movies?  There is a continuous Oscar Movie Marathon at AMC theatres every year (note this shameless plug for Nate's 2011 article), not sure how you lasted through this willingly Daryl hehe.  Here's my take on everything this year, and no big spoilers:

LINCOLN:  Due to aforementioned delay, I'll get back to you on this...  Ever since watching Daniel Day Lewis in his low-cut attire running around the beautiful wilderness in Last of the Mohicans, I am a fan of all his work. 

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK:  Didn't strike my fancy at all.  Maybe because the whole time I was thought how annoying Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger Games) is  as a protagonist.  Long.

ARGO:  Kudos, Ben Affleck.  Hope to see more from you.  Way to bring history to life.  Also, it's a relatively shorter film with a plotline!

LIFE OF PI:  Didn't love the book, but Ang Lee did do stunning creating the Ocean as a beautiful/terrifying/interactive third player in this story.  He actually interviewed Steven Callahan, a man who was lost at see on a raft for 76 days, to bring more reality to the emotional experience.  Not a "must see" (wouldn't necessarily call any of these that), but if you are going to it's a must see in 3D!  Fabulous cinematography.

AMOUR (disclaimer: I've only seen half so far):  Maybe some of this was lost in translation (French movie with Spanish subtitles), but just was very long and depressing.  It could use more plot to portray this theme...  So today I went to see a patient who was on her way out of the hospital, post the same event.  I found her lying backwards on her bed, cramped into the corner, staring off into space. Her husband came around, smiling and genuinely excited to take her home, and she barely reacted except to lightly push him away.  I asked him about the house, which he replied would be fine for her condition (not by American standards, but this is Bolivia).  The whole clash of attitudes broke my heart, and I had to leave, not to mention I had nothing to say.  If that was the point of Amour, to make us terribly uncomfortably aware of our often inevitable weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and demise, then it succeeded.

LES MISERABLES:  Total bias that I love the songs.  Had a hard time watching it with Hollywood celebs (Gladiator, Hathaway, Mama Mia girl with unplaceably strange face, and Wolverine in Les Mis?!?) though, which was disappointing.  But overall it was put together nicely.

DJANGO UNCHAINED:  Haven't seen it yet, but I'm not really a Tarantino fan...

ZERO DARK THIRY:  Interesting job spinning the tedious and almost miraculous work of finding Bin Ladin into a coherent plot.  A little long, but informative about the general environment that side of the world.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Fantastic(al)!  Hands down my favorite.  Please watch this.  Shocking and touching.  These alien yet loveable characters will steal your heart, and it's incredible to think only the main character was cast via a casting call and the movie ran on a shoestring budget.  Thank you, no longer unknown directors/producers, for making a solidly wonderful movie for 2012.