UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES

Hard to say why this film is so great, but not only did it land on the top of both Aimee and Merrick's lists, it took home top prize at Cannes. It's a deceptively soothing brand of mind-expanding movie making, one that Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has been building towards with previous works SYNDROMES & A CENTURY and TROPICAL MALADY. Think Wong Kar-Wai on a vision quest, or better yet... just watch.

ZONAD

A million light-years from rehab, after a booze fueled bender, a recent detox escapee is mistaken for an extraterrestrial by simple Irish town folk. This is a relentlessly goofy charmer, in the vein of LOST SKELETONS OF CADAVRA. A major surprise from the Oscar winning director who brought us that musical 'ONCE'!!!

SOURCE CODE

From the director of MOON, this critically applauded sci-fi thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier who wakes up in the body of a stranger, and soon learns he is part of a mission to find the bomber of a commuter train before he carries out a second attack. But is he in the past, and if so, why do none of his actions seem to affect the present? We can't wait to see more serious sci-fi from promising director Duncan Jones (aka David Bowie's son)!

POTICHE (aka The Trophy Wife)

Catherine Deneuve stars as a neglected trophy wife who steps up to run her family's umbrella factory, after her totalitarian husband is taken hostage by the workers! Director Francois Ozon (SWIMMING POOL, SITCOM) takes full advantage of the film's 1977 setting, with acting that seems like something out of a THREE'S COMPANY episode, and his typically masterful use of colors and moods. A fun loving tribute to the feminine spirit, and a call for the end of juvenile male aggression. LOVED IT!!!

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

While this one surely won't be garnishing any Oscar buzz, fans of Tarantino style Exploitation revivals have something to rejoice over in this latest Grindhouse throwback. Much of the joy is derived from seeing good old Rutger Hauer back in the limelight. See also his shelf in our FRESHLY FEATURED section, which includes his breakout role in Paul Verhoeven's Must-See erotic romp TURKISH DELIGHT.

WE ALSO ENJOYED THESE NEW FILMS...

• SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS Well done rural mystery/drama with refreshingly blemished characters, and great music. Somewhere between WINTER'S BONE and FARGO.
• CRACKS In this British drama set in an elite girls' private school, Eva Green (CASINO ROYAL) plays a sophisticated diving instructor whose telling of wild tales and procuring of banned books make her a sort of ultimate-girl-crush for her cloistered students. When an alleged Spanish princess is transferred to the school, the coach's position as the sole authority on all things chic and worldly is threatened...
• PHIL OCHS: THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE More than a look at one of the 60s' most unique folk troubadours, this documentary delves into the zeitgeist of the whole protest scene.
• WE ARE WHAT WE ARE If you see only one cannibal movie this month, make it this one! Set in Mexico City's third World, and centered around three siblings who must keep 'the ritual' alive in the absence of their patriarch.
• OF GODS AND MEN Probably the most critically acclaimed film of the last few months, this is the story of a group of MONKS whose non-violent resistance thwarts the invading Algerian terrorists- a powerful drama based on true events!!!
• WAKE WOOD HAMMER HORROR IS BACK!!! Creepy pagan ceremonies, reanimated children, and character actor supreme Timothy Spall add up to one wicked good time!