Criticature: "Ondine"

Though this be a modern-day fairy tale, it hardly feels like one. The title character of this film—who goes by the name “Ondine” (a play on the water elemental of the same name in German folklore)—winds up tangled in the net of a fisherman (Farrell) and, as luck would have it, the two fall in love.

 It sounds like the stuff of an olde sea shanty but the style and a couple of contrivances make it anything but. And where serendipity begins, confusion soon follows.

Criticature: "Blue Valentine"

Since Ryan Gosling has had such a great year I have no qualms about the mediocrity of this drama. I heard a lot of buzz about this movie and, in honor of Valentine’s Day, it just seemed appropriate that I take it for a spin. I went in knowing that it is “depressing” (according to some friends) but I decided to give it a go, what with my penchant for masochism and all.

As if it wasn’t clear already, I was pretty underwhelmed by the resolution. But that just might be because I’m a sour-puss.

Movie of the Month: "Hachi: A Dog's Tale"

 In spite of we Yankees’ proclivity to remake everything for practically no reason, I’ll make an exception for this month’s movie just because it’s so damn cute.

Essentially a white-washed version of the 1987 film “Hachiko Monogatari” (The Tale of Hachiko), it’s no wonder that the self-proclaimed dog lover and director Lasse Hallström chose to retell (yet again) the true life story of the Akita dog known only as Hachiko.