two Films worth Seeing

Sidewalls (Medianeras)For English speakers, the crown of 'best quirky foreign-language romance' has been passed from Amelie to a touching film about two neighbors in Buenos Aires. The characters ring true in the age of paranoia about digital loneliness, and their internal dialogues about trying to connect are sincere.Without any sappy, jokey, over-the-top acting, Sidewalls is funny without losing its credibility as heartfelt. Overall, a great portrait of modern urban life both by virtue of the characters and the photography.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsVdYeEbwJY]The Tree of LifeWhen I saw Terrance Malick's 'The Thin Red Line' as a teenager, I wasn't sure what to think. The lyrical, poetically visual style was a departure from the combat movies I was used to (ahem, American Ninja). I knew there was larger purpose to the seemingly disconnected elements of the film, but didn't really care.Malick returns to form in 'The Tree of Life' and maybe I understand what he was poking at before - life is big, and doesn't fit nicely into a 2 1/2 hour narrative, no matter the subject - one way to convey that grandiosity is by focusing intently on the subtleties that define the greater experience. He doesn't wrap his stories up with a sense of finality, and doesn't try to force cohesion - which makes Tree of Life a unique and thoughtful experience.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRYA1dxP_0&w=560&h=315]