Here’s another of my all time favorite movies, Amelie (hmm…wishing I could figure out how to make proper accent marks, tant pis).

Anyhoo, Amelie has all the elements I enjoy in film:

A good and believable story.  Who hasn’t dreamed of ways to bring people happiness, make others behave with kindness, or fall in love?  It is told with wit, charm, and occasionally, a sharp knife-edge!  The characters are like people we know – eccentric, obsessive, dreamers, do-gooders, and curmudgeons, all with their own flair.

Beautiful cinematography – heavens to Betsy!  The use of saturated colors, beautiful set decorations, ace camera angles all make this story a gem to behold.

Top shelf acting – every character fully embodied by the actor, no kidding.   Audrey Tautou, the adorable Matthieu Kassovitz (he looks a little like the G-man), crotchety Serge Merlin as Mr. Dufayel, “et Lady Di…” Jammel Dubbouz, to mention a few.

A fine soundtrack – Oh yes, yes, yes!  Yann Tiersen is quite good at making kiddie pianos and everyday sounds like flipping paper charming.  I also love the old French standards like “Si Tu N’etait pas La.”  I hum and sing along every single time.

Watch it and prepare to be charmed!

Do you ever get that feeling after watching a movie, like you’ve just witnessed something so wonderful that it fills you with giddiness?

That’s precisely how I am feeling right now, after viewing King of California.  Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood star as Charlie and Miranda in this kooky film about a bi-polar father and his daughter.  Upon being released from a mental institution, Charlie purchases a GPS system and follows what he believes to be the trail of a treasure lost in 1624.

After having a rather unconventional childhood, Miranda is none too pleased to have him home again and with a new obsession to boot.  In his absence, she enjoyed a degree of calm and normalcy previously unknown to her.  Though she is only a teenager, she’s purchased a car and kept up with the bills, all while working at McDonald’s.

In the beginning, Miranda struggles to keep the family afloat with Charlie’s spending and lack of a job, constantly battling him in his quest, and wishing for better days, until, there is that shift, where the impossible seems possible.

It is a thoughtful, sweet, and hilarious film about forgiveness, love, and finding a purpose in life.