Posts filed under 'Foreign'
WINTER IN WARTIME- 2008. Premise by Netflix. “This sumptuously photographed drama focuses on 14-year-old Michiel (Martijn Lakemeier) as he wrestles with family loyalties, painful choices between safety and courage, and the harsh realities of war during the last, desperate winter of World War II. Michiel is forced onto the path of adulthood as he attempts to aid a wounded British pilot (Jamie Campbell Bower) in German-occupied Netherlands, despite his father’s apparent cooperation with enemy soldiers.” Mixed reviews, more positive than negative. Good review in NY Times on 3/18/11.
4/11- I enjoyed this movie despite some obvious contrivances such as one or two chase scenes which were totally unnecessary. TRDB. At the theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 9th, 2011
THE SKY TURNS- 2009. Premise by Rottentomatoes. ” Mercedes Alvarez was three years old when, in the late 1960s, her parents left La Aldea, a village in the barren Northern Spanish Soria region. She… Mercedes Alvarez was three years old when, in the late 1960s, her parents left La Aldea, a village in the barren Northern Spanish Soria region. She was the last child born in La Aldea. Now, only fourteen people live there, a last dying generation. Soon this village, like so many other rural communities all over the world, will be deserted and will probably disappear from the map. Alvarez returns for the first time to her ancestral home and makes a stunning film about memory and the terrifying passing of time.” Good reviews.
Tags: documentary, Foreign
February 4th, 2011
CARANCHO- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “A car accident on the streets of Argentina brings Luján (Martina Gusman) and Sosa (Ricardo Darín) together: she’s a doctor caring for the critically wounded driver, he’s a smooth-talking ambulance chaser with an eye on the dying man’s money. Passion draws them together, but in a nation rife with such accidents, love alone may not conquer their differences. Pablo Trapero’s thoughtful film is an Official Selection of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.” Very good early reviews. TRDB.
6/21/11- A little too long and way too many car crashes but the story is interesting and definitely a slice of life. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 4th, 2011
DAS FRAULEIN- 2006. Premise by Netflix. “Three women in Zurich have one thing in common: a life they left behind in Yugoslavia. Reza has spent 30 years reinventing herself as a single businesswoman. Mila, her employee, longs to return home. Ana, new to Switzerland, comes to Reza looking for work — and maybe to shake things up at the café Reza runs. The resulting relationship makes each of them reflect on the war-torn landscape of their past.” Mixed reviews, mostly good.
I enjoyed this movie very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 2nd, 2011
INCENDIES- 2010. Premise by Netflix. “When their mother’s (Lubna Azabal) will implores them to deliver letters to the father they thought was dead and a brother they never knew about, twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) journey to the Middle East and attempt to reconstruct their family’s hidden history. Adapted from a Wajdi Mouawad play, director Denis Villeneuve’s drama flashes back to intense scenes set during the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s.” Showed at HIFF 2010. Great professional reviews and very good audience response as well. TRDB.
5/15/11- This movie was done in a most realistic fashion with great acting and superb direction. While it was often difficult to watch I thought that it was a great movie. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 1st, 2011
IN A BETTER WORLD- (Haevnen) 2010. Premise by Netflix. “Danish director Susanne Bier delves into the realm of fathers, sons and their perceived burden of male responsibility with this Golden Globe-winning drama about the interplay between two dysfunctional families. With his father (Mikael Persbrandt) working abroad, bullied Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds solace in a budding friendship with a volatile new student (William Jøhnk Nielsen). But the boys’ shared revenge only seems to invite more violence.” Won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. TRDB.
4/11- A wonderful movie, difficult to watch at times, with several important messages. In particular about the different ways of handling conflict and the limits of each manner. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
February 1st, 2011
KINYARWANDA- 2011. Premise by Netflix. “In this first-ever dramatic feature produced by Rwandans, the events of the horrific 1994 genocide are personalized through six intertwined stories. As the violence rages, mosques become a haven for Rwandans of all affiliations seeking protection. Director and writer Alrick Brown seeks the gray areas in this dark period of history, finding all-too-human motivations and resilience in the face of unimaginable catastrophe.” At Sundance 2011. Excellent reviews. TRDB.
6/17/12- One more of the Rwanda genocide movies but this one presents a complex question when it examines forgiveness. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 30th, 2011
HIDEAWAY- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “When Louis (Melvil Poupaud) dies of a drug overdose in Paris, his wealthy mother instructs his strung-out but pregnant girlfriend, Mousse (Isabelle Carré), to get an abortion. Determined to keep her child, Mousse flees Paris for a country home. Louis’s brother (Louis-Ronan Choisy) visits, and she develops a fascination with him that is both erotic and angry. François Ozon crafts an intimate portrait of an enigmatic woman seeking a purpose.” Good reviews.
2/11- Very well done and I enjoyed the movie very much. TRDB. Netflix Streaming and also on DVD.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 29th, 2011
UNMADE BEDS- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “The lives of Axl (Fernando Tielve), who’s searching for his long-lost father, and Vera (Déborah François), who’s recovering from a recent breakup, crisscross — and eventually collide — after they both take up residence in a London flat populated with artsy, free-spirited squatters. Director Alexis Dos Santos’s intimate and imaginative film about youthful awakenings also stars Michiel Huisman, Katia Winter and Richard Lintern.” Good reviews.
2/11- Despite some unexplainable good reviews I found this movie flighty, devoid of any character development and the characters completely unlikable. I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama
January 29th, 2011
BE WITH ME- 2005. By Eric Khoo. Premise by Netflix. “This poetic film weaves together three stories of human connection with a minimalist flair. In “Meant to Be,” an elderly shopkeeper experiences intense loneliness until he reads the autobiography of an extraordinary blind and deaf woman. “So in Love” explores the bittersweet relationship between two teenage girls, and “Finding Love” tells the story of a security guard who has twin passions: for food and for a woman who works in his building.”
1/11- Slow beginning but I advise you to stay with it and reap the rewards. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
January 28th, 2011
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