THE COUNTRY TEACHER- 2008. Czech Republic. Directed by Bohdan Slama and starring Pavel Liska and Zuzana Bydzovska. About a troubled man who ventures to the Czech countryside from Prague to teach in a rural school. Very good and I’d recommend seeing it. Netflix Streaming. 9/09
Add comment September 28th, 2009
PARIS- With Juliette Binoche and is a love story about Paris.
Add comment September 27th, 2009
SILENT LIGHT- 2007. Directed by Carlos Reygadas and starring Cornelio Wall and Miriam Toews. About a Menonite family with lots of children living in Mexico. The husband is having a long term affair. He has told his wife and best friend the truth but the family lives on. Great scene between the husband and his own father and a very moving scene of the wife crying hysterically while lying under a tree in the pouring rain. The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2007. Despite the slow pace of the film I liked it very much. Netflix. 9/09
Add comment September 26th, 2009
WALK ON WATER- About an Israeli man who is a Mossad agent. He is involved in a case looking for a Nazi from Argentina and becomes involved with a woman and her gay brother. Great movie. 1/05 TRDB.
Add comment September 26th, 2009
TULPAN- 2008. By Sergei Dvortsevoy. A docudrama about the nomadic sheepherders of Kazakh. Interesting photography of baren landscapes and I can still taste the dust. I liked the film but be prepared that it’s very slow moving. Netflix Streaming. 9/09
Add comment September 23rd, 2009
AMREEKA- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Eager to provide a better future for her son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), divorcée Muna Farah (Nisreen Faour) leaves her Palestinian homeland and takes up residence in rural Illinois — just in time to encounter the domestic repercussions of America’s disastrous war in Iraq. Now, the duo must reinvent their lives with some help from Muna’s sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass), and brother-in-law, Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda). Cherien Dabis writes and directs.” I saw this and found it very realistic and very well acted.
Add comment September 23rd, 2009
2008. Directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Sayuri Yoshinaga, the movie is based on the writings of Teruyo Nogami. A beautiful story about a woman in 1940 Japan whose husband is jailed for “treason” when he speaks against Japanese agression. The film is about how she survives and cares for her family while he is in prison. Great movie! Netflix. 9/09
Add comment September 18th, 2009
APRES LUI- 2007. Directed by Gael Morel and starring the great Catherine Deneuve. About a woman who becomes obsessed with the young man (her son’s best friend) who was driving the car when her son was killed. A study of grief and it’s unpredictable nature well played by the master. I’d predict that you’ll like it or hate it. I liked it. Netflix. 9/09
Add comment September 16th, 2009
DEPARTURES- (OKURIBITO)- 2008. Directed by Yojiro Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki. A Japanese film about an unemployed cellist who trains (without his new wife’s knowledge) as a Nakanshi, someone who prepares the dead for burial. Great acting, great story and a great movie. This film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film of 2008. A MUST SEE! At the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival. 9/09
Add comment September 16th, 2009
CAPTAIN ABU RAED- 2008. Jordan. Directed by Amin Mataqa and starring Nadim Sawalha. A story about an older man who works as a janitor at Amman airport. He lost his wife 9 yrs. ago and feels that life is meaningless. When a group of children mistakes him for an airline pilot he tries only briefly to dissuade them and then makes up stories about his adventures. He becomes involved in a few of their lives in meaningful way. TRDB.
Here’s what Netflix had to say– “Premise by Netflix. “Airport janitor Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha) has long wanted to travel the world, but he’s had to settle for imagined experiences through books and conversations. When a group of children mistakes him for a pilot, he captivates them with made-up tales of adventure. As he begins to form close friendships with these poor neighborhood kids, it dawns on him just how challenging their lives really are.”
2/10-The movie was very good but at times was a bit more theatrical then needed. I still liked it a lot. At the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival in 9/09.
Add comment September 16th, 2009