Posts with the tag 'Foreign'
LITTLE GIRL (LA PIVELLINA)- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Middle-aged circus performer Patti (Patrizia Gerardi) finds 2-year-old Asia (Asia Crippa) abandoned in a park on the outskirts of Rome. Patti and her German boyfriend, Walter (Walter Saabel), search for the child’s parents but can’t help falling in love with “la pivellina” (the little squirt). Italian documentarians Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel transition effortlessly into fiction with this warmly intimate gem.” Very good reviews. TRDB.
5/20/12- A real sleeper!! I enjoyed this movie that was really about everybody else as much as this adorable child. See it!! TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 12th, 2011
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Well-to-do housewife Nathalie (Isabelle Blais) eagerly awaits the birth of her first child, while elsewhere in Montreal, small-time drug dealer Henry (Zach Braff) plans his next score. One night, their contrasting lives become intertwined when Henry hits Nathalie with his car. He flees the scene but later tries to make amends — without revealing his culpability. As their friendship grows, the remorseful Henry fears Nathalie will learn the truth.”
9/9/11- Fair review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
11/1/11- Somewhat predictable, especially the ending but I enjoyed elements of this film and I can recommend it with qualifications. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 12th, 2011
THE PIANO IN A FACTORY- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “A humble factory worker (Wang Qian-Yuan) who moonlights as a musician summons every shred of creativity he has when his estranged wife (Shin-yeong Jang) resurfaces and demands custody of their young daughter, who says she’ll live with whomever can give her a piano. With no money to buy the instrument for her, the desperate father tries to grant her wish by building the piano out of discarded scraps.”
9/10/11- I saw this at the 2011 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival and did not like it at all. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 12th, 2011
VIVA LALDJERIE- 2004. Synopsis by Netflix. “Three urban Algerian women face an uncertain future in this drama set during times of increasing fundamentalism. Twenty-something Goucem (Lubna Azabal), her traditional mother, Papicha (Biyouna), and prostitute Fifi (Nadia Kaci) must steer clear of the local terrorists yet still make enough money to survive. Liberated Goucem refuses to give up her freedom by continuing to work and hitting the nightclubs, while her mom longs for happier times.” Few reviews and they are OK. TRDB.
9/5/11- An OK story coupled with a travelogue of Algiers make this film worthwhile. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 5th, 2011
LOVE CRIME- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “With a nod to the machinations of All About Eve and Dangerous Liaisons, French director Alain Corneau delivers a chilling tale of two ambitious women whose professional appetites grow dangerously personal. At first, things are fine between senior executive Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her eager young assistant, Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier). But when Christine abuses her position of power, Isabelle resorts to revenge — and insubordination.”
9/2/11- An OK review in today’s NY Times. Friends saw this and thought it was OK too. TRDB.
1/27/12- Very well done, clever and suspenseful. I liked it. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 2nd, 2011
I’M GLAD MY MOTHER IS ALIVE- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Given up for adoption at a young age, Thomas (Vincent Rottiers) has been plagued all his life with questions about the birth mother (Sophie Cattani) who abandoned him, so he sets out to find and confront her, with quite unexpected results. The connection that they make when they finally meet is charged not only with the chemistry of mother and child, but an unsettling erotic undercurrent as well. Veteran French filmmaker Claude Miller directs.”
9/2/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2/21/12- Very well acted and definitely recommended. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
September 2nd, 2011
CHEMELEON (KAMELEON) 2008. Synopsis by Netflix. “With the help of his childhood pal and fellow nighttime custodian, Tibi (Zsolt Trill), charismatic con man Gábor (Ervin Nagy) seeks out lonely women, charms his way into their lives and then helps himself to their life savings. But the jig may be up when the sexy swindler starts to fall for his latest mark, ballerina and wealthy heiress Hanna (Gabriella Hámori). Director Krisztina Goda helms this comedy that co-stars Sándor Csányi.” A few interesting reviews on the Hungarian drama. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 31st, 2011
SPECIAL TREATMENT- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “High-class prostitute Alice (Isabelle Huppert) specializes in wealthy, eccentric clients and is in the throes of a midlife crisis when her services are engaged by prominent psychiatrist Xavier (Bouli Lanners), who’s estranged from his wife and suffering his own existential malaise. While Alice seeks an analyst who can help her find direction, Xavier tries to reconnect with his emotions, and the two unwittingly lead each other to their goals.”
8/27/11- Weak review in today’s NY Times and poor reviews in general. TRDB.
1/22/12- Weak reviews for this drama starring Isabel Huppert but I found it entertaining. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 26th, 2011
TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Everyday life in 1980s Romania under Ceausescu takes on an air of comic surrealism in this whimsical collection of shorts written by award-winning filmmaker Cristian Mungiu and helmed by several acclaimed Romanian directors. A lighthearted take on the urban myths that persisted throughout the late communist era, the comedy anthology recalls a time when laughing in the face of absurdity and oppression was the only way to survive.”
8/27/11- OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2/13/12- A lengthy series of “legends” or stories that were supposed to be funny or ironic but which were neither for me and I turned it off. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 26th, 2011
FOR LOVERS ONLY- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “Former lovers bump into each other in Paris, and sparks are reignited in this road drama that finds them traveling the length of France. The paramours experience both the joy of each other’s company and the angst of an unsettled relationship.” Just a few reviews and they are good. TRDB.
6/20/12- I truly disliked both the man and the woman in this film. I found them to be immature beyond their years and the screenplay reflected this. You can miss it. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 22nd, 2011
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