Posts with the tag 'Foreign'
THE HEDGEHOG- 2011. Synopsis by RottenTomatoes. “Inspired by the beloved New York Times bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery, The Hedgehog is the timely story of Paloma (Garance Le Guillermic) a young girl bent on ending it all on her upcoming twelfth birthday. Using her father’s old camcorder to chronicle the hypocrisy she sees in adults, Paloma begins to learn about life from the grumpy building concierge, Renée Michel (Josiane Balasko). When Paloma’s camera reveals the extensive secret library in Renée’s back room, and that the often gruff matron reads Tolstoy to her cat, Paloma begins to understand that there are allies to be found beneath the prickliest of exteriors. As the unlikely friendship deepens, Paloma’s own coming of age becomes a much less pessimistic prospect.”
8/19/11- Very good reviews in general and a good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
10/14/11- Very well done and I liked this movie very much. TRDB. At the Theater.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 20th, 2011
FIVE HOURS FROM PARIS- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “An unassuming Tel Aviv cab driver (Dror Keren) forges an unlikely but deep friendship with his son’s music teacher, the darkly beautiful Lina (Helena Yaralova), despite disparate backgrounds. Lina is married and planning to move to Canada. Will her circumstances keep these two apart? Leonid Prudovsky directs and co-writes this drama about what attracts a born-and-bred Israeli to a Russian immigrant — and what makes their relationship work.” No reviews as yet. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 20th, 2011
BORN AND BRED- 2006. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes- “In Patagonia, a successful interior designer’s life falls apart after he suffers a horrific accident.” Good reviews. TRDB.
Synopsis by Netflix. “Santiago (Guillermo Pfening) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home in Buenos Aires and his own interior design business. But tragedy tears it all away from him, and he travels south to Patagonia, where he hopes a stripped-down, rugged existence will help cure his emotional wounds. Federico Esquerro, Martina Gusman and Tomás Lipan co-star in writer-director Pablo Trapero’s journey into the soul.”
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 19th, 2011
THE RULES OF THE GAME- 1939. Synopsis by Netflix. “When affluent Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio) hosts a party at his sprawling property, emotions run high. Guests include Robert’s mistress Genevieve (Mila Parely) and pilot Andre Jurieu (Roland Toutain), who fancies Robert’s wife, Christine (Nora Gregor). Meanwhile, Schumacher (Gaston Modot) is trying to keep Marceau (Julien Carette) from hitting on his wife (Paulette Dubost). All the while, the servants watch with great interest.”
8/18/11- A classic movie about the pre-WW2 period and about as good as a French sex farce gets. It’s definitely worth a viewing. TRDB. At the Theater but it’s available on Netflix as well.
Tags: Comedy, drama, Foreign
August 19th, 2011
PONETTE- 1996. Synopsis by Netflix. “When her mother dies in a car accident, 4-year-old Ponette is left physically and emotionally scarred and in the care of her grief-stricken father. Sent to live with family for a while, Ponette slowly comes to terms with her loss.”
8/16/11- A very good beginning and a wonderful end but too much time spent in the middle watching very cute, precosius children. The 4yr. old star is unbelievable. All in all, I’d still recommend it. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 16th, 2011
SCHEHERAZADE, TELL ME A STORY- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “When her husband (Hassan Saeed) asks her to tone down the subversive political rhetoric on her program, Egyptian talk show host Hebba (Mona Zaki) draws even more heat by beginning a series that explores the experience of women in contemporary Egypt. As three women speak out about the mistreatment they’ve suffered in a deeply patriarchal society, Hoda must contend with her own disintegrating marriage. Yousry Nasrallah directs this drama.”
Very good review in NY Times on 8/12/11. TRDB.
5/24/13- A very powerful, well acted drama that I recommend to all of you. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 12th, 2011
5 DAYS OF WAR- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When American journalist Thomas Anders (Rupert Friend) is sent to cover the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, he and his cameraman become entangled with a beautiful Georgian scholar (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and soon risk becoming casualties of the brief but brutal conflict. Caught in the crossfire, Anders faces charges of espionage. Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia and Dean Cain co-star in this tense drama directed by Renny Harlin.” Very good early reviews. TRDB.
8/19/11- Good review in today’s NY Times but poor reviews overall. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 8th, 2011
COLD FISH- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “After befriending charming Murata (Denden), a fellow tropical fishdealer, unhappy family man Shamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) sends his rebellious daughter to live and work with him. But when Murata reveals his conniving, murderous nature, Shamoto suddenly finds himself trapped. Inspired by the true story of a prolific serial killer, this shocking horror movie effectively blends dark humor with intense drama.”
8/5/11- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
9/24/11- Truly one of the weirdest movies I’ve encountered. Loads of blood so don’t watch if you’re squeamish. I can’t say that I liked it but it was interesting. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 6th, 2011
PROTEKTOR- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “As the Nazis occupy Prague, radio host Emil Vrbata (Marek Daniel) tries to protect his Jewish spouse, Hana (Jana Plodková), by collaborating with the Germans in this atmospheric drama that examines the role the media played during World War II. Despite Emil’s broadcasting of enemy propaganda, Hana is threatened with internment — and the couple’s deteriorating marriage reaches a turning point when a Nazi official is assassinated.”
8/5/11- OK review in today’s NY Times but I saw this 2 years ago at the Palm Springs Film Festival and did not like it. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 6th, 2011
RAPT- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “When corporate figurehead Stanislas Graff (Yvan Attal) is kidnapped and held for an absurd ransom of 50 million Euros, the police and powerful business he represents are forced to debate whether one man’s life can really be worth that much money. But every minute they spend talking about the issue gives the press more time to dig through Graff’s murky past — and Graff’s captors more time to torture their hostage.” Great professional reviews and average audience reaction. TRDB.
12/19/11- An excellent movie on several levels with great acting by the lead. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Tags: drama, Foreign
August 3rd, 2011
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