Posts with the tag 'Foreign'
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “Inspired by a true story, director André Téchiné’s riveting drama centers on a young Parisian woman (Émilie Dequenne) who captures the attention of her country when she claims she’s been the target of a hate crime. International film legend Catherine Deneuve also stars in this ripped-from-the-headlines tale, which explores the power of prejudice and the diminishing credibility of modern-day media.” I liked the movie. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
May 6th, 2010
LETTERS TO FATHER JACOB- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “With nowhere else to turn to after her unexpected release from prison, cold-blooded murderer Leila (Kaarina Hazard) reluctantly accepts a job composing letters for blind pastor Jacob (Heikki Nousiainen), whom she deeply resents at first but gradually grows to admire. A heartwarming tale of personal redemption, Finnish director and writer Klaus Härö‘s subtle drama also features Jukka Keinonen and Esko Roine.” Fair review at best in NY Times on 10/8/10.
3/11- A spiritual drama where all of the action takes place at the end. Fortunately it’s a very short movie. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
May 4th, 2010
ROAD, MOVIE- Premise by Netflix. “Reluctant to take over his father’s flailing hair-oil business, young Vishnu (Abhay Deol) becomes the sole proprietor of a traveling cinema after he happens upon an abandoned truck containing a library of film reels and a film projector. During his odyssey across small-town India, he befriends a young runaway, a gorgeous gypsy, a wandering minstrel and others in this funny and romantic adventure, a hit at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.” Very good reviews.
5/10- A cute Bollywood comedy. Worth the time to watch it. TRDB. Comcast on Demand.
Tags: drama, Foreign
May 3rd, 2010
TETRO- Premise by Netflix. “Francis Ford Coppola writes, directs and produces this captivating drama that centers on the relationship between Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) and Tetro (Vincent Gallo), two brothers who reunite in Buenos Aires after a 10-year estrangement. Maribel Verdu, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Carmen Maura and Rodrigo de la Serna also star in this moving tale loosely inspired by Coppola’s own experiences growing up in a creative Argentine-Italian family.” Very good reviews.
5/10- I found this movie very creative and while a bit too long I did enjoy it. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 24th, 2010
TOKYO SONATA- Premise by Netflix. “From Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa comes a drama about the Sasakis, an ordinary Japanese family living a bucolic life — until the father is abruptly laid off from his job and decides to keep the news from his wife and kids. Soon, the father’s sense of shame, and the indignity he faces while passing each day in the park in his suit and tie, quickly turns into a rage that proves to hold irrevocable consequences for all concerned.” Excellent reviews.
5/10-An interesting and also very poignant family study. Worth seeing. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 24th, 2010
STORM- Premise by Netflix. “As prosecutor Hannah Maynard (Kerry Fox) builds a war crimes case against former Yugoslavian army commander Goran Duric (Drazen Kühn), the key witness’s suicide threatens to let the atrocities go unpunished — unless she unearths new evidence. At the funeral, she meets the victim’s sister, Mira (Anamaria Marinca), who harbors the damning secrets Hannah needs for a conviction. But a cover-up in the ranks may stand in the way of justice.”
4/10- I saw this and liked it a lot. Very realistic and pulled no punches. TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 17th, 2010
LA FRANCE- Premise by Netflix. “When her husband writes her from the frontlines of World War I and insists that she forget him about him, Camille (Sylvie Testud) disguises herself as a young soldier and joins the ranks, determined to track down her long-lost love. Writer-director Serge Bozon’s drama chronicles Camille’s epic journey, as her dogged search for answers leads her from the peaceful countryside existence she once enjoyed to the blood-soaked battlefields of war.” Very good reviews.
4/10- A World War 1 movie without a single battle. Testud gets in with a group of French soldiers who desert from the war and the story is about the group. I liked it. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 17th, 2010
XXY- Premise by Netflix. “Inés Efron plays Alex, an intersexed 15-year-old, in this compelling tale. Though she’s living as a girl, Alex and her family begin to wonder whether she’s emotionally a boy when another teenager’s sexual advances bring the issue to a head. As Alex faces a final decision regarding her gender, she meets both hostility and compassion. Director Lucía Puenzo‘s sensitive drama co-stars Valeria Bertuccelli, Martín Piroyansky and Ricardo Darín.
4/10- Good depiction of what he/she must confront through the teenage years.TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 17th, 2010
KILLING KASZTNER- Here’s what Netflix had to say- “Gaylen Ross‘s compelling documentary explores the story of Dr. Israel Kasztner, a Hungarian Jew who saved more than 1,600 Jews during the Holocaust by buying their freedom from Nazi Adolf Eichmann. With important trial documents and witness interviews, Ross looks at Kasztner’s 1954 trial, which started as a libel case with him as a plaintiff, but ended as a war crime tribunal with him as a defendant.”
4/10- I saw this as part of the Westchester Jewish Film Festival and I thought it was a great documentary. There were so many layers of the story that I would even consider this documentary as a mystery as well. TRDB.
Tags: Documentary/History, Foreign
April 16th, 2010
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS- 2009. Premise by Netflix. “What do you do when you can’t play music in your homeland, but you can’t leave your country to play it abroad either? This is the dilemma faced by an Iranian guy and gal who, fresh on the heels of their prison release, decide to form a rock band. Despite having drive and ambition to spare, the wannabe rockers are stymied by lack of passports, lack of funds and lack of musicians who’re willing to leave Iran in this drama from Bahman Ghobadi.” Great early reviews.
4/10- A film worth seeing that shows us what life can be like in Iran today for people who don’t conform to the repressive rules. While the street scenes of downtown Tehran and the music were very good I was only mildly entertained by the story itself as it seemed repetitive and predictable and I think more of a political statement than a great movie. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.
Tags: drama, Foreign
April 16th, 2010
Newer Posts
Older Posts