Posts with the tag 'Foreign'
IT’S THE EARTH NOT THE MOON- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A cameraman and a soundman arrive in Corvo in 2007, the smallest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Corvo is a large rock, 6km high and 4km long, with the crater of a volcano and a single tiny village of 440 people. Gradually, this small filming crew is accepted by the island’s population as its new inhabitants, two people to add to a civilization almost 500 years old, whose history is hardly discernible, such is the lack of records and written memories. Shot at a vertiginous pace throughout a few years, self?produced between arrivals, departures and coming?backs, It’s the Earth not the Moon develops as the logbook of a ship, and turns out as a patchwork of discoveries and experiences, which follow the contemporary life of a civilization isolated in the middle of the sea.”
7/14/12- Mostly very good reviews and an OK one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 17th, 2012
SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN- 2008. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A woman’s brush with death forces her to re-examine her past and present in this drama from Israel. Galia (Reymond Amsalem) was riding a city bus when a suicide bomber on board set off an explosive device. While Galia survived the bombing, she suffered severe burns and injuries and was declared clinically dead for seven minutes. While Galia’s body has been healing steadily, her mind is still struggling to make sense of what happened; she has no memory of the terrible day, and can only piece together nightmarish flashes of the chaotic events. Itzik (Benjamin Jagendorf) is a seminarian who was on hand to help the injured on the day of the explosion, and he attempts to counsel Galia, helping her put together the shards of her memory and explain his theory that the souls of people who have briefly been “dead” often have trouble reacquainting themselves after they’ve traveled outside the body. As Galia ponders these questions about her life and her spirit, she finds comfort in her new friendship with Boaz (Eldad Fribas). Sheva Dakot Be Gan Eden (aka Seven Minutes In Heaven) was the first feature film from director Omri Givon.”
No professional reviews available but audiences have liked it very much. There is an article on this film in the NY Times on Sunday, July 8, 2012. TRDB.
7/29/15- Very interesting and I liked it very much. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 7th, 2012
THE WELL DIGGER’S DAUGHTER- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A bitter class war erupts between two families after the daughter of a humble well-digger get impregnated by the scion of a wealthy shopkeeper. Ageing widower Pascale worked hard to provide for his six daughters. As the first shots of World War I are fired, Pascale’s eldest daughter Patricia (Astrid Bergés-Frisbey) returns home from Paris to help raise her younger siblings. Meanwhile, Pascale longs to see Patricia marry his longtime assistant Pascale (Kad Merad) – a hard worker who would make a loving husband. But shortly after arriving back home, Patricia has a fling with Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a fighter pilot who hails from a wealthy family, and disappears to the front lines after getting Patricia pregnant. At first, the Mazel’s are furious, accusing the impoverished Amoretti’s of using the situation to stake a claim on their fortune. When Jacques goes missing in action, however, the Mazel’s quickly realize that Patricia’s unborn child may be their only link to the son who sacrificed his life fighting for their country.”
Great early professional reviews but audiences have not been as impressed. TRDB.
7/20/12- A just OK review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
9/7/12- An interesting French comedic drama with wonderful acting, especially a great Auteuil. You should see it. TRDB. At the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 7th, 2012
STARRY STARRY NIGHT- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “When Mei falls in love with Jay, a new transfer student at her school, love at first sight takes hold, providing her first journey into adulthood and what soon becomes her fondest childhood memory. Amongst her parents’ divorce and bickering and her grandfather’s death, Mei finds solace in Jay even as they begin a perilous journey into the mountainous wilderness to find her grandparents’ home. As they venture into the starry, starry night, they get lost in a storm that leads them towards a greater destination.”
7/6/12- Good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 6th, 2012
LAST RIDE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In Last Ride, a desperate father takes his ten year old son, Chook, on the run after committing a violent crime. As the two journey into the desert and an unknown future, their troubled relationship and the need to survive sees them battling the elements and each other. Chook eventually takes control and the choice he is forced to make has a devastating effect on both their lives.”
7/6/12– Good review in today’s NY Times and by the critics in general. Audiences have liked it as well. TRDB.
7/31/12- An interesting Australian drama with beautiful scenery and I’d recommend it. TRDB. Comcast On-Demand.
Tags: drama, Foreign
July 6th, 2012
ALPS- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “With Alps, director Yorgos Lanthimos brings to the screen the story of a group of people who specialize in playing the role of deceased people to anyone (usually relatives, friends or colleagues of the deceased) willing to pay for their services. Their company, called Alps, is managed by Mont Blanc (Aris Servetalis), a strict boss who keeps his employees under a close watch. But when the company’s nurse (Aggeliki Papoulia) decides to get off her scripted routine, this eccentric group starts falling to pieces.”
Fair professional reviews and fair audience reaction as well. TRDB.
12/4/12- I can’t decide if this movie was more weird than boring or the other way around. Skip it!! TRDB. Netflix.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 30th, 2012
A BURNING HOT SUMMER- 2011. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Loosely evoking Godard’s Contempt, A Burning Hot Summer examines the once-happy marriage between brooding painter Frédéric (Louis Garrel) and his movie-star wife Angèle (Bellucci) as it hits the rocks. When another young couple-actors Paul (Jérôme Robart) and Elisabeth (Céline Sallette)-joins them on a Roman holiday, tensions and passions flare. The film features a score by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, with the legendary Maurice Garrel (the director’s father) in his final role.”
6/29/12- Poor reviews in general but a good one in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
10/17/14- Boring for most of the film but I stuck it out. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 29th, 2012
BUSONG- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “In Busong, Alessandra de Rossi plays Punay, who is born with wounds on her feet and cannot step on the earth. Her brother, Angkarang, carries her through a hammock, as he searches the changing landscape of Palawan in hopes of finding a healer who can cure Punay. Different people help him carry his sister along the way – a woman looking for her husband, a fisherman who lost his boat, and a young man who is searching for himself – and each one meets their fate.”
6/29/12- A fairly good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 29th, 2012
UNFORGIVABLE- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “Francis (André Dussollier) is a successful crime writer who moves to Venice to work on his next novel. When he meets model-turned-real-estate-agent Judith (Carole Bouquet), he is instantly infatuated. Francis and Judith eventually marry and move to a remote house on Torcello Island but Francis’ newfound happiness hinders his writing. Obsessing over what Judith does while at work, he hires a young ex-convict to investigate. As Judith’s sexual past is revealed both men become increasing fixated on the mysterious woman. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Venice, Unforgivable examines the consequences of unresolved past relationships and their far-reaching effects into the future.”
6/29/12- A very good review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
2/4/13- I found this movie very interesting and thought provoking. To be honest, I can’t really dislike a movie with great scenes of Venice. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 29th, 2012
MEN ON A BRIDGE- 2009. Synopsis by Netflix. “Exploring the lofty dreams and harsh realities of young people in Istanbul, this Turkish drama follows flower vendor Fikret’s (Fikret Portakal) search for steady work, traffic cop Murat’s (Murat Tokgöz) efforts to find a girlfriend online and cab driver Umut’s (Umut Ilker) marriage woes. Directed by Asli Özge, this cross between fiction and documentary filmmaking stars nonprofessional actors playing characters based on themselves.”
Good professional reviews and an article (not a review) about this movie in the NY Times on 6/20/12. TRDB.
Tags: drama, Foreign
June 20th, 2012
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