The Kid with a Bike, 2011
Directors: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Origin: Belgium | France | Italy
Language: French
Running time: 87 minutes
After being abandoned by his deadbeat dad, 11-year-old Cyril Catoul is virtually adopted by a goodhearted hairdresser who tries to help him. But despite her kindness, the disillusioned boy soon falls in with a young drug peddler. (from Netflix.com)
MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, brief language and smoking
U.S.box office: $1,384,749
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film ("Alice's House," 4 stars)
Steven says: Redeeming qualities are hard to find in this film's characters, except for the grandmother, who sees all. Instead, individual wants (realistic and not) take center stage, shoving aside the chance for a family unit that clicks. The oppressive house in the title takes a toll on its inhabitants.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
June 26, 2013 - "Alice's House" (2007)
Alice's House, 2007
Director: Chico Teixeira
Origin: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Running time: 92 minutes
Manicurist Alice (Carla Ribas) is the dutiful center of a crowded Sao Paolo apartment that includes her oafish cabbie husband (Zecarlos Machado), her put-upon mother (Berta Zemel) and her three sons. Life's tiny dramas rule the home until an innocent flirtation yields huge consequences. Brazilian director Chico Teixeira's affecting first feature was an official selection at the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $61,678
Watch the trailer on Netflix.
Rating: Equivalent to PG-13 in Brazil and Portugal
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Rating of last week's film ("The Well-Digger's Daughter", 3.5 stars)Steven says: A beautifully set movie (Provence, France is gorgeous!) with great acting. The story leans toward the melodramatic, with strong reminders of what was acceptable in 1910s French society and how far we've come.
Director: Chico Teixeira
Origin: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Running time: 92 minutes
Manicurist Alice (Carla Ribas) is the dutiful center of a crowded Sao Paolo apartment that includes her oafish cabbie husband (Zecarlos Machado), her put-upon mother (Berta Zemel) and her three sons. Life's tiny dramas rule the home until an innocent flirtation yields huge consequences. Brazilian director Chico Teixeira's affecting first feature was an official selection at the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $61,678
Watch the trailer on Netflix.
Rating: Equivalent to PG-13 in Brazil and Portugal
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Rating of last week's film ("The Well-Digger's Daughter", 3.5 stars)Steven says: A beautifully set movie (Provence, France is gorgeous!) with great acting. The story leans toward the melodramatic, with strong reminders of what was acceptable in 1910s French society and how far we've come.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
June 19, 2013 - "The Well-Digger's Daughter" (2011)
The Well-Digger's Daughter, 2011
Director: Daniel Auetiel
Origin: France
Language: French
Running time: 107 minutes
Pascale, a widowed laborer, lives in Provence, raising five daughters alone until his eldest daughter returns home to help care for her sisters. But a young pilot and the approaching shadow of World War I change Pascale's hopes for the future. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $385,406
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
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Review of last week's film (The Pool, 3.5 stars )
Steven says:An American documentary director takes a shot at a fiction film that takes place in India, with a script in the native language. And he nails it. It's unassuming yet revelatory; beautiful yet realistic; tender among harsh conditions. The actual pool looms over Venkatesh, the main character. What is its grander significance? Why is it pristine in an overgrown garden? Why is it a focal point without swimmers? It ends as one chapter ends with so many possibilities for the characters' futures.
Director: Daniel Auetiel
Origin: France
Language: French
Running time: 107 minutes
Pascale, a widowed laborer, lives in Provence, raising five daughters alone until his eldest daughter returns home to help care for her sisters. But a young pilot and the approaching shadow of World War I change Pascale's hopes for the future. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $385,406
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film (The Pool, 3.5 stars )
Steven says:An American documentary director takes a shot at a fiction film that takes place in India, with a script in the native language. And he nails it. It's unassuming yet revelatory; beautiful yet realistic; tender among harsh conditions. The actual pool looms over Venkatesh, the main character. What is its grander significance? Why is it pristine in an overgrown garden? Why is it a focal point without swimmers? It ends as one chapter ends with so many possibilities for the characters' futures.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
June 12, 2013 - "The Pool" (2007)
The Pool, 2007
Director: Chris Smith
Origin: USA | UK
Language: Hindi
Running time: 98 minutes
In this seriocomic study of class differences in India, a young hotel worker becomes obsessed with a swimming pool at an opulent mansion in Panjom, Goa. His life takes a wild turn when he meets the mysterious family that arrives at the house. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $94,901
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
Director: Chris Smith
Origin: USA | UK
Language: Hindi
Running time: 98 minutes
In this seriocomic study of class differences in India, a young hotel worker becomes obsessed with a swimming pool at an opulent mansion in Panjom, Goa. His life takes a wild turn when he meets the mysterious family that arrives at the house. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $94,901
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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