The Matchmaker, 2010
Director: Avi Nesher
Origin: Israel
Language: Hebrew
Running time: 121 minutes
In an Israel still recovering from World War II yet also grappling with the tumultuous "Swinging Sixties," teenager Arik works for matchmaker Yankele Bride as a "spy-guy" who investigates potential clients, and gets a master class in the art of love. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film ("Two Lives", 3.5 stars)
Steven says: Here is another history film where we learn things never touched upon in our history classes. The story telling is tense and suspenseful, and the audience is given only information they need at the moment. This is definitely worth a watch.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
September 24, 2014 - "Two Lives" (2012)
Two Lives, 2012
Director: Georg Maas
Origin: Germany | Norway
Languages: German | Norwegian | English | Russian | Danish
Running time: 97 min
As the European communist bloc is collapsing, Katrine's quiet life in Norway is interrupted by questions about her early years in East Germany. With the truth about her past catching up with her, Katrine must try to explain the facts to her family. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $2,311
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film ("The Forgiveness of Blood," 4 stars)
Steve says: Director Joshua Marston tried to be as meticulous as possible in understanding the unwritten laws of Albania, ones that force the males of a family to hide when one of them is targeted for revenge. To outsiders, it is almost baffling. The film's themes focus on contrasts, of young and old, tradition and modern times, law and unwritten law, and more. It is an intriguing film.
Director: Georg Maas
Origin: Germany | Norway
Languages: German | Norwegian | English | Russian | Danish
Running time: 97 min
As the European communist bloc is collapsing, Katrine's quiet life in Norway is interrupted by questions about her early years in East Germany. With the truth about her past catching up with her, Katrine must try to explain the facts to her family. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $2,311
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
---
Review of last week's film ("The Forgiveness of Blood," 4 stars)
Steve says: Director Joshua Marston tried to be as meticulous as possible in understanding the unwritten laws of Albania, ones that force the males of a family to hide when one of them is targeted for revenge. To outsiders, it is almost baffling. The film's themes focus on contrasts, of young and old, tradition and modern times, law and unwritten law, and more. It is an intriguing film.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
September 17, 2014 - "The Forgiveness of Blood" (2011)
The Forgiveness of Blood, 2011
Director: Joshua Marston
Origin: USA | Albania | Denmark | Italy
Language: Albanian
Running time: 109 min
When an archaic code of justice confines 17-year-old Nik and the male members of his family to their home, his younger sister becomes the breadwinner. But the housebound Nik is so miserable that he's willing to risk his life to end the confinement. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $119,683
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
---
Review of last week's film ("The Missing Picture", 3.5 stars)
Steven says: How does a director make a film about his life without archival footage? Rithy Panh creates a world from memory, populating it with miniature (and often haunting) figurines, while telling of his oppressed life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in the mid-1970s. It's a mostly effective technique that pairs well with poetic observations of the director.
Director: Joshua Marston
Origin: USA | Albania | Denmark | Italy
Language: Albanian
Running time: 109 min
When an archaic code of justice confines 17-year-old Nik and the male members of his family to their home, his younger sister becomes the breadwinner. But the housebound Nik is so miserable that he's willing to risk his life to end the confinement. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $119,683
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
---
Review of last week's film ("The Missing Picture", 3.5 stars)
Steven says: How does a director make a film about his life without archival footage? Rithy Panh creates a world from memory, populating it with miniature (and often haunting) figurines, while telling of his oppressed life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in the mid-1970s. It's a mostly effective technique that pairs well with poetic observations of the director.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
September 10, 2014 - "The Missing Picture" (2013)
The Missing Picture, 2013 (the first-ever documentary we've screened)
Director: Rithy Panh
Origin: Cambodia | France
Language: French
Running time: 92 min
In the film version of his harrowing memoir, director Rithy Panh uses ceramic figures to represent the Cambodian masses murdered in the 1970s. Panh's painful memories include the loss of his parents and sisters in one of history's darkest episodes. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $49,768
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
Background reading on the movie and it's central topic:
---
Review of last week's film ("The Broken Circle Breakdown", 4 stars)
Steven says: I'm a sucker for bluegrass music, especially the harmonies. So when one of the near-final scenes, where the main characters sing on stage and reflect so well what's going on in their troubled lives, shows up, I'm totally behind the film. It is well put together, shaped additionally by bluegrass songs, and overall an engaging experience. (Warning: it is not a happy film.)
Director: Rithy Panh
Origin: Cambodia | France
Language: French
Running time: 92 min
In the film version of his harrowing memoir, director Rithy Panh uses ceramic figures to represent the Cambodian masses murdered in the 1970s. Panh's painful memories include the loss of his parents and sisters in one of history's darkest episodes. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $49,768
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
Background reading on the movie and it's central topic:
- Cambodian history refresher
- New York Times review, to give you an idea of what we'll be seeing
---
Review of last week's film ("The Broken Circle Breakdown", 4 stars)
Steven says: I'm a sucker for bluegrass music, especially the harmonies. So when one of the near-final scenes, where the main characters sing on stage and reflect so well what's going on in their troubled lives, shows up, I'm totally behind the film. It is well put together, shaped additionally by bluegrass songs, and overall an engaging experience. (Warning: it is not a happy film.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)