December 16, 2015 - "Nora's Will" (2010)

Nora's Will, 2010 (Original title: Five Days without Nora)
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Origin: Mexico
Languages: Spanish | Hebrew
Running time: 92 minutes

This award-winning black comedy follows the family of Nora (Silvia Mariscal), who carefully plans her suicide so that her assortment of estranged relatives, including ex-husband José (Fernando Luján), will have to celebrate Passover together and hopefully achieve a reconciliation. As José battles with unsympathetic cemeteries, a fractious rabbi and his devoted assistant, and his own son (Ari Brickman), he realizes how deeply he still loved Nora. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on Trailer Addict.

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Review of last week's film (Philomena, 4 stars)
Steven says: A good script and an excellent Judi Dench make this a worthwhile watch. It's not hard-hitting or heavy drama, but it is a story well told, and we have a dearth of those. "I didn't see that coming. Not in a million years."

October 28, 2015 - "The Amazing Catfish" (2013)

The Amazing Catfish, 2013

Director: Claudia Sainte-Luce
Origin: Mexico | France
Language: Spanish
Running time: 89 min

Claudia carries on a solo life as a supermarket product demonstrator until a sudden bout of appendicitis lands her in a hospital bed next to Martha. As the older woman's life begins to ebb, Claudia volunteers to help Martha care for her children. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $11,278
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's film (Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, 4 stars)Steven says: Modern beliefs and practices conflict with traditional proceedings in this film that takes place almost entirely in a small courtroom. Great acting, camera work and scripting keep the story flowing.

July 10, 2013 - "Abel" (2011)

Abel, 2011
Director: Diego Luna
Origin: Mexico
Language: Spanish
Running time: 82 minutes

When 9-year-old Abel assumes his absent father's role as man of the house, he garners his family's respect, and life resumes a comfortable rhythm -- until a man arrives at the house, claiming he's the long-lost patriarch. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Review of last week's film ("The Kid with a Bike", 3 stars)
Steven says: I really like the Dardenne brothers and their films, and this one had great reviews. But it seemed to lack the nuance and believability of their other films. It is still packed with emotion, and the directors know how to get the audience to care about their characters. It's also an interesting look at institutional justice vs. street justice.

May 22, 2013 - "Duck Season" (2006)

Duck Season, 2006
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Origin: Mexico
Language: Spanish
Running time: 90 minutes

What begins as another ordinary, quiet Sunday spirals into a chaotic adventure for two teens left home alone. Equipped with their usual video games, best friends Flama (Daniel Miranda) and Moko (Diego Catano) settle in for a pleasant, if predictable, afternoon. But an unexpected encounter with an alluring adolescent neighbor and the intrusion of an idiosyncratic pizza deliveryman conspire to make the day a memorable occasion. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated R for language and some drug content
U.S. box office: $146,694
Watch the trailer on Netflix.

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Review of last week's film ("Chicken with Plums," 4.5 stars)
Steven says: You can't help but be enchanted by the story-telling techniques of this film based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis). With allusions to Iran's changing culture in the 1950s, the story centers on a disillusioned and depressed violinist and his family. It delights with humor (via lines and scenes) and expands your perspective with animation and surprising revelations. Providing details only muddies the expectations, and they would not serve to prepare one for viewing this treat.

March 14, 2012 - "Lake Tahoe" (2008)

Lake Tahoe, 2008
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Origin: Mexico | Japan | USA
Languages: Spanish | English
Running time: 89 min

When he wraps the family car around a telephone pole on the outskirts of his small town, teenager Juan (Diego Cantaño) searches for help but finds himself thrust into a strange odyssey filled with unusual characters. Writer-director Fernando Eimbcke's award-winning indie dramedy also stars Hector Herrera as quirky mechanic Don Heber and Daniela Valentine as wannabe punk star Lucia. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $5,685

Watch the trailer at IMDB.

January 25, 2012 - "Alamar" (2009)

Alamar, 2009
Director: Pedro González-Rubio
Origin: Mexico
Languages: Spanish | Italian
Running time: 73 min

Before his young son, Natan (Natan Machado Palombini), returns to Rome with his mother, Jorge (Jorge Machado) takes the boy on an extended journey to a tiny fishing village, where Natan learns to fish and snorkel amid the natural splendor of the Mexican Caribbean. Filmmaker Pedro González-Rubio's delicate family drama also stars Nestor Marin as veteran angler Matraca, as well as a colorful cast of crocodiles, tropical birds and iguanas. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $61,613

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Steve's rating of the January 18 film, "Aberdeen": 3.5 stars out of 5

December 7, 2011 - "Biutiful" (2010)

Biutiful, 2010

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Origin: Mexico | Spain
Languages: Spanish | Chinese | Wolof
Running time: 148 minutes

Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, Uxbal (Javier Bardem) -- a divorced father raising two children -- is determined to atone for his life as a black marketeer in this engrossing character study that unfolds in the slums of Barcelona, Spain. Co-starring Maricel Álvarez as Uxbal's estranged wife, director Alejandro González Iñárritu's haunting tale received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: R for Disturbing images, language, some sexual content, nudity and drug use
U.S. box office: $5,100,937

Watch the trailer on IMDB.