January 28, 2015 - "Ida" (2014)

Ida, 2014Screening at 7 p.m. in Forney Hall, B124
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Origin: Poland | Denmark | France | UK
Languages: Polish | Latin | French
Running time: 82 minutes

Raised in a Catholic orphanage during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Anna is poised to join the order when she learns she has a surviving aunt. But visiting the woman before taking her vows uncovers some inconvenient truths about her heritage. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexuality and smoking
U.S. box office: $3,702,720
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's film ("The Trip to Italy", 3 stars)
Steve says: With a slight scripted nod to sequels not living up to the originals, "The Trip to Italy" does its best to explore Italy while it explores the personal lives of its main characters, first introduced to us in "The Trip". It is touching, insightful, very improvisational, and for the most part, enjoyable.

April 24, 2013 - "In Darkness" (2011)

In Darkness, 2011
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Origin: Poland | Germany | Canada
Languages: Polish | Ukrainian | Yiddish | German
Running time: 145 min

As Nazis overrun Warsaw, many of the city's Jews hide out in sewers, where they encounter Leopold, an anti-Semitic sanitation worker. His prejudice reflects the rift between Poland's Jews and Catholics in this film inspired by true events. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality, nudity and language
U.S. box office: $1,038,733

Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's films ("Not One Less", 3.5 stars)Steven says: A substitute teacher, a missing student, and a promise that all students would be accounted for when the regular teacher returns in a month. What follows is a teenager's persistence in the face of what seems like insurmountable odds. From a tiny country school to a teeming city, the 13-year-old teacher searches for her most frustrating student, which is all a part of a larger message about the plight of education in rural China.