The City of your Final Destination, 2009
Director: James Ivory
Origin: USA
Languages: English | Spanish | French
Running time: 117 min
After duping school officials into awarding him a grant to write a biography on novelist Jules Gund, grad student Omar Razaghi (Omar Metwally) must travel to Uruguay to get legitimate authorization from the late author's three executors. James Ivory (A Room with a View) directs this moving adaptation of author Peter Cameron's novel of the same name. Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney and Charlotte Gainsbourg also star. (from Netflix.com)
MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for a brief sexual situation with partial nudity
Watch the trailer at IMDB.com.
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Review of last week's movie, "The Trip" (four stars)
Steven says: I think the Rotten Tomatoes write-up says it best: Amiable, funny and sometimes insightful, The Trip works as both a showcase for the enduring chemistry between stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and an unexpected perusal of men entering mid-life crises.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
April 18, 2012 - "The Trip" (2010)
The Trip, 2010
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Origin: UK
Language: English
Running time: 107 min
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, the stars of the 2005 comedy Tristram Shandy, reunite with director Michael Winterbottom for this mockumentary about a pair of actors -- handily named Steve and Rob -- who embark on a foodie road trip across England. Mostly improvised and highlighting the duo's penchant for dueling impressions of famous actors, the film follows them as they test their friendship while sampling the best restaurants in Northern England. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $2,014,922
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film (The Keys to the House, 3.5 stars)
Steven says: A great look at parents (new or not) of children with disabilities. Honest portrayals, interesting insights, and great scenes between father and son. Worth a viewing.
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Origin: UK
Language: English
Running time: 107 min
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, the stars of the 2005 comedy Tristram Shandy, reunite with director Michael Winterbottom for this mockumentary about a pair of actors -- handily named Steve and Rob -- who embark on a foodie road trip across England. Mostly improvised and highlighting the duo's penchant for dueling impressions of famous actors, the film follows them as they test their friendship while sampling the best restaurants in Northern England. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $2,014,922
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film (The Keys to the House, 3.5 stars)
Steven says: A great look at parents (new or not) of children with disabilities. Honest portrayals, interesting insights, and great scenes between father and son. Worth a viewing.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
April 11, 2012 - "The Keys to the House" (2004)
The Keys to the House, 2004
Director: Gianni Amelio
Origin: Italy | Germany | France
Languages: Italian | German | French | English
Running time: 105 min
After his wife dies giving birth to their mentally and physically handicapped son, Paolo (Andrea Rossi), Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart) finds he's unable to cope with his duties as a father. Fifteen years later, he returns to mend his fractured relationship with his son. Rebuilding a bond won't be easy, but Gianni's friendship with the mother of a disabled child provides the support he's been looking for and the tools he needs to make amends. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film ("Roads to Koktebel", 3 stars)
Steven says: A road movie, from Moscow to Koktebel, told in vignettes. It's a hard life brought on by death and alcoholism, and we see the aftermath of those events unfold. The wishful thinking of the child only proves to create more disappointment. Simply told, creatively shot and open to several interpretations.
Director: Gianni Amelio
Origin: Italy | Germany | France
Languages: Italian | German | French | English
Running time: 105 min
After his wife dies giving birth to their mentally and physically handicapped son, Paolo (Andrea Rossi), Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart) finds he's unable to cope with his duties as a father. Fifteen years later, he returns to mend his fractured relationship with his son. Rebuilding a bond won't be easy, but Gianni's friendship with the mother of a disabled child provides the support he's been looking for and the tools he needs to make amends. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film ("Roads to Koktebel", 3 stars)
Steven says: A road movie, from Moscow to Koktebel, told in vignettes. It's a hard life brought on by death and alcoholism, and we see the aftermath of those events unfold. The wishful thinking of the child only proves to create more disappointment. Simply told, creatively shot and open to several interpretations.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
April 4, 2012 - "Roads to Koktebel" (2003)
Roads to Koktebel, 2003
Directors: Boris Khlebnikov, Aleksei Popogrebsky
Origin: Russia
Language: Russian
Running time: 100 min
This contemplative drama follows an unemployed alcoholic widower (Igor Csernyevics) and his 11-year-old son (Gleb Puskepalis) as they set off on a meandering road trip to Koktebel, a beach town on the Black Sea. While the father is happy to gradually make their way through the Russian countryside -- trying to bond with his son along the way -- the single-minded boy is eager to reach Koktebel, where he hopes they'll be able to get a fresh start.(from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Koktebel (the city).
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Review of last week's film (Inch' Allah Dimanche, 3.5 stars)
Steven says:The script had us laughing one minute, fearing for the main character the next, and scratching our heads the next. Yet another movie tackles the fish-out-of-water, immigrant-culture clash genre, this time in 1974 France as families of Algerian workers are allowed to reunite with their husbands/sons in France. We see four different women who have different worries that consume their lives while French society is experiencing social change. It's a film to watch, to wonder about, and to enjoy more for its details, subtleties and charms than for its overall plot and message.
Directors: Boris Khlebnikov, Aleksei Popogrebsky
Origin: Russia
Language: Russian
Running time: 100 min
This contemplative drama follows an unemployed alcoholic widower (Igor Csernyevics) and his 11-year-old son (Gleb Puskepalis) as they set off on a meandering road trip to Koktebel, a beach town on the Black Sea. While the father is happy to gradually make their way through the Russian countryside -- trying to bond with his son along the way -- the single-minded boy is eager to reach Koktebel, where he hopes they'll be able to get a fresh start.(from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Koktebel (the city).
-------
Review of last week's film (Inch' Allah Dimanche, 3.5 stars)
Steven says:The script had us laughing one minute, fearing for the main character the next, and scratching our heads the next. Yet another movie tackles the fish-out-of-water, immigrant-culture clash genre, this time in 1974 France as families of Algerian workers are allowed to reunite with their husbands/sons in France. We see four different women who have different worries that consume their lives while French society is experiencing social change. It's a film to watch, to wonder about, and to enjoy more for its details, subtleties and charms than for its overall plot and message.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
March 28, 2012 - "Inch' Allah Dimanche" (2001)
Inch' Allah Dimanche, 2001
Director: Yamina Benguigui
Origin: France | Algeria
Languages: Arabic | French
Running time: 98 min
French-Algerian director Yamina Benguigi brings us the passionate story of an immigrant struggling against old world traditions. Zouina (Fjeria Deliba) leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he's been living for the past 10 years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her mother-in-law's tyrannical hand and her husband's distrustful bitterness as she adjusts to her life in exile. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
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Review of last week's film ("When We Leave", 4 stars)Steven says: Great acting from the lead actress and a heartbreaking story line about families choosing between a daughter or the "community." Not easily forgettable.
Director: Yamina Benguigui
Origin: France | Algeria
Languages: Arabic | French
Running time: 98 min
French-Algerian director Yamina Benguigi brings us the passionate story of an immigrant struggling against old world traditions. Zouina (Fjeria Deliba) leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he's been living for the past 10 years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her mother-in-law's tyrannical hand and her husband's distrustful bitterness as she adjusts to her life in exile. (from Netflix.com)
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
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Review of last week's film ("When We Leave", 4 stars)Steven says: Great acting from the lead actress and a heartbreaking story line about families choosing between a daughter or the "community." Not easily forgettable.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
March 21, 2012 - "When We Leave" (2010)
When We Leave, 2010
Director: Feo Aladag
Origin: German
Languages: German | Turkish
Running time: 119 min
Umay, 25, is torn between two cultures when she leaves her abusive husband and takes their young son, Cem, from Istanbul to her family home in Germany. Seeking refuge with her parents, Umay hopes to start anew, but her family disapproves. She finds work in a restaurant and falls in love with a German co-worker, Stipe, who happily welcomes her and Cem into his life, but turmoil erupts when Umay's family decides to return Cem to his father. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $14,128
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
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Review of last week's film, "Lake Tahoe"
Steven said:
You find yourself asking "why?" and "is this it?", and then suddenly it all makes sense. Nothing is concrete, but everything is there to help you experience a day with a troubled teen in what seems to be a desolate landscape. It is a gem of a film, yes, and it is more nuanced then it initially seems.
Director: Feo Aladag
Origin: German
Languages: German | Turkish
Running time: 119 min
Umay, 25, is torn between two cultures when she leaves her abusive husband and takes their young son, Cem, from Istanbul to her family home in Germany. Seeking refuge with her parents, Umay hopes to start anew, but her family disapproves. She finds work in a restaurant and falls in love with a German co-worker, Stipe, who happily welcomes her and Cem into his life, but turmoil erupts when Umay's family decides to return Cem to his father. (from Netflix.com)
U.S. box office: $14,128
Watch the trailer on IMDB.
--
Review of last week's film, "Lake Tahoe"
Steven said:
You find yourself asking "why?" and "is this it?", and then suddenly it all makes sense. Nothing is concrete, but everything is there to help you experience a day with a troubled teen in what seems to be a desolate landscape. It is a gem of a film, yes, and it is more nuanced then it initially seems.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
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.
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.
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