November 5, 2014 - "Take Out" (2004)

Take Out, 2004
Directors: Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou
Origin: USA
Languages: English | Mandarin | Spanish
Running time: 87 min

When an illegal immigrant finds himself behind on a large debt due to crooks who smuggled him into the country, he must come up with the payment in one day by hustling tips as he delivers Chinese food around New York City. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $66,892
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's film ("When Father Was Away on Business", 3.5 stars)
Steven says: The Cannes winner in 1985, this film tackles the toll a war takes on one family that has its own dysfunctions. A working knowledge of 20th century Yugolav history would help with comprehension, but it's still an effective story.

October 29, 2014 - "When Father Was Away on Business" (1985)

When Father Was Away on Business, 1985
Director: Emir Kusturica
Origin: Yugoslavia
Languages: Serbian | Hungarian
Running time: 136 min

Yugoslavian director Emil Kusturica won the Cannes Golden Palm award for this drama that conveys the tensions between Russia and Yugoslavia in the early 1950s. The story is told from the viewpoint of 6-year-old Malik (Moreno De Bartolli), who's unaware of the real reason for his father's (Miki Manojlovic) absence. The family insists that he's away on business, but he's really in prison for his affair with the lover of a top-ranking party member. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

October 22, 2014 - "Black Butterflies" (2011)

Black Butterflies, 2011
Director: Paula van der Oest
Origin: Germany | Netherlands | South Africa
Language: English
Running time: 100 min

This passionate biopic profiles South African poet Ingrid Jonker, whose exuberant nature is destroyed by her repeated betrayals of her supportive lover and her complex relationship with her disapproving father, the minister of censorship. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Reveiw of the previous film (Sister, 3.5 stars)
Steven says: Surprising things are revealed in this film that promises mostly coming-of-age antics and teenage thievery. It will make you question relationships, how they were formed, and how they continue. It's a good film with lingering questions.

October 8, 2014 - "Sister" (2012)

Sister, 2012
Director: Ursula Meier
Origin: France | Switzerland
Languages: French | English
Running time: 97 min

Every day, impoverished 12-year-old Simon sneaks into a posh Swiss ski resort, where he helps himself to the gear of wealthy tourists. Benefiting from his thievery is his lazy older sister, Louise, who refuses to live up to her responsibilities. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Review of last week's film (The Matchmaker, 3.5 stars)
Stevens say: Set in 1968, this is a lighthearted Israeli film is infused with a smidgen of mystery and built on the difficult memories of the Holocaust. The teenaged protagonist learns about love ("why do Americans protest 'make love not war'. Wasn't there more important things than love?", he asks.) from a matchmaker and a free-spirited girl visiting for the summer.

October 1, 2014 - "The Matchmaker" (2010)

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.