The Cove

There are a lot of worthy films that I put off watching because the subject matter seems too hard to take. The Cove was at the top of my list for “must see but don’t know if I can take” movies. Winner of the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary, its main subject is …

The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)

This first feature won Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck the Oscar in 2007 for Best Foreign Film and I can see why. What a wonderful film! It takes place in East Germany in 1980s and concerns a successful playwright (Sebastian Koch) and his gorgeous actress girlfriend (Martina Gedeck) who are put under surveillance by Stasi, …

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is one of those films that came and went without much fanfare, and then when all the awards nominations began to come out, it was on just about everyone’s list as best film of the year. (It received 9 Oscar nominations.) Fortunately, it is now out on DVD.

What sets …

Chéri

I heard about Chéri when it was around, but being in small town USA, it was only here for an instant and I missed it. Fortunately, it is now on DVD and it is a great chick flick, especially for women over 35. 50+ and still ravishing, Michelle Pfeiffer is lovely playing Léa, …

The Brothers Bloom

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What is it about Adrien Brody that is so attractive? He is not classically handsome. It’s the eyes. Those sad puppy eyes. In The Brothers Bloom he plays the younger brother named Bloom with Mark Ruffalo as older brother Stephen. (Strangely, they never explain why they are the Brothers Bloom and it …

After the Wedding (Efter bryllupet)

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I heard about this film when it came out and was somewhat intrigued, but the reviews I read were cryptic about the story and I took that to mean it was deep or convoluted, so I put it off. In reality, it is hard to talk about it without giving away plot points that …

Death in El Valle

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Every family has its secrets, its stories that only they can tell but frequently try to ignore. For filmmaker C.M. Hardt that story was about her grandfather. He lived in the small town of El Valle, Spain and following the Spanish Civil War, during the period of an unnamed secret war, he was …

When Ruo Ma was Seventeen

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This sweet coming of age story is almost worth seeing just for the scenery alone. Shot in southern China’s Yunnan province, When Ruo Ma was Seventeen uses the beautiful landscape of terraced paddy fields as a reminder that we are not in any place we know. It is far removed from our world. But …

Priceless

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The French make breezy little romantic comedies as easily as they do a good cup of coffee. Perhaps it is because it is a more romantic sensibility. Maybe it is just that the language sounds more romantic and the locations are so quaint. But I can enjoy absurd situations in a French film …

Lost in Austen

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To really appreciate Lost in Austen, you must be a Jane Austen fan. Pride and Prejudice to be specific. And I am. I loved the BBC version and the latest with Keira Knightly is fun, as well. I rented this thinking it was a film, but at nearly 3 hours in, …