Up and Down (2005)

Foreign Film - Czech Drama with some dark comedy - Star character is a radical soccer fan and ex-con. He struggles with his low-pay job and his baby-obsessed wife who buys a child that was illegally obtained. On the other side of town we have a wealthy professor who seeks reconciliation with his wife and fails miserably. Many socially uncomfortable scenes in this movie and/but the acting is good. Unusual film. 103 min

Control Room (2004)

Educational/Documentary - The "Al-Jazeera" Arab News Agency and how they covered the Iraq invasion. Here we can see an Arab perspective on the US coming in to Iraq and "liberating" the peoples from the evil dictator Saddam Hussein. TV Station interviews and talks with military, civilians, liberals and extremists. The Al-Jazeera Agency gives us an Arab perspective on the war and the media covering it. Control Room shows how propaganda works on both sides and how the truth is somewhere in between. 84 min.

3-Iron (2005)

Korean drama - filmed with almost no dialog with camera pans of the faces of the actors. Unusual plot too - guy breaks into people's houses while they are away on vacation and lives in their home. One day he accidentally meets an abused wife and she joins him in his adventures. The ending is most ambiguous. Mysterious flick and unforgettable. 95 min.

Barbarian Invasions

French Drama - filmed in Montreal - Canadian History Professor is dying of cancer and confined to a hospital bed. However, his wealthy investment capitalist son makes it a duty to provide his father with all the best in his last days. Friends are summoned, former lovers, former students, the best wine and food are smuggled into the hospital room. Many interesting characters and conversations, and healings occur as the professor prepares to meet his end. This movie is an emotional feast - very well acted and directed. 99 min.

Boys of Baraka

Documentary - Baltimore ghetto kids have a less than 25% of graduating high school. Gangs, drugs, crime and imprisonment loom over their future. Special Educational Project - a school in Africa for 20 select boys to get them ready for high school and more. Problem is the program folds within 12 months. This video documentary covers the story. Interesting characters and situations. Educational. 84 min.

Instinct (1999)

Human drama - Anthropologist (Anthony Hopkins) studies and lives with gorillas for years in the jungles of Africa. When hunters track and kill members of the gorilla family, the man retaliates with vengeance, killing several hunters. Imprisoned and then declared insane for violence and refusing to speak, he loses his human family and all chances of return to normal life. Enter psychiatrist (Cuba Gooding Jr) who struggles to get inside the doctor's head hoping to eventually free him. Great story and with over the top acting. Just over 2 hours.

Eastern Promises (2007)

Drama Suspense  - Russian Mafia family operating in London.  Ruthless Godfather Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) is suspected of rape and kidnapping. Innocent midwife (Naomi Watts) discovers the diary of a woman who dies in childbirth and the evidence points to Nikolai. When midwife approaches the Mafia Godfather, unusual things begin to happen. Threats, deceit, violence, and more. Excellent acting. Filmed in London.

My Wife is an Actress

French Dramedy - Famous French actress is married to a journalist. Is he jealous of her love scenes and rumored affairs with actors? Of course. Fun story filmed in both London and Paris shows a young couple striving to overcome their jealousy of each other's lives and maintain a happy marriage. A close look at everyday trials and some unusual situations as well. The cast made this worth watching. 1 hr 35 min.

Yi Yi (2000)

Taiwanese Family Drama - in Chinese with English subtitles - follows the life of a middle-aged businessman and his family living in a city apartment. The struggles of marriage, a high pressure job, kids in school, and a dying grandmother weigh on our characters. The wife is near suicidal and the grandmother becomes comatose. The father of the house is tempted by his high school sweetheart who he nearly married but didn't. The young son is philosophical and obsessed with photography. Very real and lifelike characters make this long movie (nearly 3 hours) fascinating to watch.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring (2003)

Korean Drama - set in a Buddhist monastery on a lake in the mountains of South Korea. Visually serene. 2 main characters - an old man and young disciple. The master helps the boy through his vices, especially anger and lust. Photography is superb, the acting is believable, and the story is just so well paced. A deep look at the path to enlightenment, and the lessons of change. Highly Recommended. 103 min.

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Drama (Spanish) - Maria is fed up with her job, fighting with her boyfriend, and pregnant. In desperation she goes for some quick money - carrying drugs as a "mule" for a Colombian gang. Some twists and turns in this movie as she must give up some of her family and friends in exchange for her independence. Tense moments too, when her life is in danger. Acting is low key and/but believable. Nice shots of South America. Unique film holds your attention. 101 minutes

Russian Dolls (2006)

French Comedy/Romance - Lovable film featuring a 30 year old writer looking for the right girl. Plenty of interesting scenes as the young man faces publishers, TV people, other writers, and some famous people who need his skills. Lots of romance and sex too, as he travels from country to country on various assignments. Because he is writing romance stories for television and the way the film cuts in and out from scene to scene, the viewer is not sure which part of his life is being lived and which part merely written in his imagination. Still, a fine cast of characters, and a look at life's challenges in finding a suitable partner. Scenes of Paris, London, Moscow, St. Petersburg. A most enjoyable movie. 2 hrs 9 minutes

Look at Me (2005)

French Human Drama - 20 year old girl (Lolita) is abandoned by her mother and raised by her rich and prestigious author father. Lolita struggles for identity and her father's affections. She cannot trust her friends as they seem to be only trying to get close to her father. An excellent look at French intellectuals and artists. Smart script, good pacing, and authentic performances make this a rewarding movie to watch. Filmed mostly in Paris. 1 hr 51 min.

The Cuckoo (2003)

Russian Drama - set in Finland in the 1940's as Finnish soldiers fight against Russian and German invaders. Unusual plot - Finnish soldier escapes from the Germans while a Russian soldier escapes court martial. Both soldiers wind up being cared for by a woman Lapp farmer whose husband was killed in the war four years earlier. The comedy is that none of them can understand the other. (Though neighbors, the Lapps, the Fins, and Russians speak languages that are very different) Nevertheless they insist on speaking - thinking the others will understand the gist of it. Not so. Well-paced, well-acted and with interesting looks at Northeast Finland. Unusual movie.

The Sea Inside (2004)

Human Drama - Spanish film with English subtitles - Remarkable movie about a man who lost use of his arms and legs from a diving accident when he was in his 20's. After 28 years of confinement to a bed, he wants to die. The family taking care of him is devastated, they want him to live. A battle begins. Intelligent script, super fine photography, and sensitive emotions from a fine cast of actors make this a most memorable film. And lots to think about. I loved this movie. 2 hours 5 min.

Downfall (2005)

Wartime Drama - German language with English subtitles. Close look at Adolf Hitler and his dream of National Socialism as it collapses to the Russians during the invasion of Berlin. Most of the film is shot inside a bunker, with occasional graphic looks at wartime casualties. Hitler commits suicide with his closest secretary and wife, and the body is burned to ashes. Others devoted to the Nazi cause follow suit. Excellent performance by Swiss actor Bruno Ganz as Hitler, screaming, pounding, and straining for the remains of control as the armies around him are destroyed. A long 2 hours and 30 minutes of violence and destruction, I found it tedious to watch. But very real.

Gilles' Wife (2006)

Belgian Drama - 1930's rural life - Pregnant woman with two girls suspects her husband of having an affair with her sister. Emotions seethe but she keeps quiet about it. The movie is shot with very little dialog and long quiet looks at actress Emmanuelle Devos's face through torment, anger, disappointment, resignation, fear, hope, and caring. Fascinating movie to watch. 1 hr 43 min

City of God (2003)

Drama - Foreign (Brazil) Violent and based on a true story (they must have stretched it). Violent youth gangs living in the housing project (City of God) in Rio de Janeiro. Plenty of violence as the young and poor take to drugs, robbery, and killing. Fights for money and control involve rival gangs and the police. Told from the perspective of a young man wanting out of the turmoil taking place in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Fine performances throughout, very real. Dark and not so hopeful, though some survive. 2 hours 10 min.

Comedy of Innocence (2003)

Supernatural Drama/Suspense (not a comedy) from France - 9 year old boy begins acting strange as if he is possessed by another personality. He claims to have a mother in another part of Paris. (This drives his real mom crazy) Is the boy schizophrenic? Or has he been possessed by a spirit? Unusual story and with some twists and turns as the 2 moms fight to keep their boy. Fortunately, the ending brings a satisfactory resolution. Fine acting by Isabelle Huppert and Jeanne Balibar.

8 Women (2002)

Murder Mystery Comedy with some Music - French Production- based on a Robert Thomas play. The scene is a French country house in the wintertime occupied by 8 women and 1 man who has been murdered. Fiery arguments among the women as they accuse each other of murdering the man of the house. Was it the wife? or one of the two maids? Or one of two daughters? Or the sister? Or... A most unusual mixture of genre. The characters are entertaining and the actors are well chosen. 1 hour 51 min

Under the Sun (2001)

Romance Drama with some comedy - Swedish film (subtitled) about a lonely farmer in the 1950's. Olof (main character) is a virgin and 40 years old. Desperate to meet a woman, he places an ad in a newspaper asking for a housekeeper. Much to his surprise and the surprise of his friends, a beautiful young woman answers his ad and they begin to fall in love. Slow moving film and/but with superb photography and fine acting. Recommended. 1 hr 58 min.

Broken Wings (2004)

Human Drama - Foreign Israeli film with English subtitles. Smart script, very believable acting, and expert photography despite being a relatively low budget film. Family of 6 loses their father to a bee sting creating major hardships. The mother must work overtime to pay the bills while the eldest son drops out of school and the eldest daughter struggles with her music but cannot leave her family to pursue it fully. When the youngest son has a head injury and becomes comatose, the family falls into serious turmoil. Very lovable characters and the story moves right along. It is amazing what they created with only 85 minutes of film!

The Piano Teacher (2002)

Human Drama - French film... Plenty of explicit sex and some violence. Ambitious and slightly disturbed piano teacher/concert pianist punishes her students to excellence. She appears cruel and unfeeling. A bold and musically talented male student falls in love with her and pursues her. The teacher reveals her strange and unusual sexual preferences (to the boy's shock and dismay). Good psychological study and superb acting, but this story is not for everyone. The ending was uncertain. 2 hrs 5 min

Paradise Now (2005)

Human Drama (Documentary Style) - 2 Palestinian buddies are selected for a suicide mission. Can they do it? In depth look at the psychology of dying/fighting for a cause. Both of them have their moments of decisiveness and moments of doubt. Families and friends factor in as well as the honor or dishonor of accomplishment in the eyes of their peers. Educational.

Mostly Martha (2002)

German Dramady - Obsessive female chef (Martha) loves food more than people. When her sister dies and leaves her with a niece to take care of, she fights through her shyness and emotional coldness to be motherly. Meanwhile, at the restaurant where she works the owner hires an assistant chef that riles her competitiveness. Lots of character development here, an absorbing story, fine acting, and lovely photography. Despite the subtitles I really enjoyed this film. 1 hour 47 min

Cry Baby (1990)

Musical Comedy Teenage Melodrama spoof on the 1950's. Johnny Dep plays a gang leader who is tough but vulnerable (he cries daily). Plot centers around Johnny's character and the girl he falls in love with who is rich and a "square". A kind of civil war ensues between the punks and the rich and square. Lots of rock and roll with dancing too. Patti Hearst and Iggy Pop appear in this cast of unusual characters. Fun movie - most unusual. 92 minutes

Bread and Tulips (2001)

Romantic Comedy Italian Style (English subtitles) - Middle-aged housewife gets separated from her family on a vacation bus tour and decides to hitchhike home! A fun adventure starts as her 2nd ride takes her to Venice and she falls in love with the charm of the water city, and decides to extend her vacation by staying there and even working a part-time job at a flower shop. In a short time she makes new friends and even finds romance. Her family misses her dearly (mostly for cooking and cleaning), and she has a major decision to make. Lovable characters, smart dialog, and nice settings. I enjoyed this wacky low budget film. 95 minutes.