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587,128 | 783,721 | 88,009 | 8 | Reality bites | The Year of the Quiet Sun tells of the love which blooms with considerable difficulty between an American GI and a Polish woman in postWWII Poland ( ? ) . Unlike most war romance flicks where people virtually collide with each other driven by the stark desperation and deprivation of war , this film has the pair of pr... |
585,879 | 783,721 | 147,612 | 8 | Darkly sardonic comedy not for everyone | Happiness plumbs the outwardly normal lives of a handful of loosely interconnected characters and discovers everything from neuroses to depravity to criminal insanity . This bleak and very dark comedy's austerity serves to make the characters stand out as it methodically reveals its disturbing stories . Not for every... |
585,706 | 783,721 | 252,444 | 8 | So much with so little . | Few films have garnered so much applause ( from critics and public alike ) with so little . The plot of " Rabbit Proof Fence " can be found elsewhere on this website . Suffice it to say it's about three girls walking and walking and walking and walking and . . . . across some of the most visually austere country on the... |
586,347 | 783,721 | 338,139 | 8 | Hear them roar ! | Iron Jawed Angels is an HBO historical biopic / docudrama which turns the lens on Swank who delivers a sterling performance as Quaker , suffragist , and women's right activist Alice Paul during her campaign to secure the 19th Constitutional amendment . Director Katja von Garnier , who gave us the wonderfully hip girl... |
586,735 | 783,721 | 140,888 | 8 | A simple and poignant story which refuses to compromise . | Central Station focuses on two very different people , a poorish middle-aged spinster and an orphaned boy , who come together because of circumstance and mutual need . The relationship and journey which ensues is the substance of this simple film . The story is told with harsh reality and an uncompromising honesty wh... |
587,694 | 783,721 | 101,318 | 8 | Ahhh ! Those French ! | Never mind they do drugs , vandalize , rob and steal , try to kill each other , whack one dude and torch another . After all , it amour that counts , right ? " The Lovers on the Bridge " is a look into lives of a couple of down-and-out street bums who call a Paris bridge home . The film does an excellent job of telling... |
585,829 | 783,721 | 112,767 | 8 | Amazing artistry ! | Cyclo tells of an impoverished Saigon family whose son ( Cyclo ) turns to crime and whose daughter turns to prostitution as a matter of economic survival . A magnificent accomplishment in cinematography , there's little new to be found in the film's somewhat muddled story which is told almost exclusively with the cam... |
587,427 | 783,721 | 390,221 | 8 | Maria full of cocaine | Maria Full of Grace tells the tale of an impoverished 17 year old Colombian who becomes pregnant and , in need of money , signs on as a drug " mule " , smuggling cocaine pellets into the US in her GI tract . An exceptional film for a low budget one man band indie with a deubting artist in the leading role , this film... |
586,943 | 783,721 | 365,190 | 8 | The less you know the better | Red Lights , a subtitled French film , spends it's 1 . 75 hour run following Antoine ( Darroussin ) and his wife Hélène ( Bouquet ) as they leave Paris for a night drive to Bordeaux to pick up their kids . What should have been an ordinary road trip turns into an extraordinary series of events which will leave the co... |
587,197 | 783,721 | 325,145 | 8 | Brains vs brawn | Box 507 ( not a PO Box but a safe deposit box ) is all about a husband and father , Pardo ( Resines ) , who loses his daughter in a brush fire and seven years later serendipitously discovers the fire was not the result of an accident but rather subterfuge . Pardo sets about to seek justice and finds himself embroiled... |
585,679 | 783,721 | 272,979 | 8 | Oh my aching feet | Peripatetic documentary host Michael Wood treks across Asia retracing the - 20 , 000 mile campaign of Alexander III of Macedonia in this historically rich film exploration of one of history's greatest conquerors . Wood and crew take you from Greece to the Holy Land , Egypt , Iraq , Iran , Afghanistan , India , and more... |
587,294 | 783,721 | 160,513 | 8 | A powerful drama with speed bumps . | A Map . . . offers a mature , lengthy look at the vicissitudes and tragedy which befall Weaver's character , a Wisconsin dairy farmer's wife with an unusual ability to cope . A powerful performance by Weaver and excellent support by Moore and Strathairn help to make this sometimes tedious film well worth watching . |
586,138 | 783,721 | 290,664 | 8 | Girls just wanna be loved | Hysterical Blindness , which has nothing to do with the psychogenic condition suggested by the title , is a gritty character study with Thurman at the vortex as a graspingly needy working class woman whose poor sense of self drives her like a derailed freight train into the arms of a man who uses her like a Bic . Sup... |
587,050 | 783,721 | 151,691 | 8 | An excellent no frills , no nonsense human drama . | With dogme-esque style , " My Name is Joe " takes the audience to Scotland and into a pivotal slice of life of one alcoholic Scot . . . a man named Joe who , nearing midlife , finds himself still struggling for some semblance of success and happiness . Earnest , honest , and realistic apply to both film and character i... |
587,152 | 783,721 | 83,946 | 8 | An amazing feat of filming an amazing feat . | The late Klaus Kinski plays the title character in this much heralded 2 . 5 + hour long film about Fitzcarraldo's obsession with opera which he is determined to bring to his remote village in the jungles of Peru . An obsession which leads him into an adventure in the treacherous headwaters of the Amazon . This film of ... |
587,316 | 783,721 | 264,689 | 8 | An E . Q . test for guys | Home Room spends most of its time fleshing out two teen female characters from opposite ends of the campus peer group spectrum who both survive a high school home room shooting spree . One is a goth chick with a bad attitude and the other a prissy sosh from the upper class . In addition to the obvious school shooting... |
586,156 | 783,721 | 118,275 | 8 | NYPD Blue in uniform | Brooklyn South , from the minds who brought us " NYPD Blue " , is a one-season-wonder TV drama series about the street cops at the 74th precinct in Brooklyn , NY . Where sibling series " NYPD Blue " focused on the detectives , " Brooklyn South " takes us into the lives of uniformed patrol cops spreading its complex ,... |
585,767 | 783,721 | 210,075 | 8 | Ever wonder why women want to box ? Well , here's one answer . | Girlfight follows a project dwelling New York high school girl from a sense of futility into the world of amateur boxing where she finds self esteem , purpose , and much more . Although the film is not about boxing , boxing is all about the film . So much so you can almost smell the sweat . Technically and artistical... |
585,640 | 783,721 | 285,861 | 8 | All Hoffman | Owning Mahoney tells of a bank account manager and pathological gambler who lives from one wager to the next on a collision course with oblivion . A powerful and compelling tour de force by Hoffman - who once again proves he ranks among the actor's actors with the likes of Brando , Pacino , and Nicholson - this engro... |
586,725 | 783,721 | 100,873 | 8 | Bravo ! | Vincent & Theo tells of the later years of the too short lives of painter Vincent Van Gogh and his lesser known brother , Theo . I was surprised , after viewing a Tivo'd version of the film , at how little has been written about and made of this wonderfully crafted period film by Robert Altman . Roth ( Vincent ) and ... |
586,458 | 783,721 | 130,444 | 8 | The best lesbian love story I've seen | Aimee and Jaguar tells of the love which blossoms between two women , one married with four children and one a Jewess , in Berlin . Beautifully filmed and character-driven with splendid directing and superb performances , there's little to fault in this film as two women cleave to one another under the pall of war , ... |
586,498 | 783,721 | 286,476 | 8 | A wonderfully warm and amusing character study | Autumn Spring tells of the misadventures of a dapper , walrus faced , 78 ( approx ) year old Czech man who haplessly befuddles and bemuses all who know him with his mischievous ways while his wife meticulously plans her funeral . Centerpiece Hana ( Brodský ) shows us how to get babes to kiss you when your 78 and how ... |
586,046 | 783,721 | 118,111 | 8 | A wonderfully satirical comedy . | Waiting for Guffman is a clever satirical comedy about a handful of citizen's in Blaine , Missouri , a fictitious town celebrating its sesquicentennial . The film uses the mockumentary approach to show a motley bunch of wannabee performers as they create a musical stage play depicting the town's history . Actor / Wri... |
587,079 | 783,721 | 276,751 | 8 | Shallow Hugh | About a Boy is a Brit flick about a happily eligible and independently well off bachelor ( Grant ) who learns from a boy ( Hoult ) that his self absorbed life may be needing something more . Clever , wry , and witty with plaudits aplenty , the fun in this flick is in the slightly skewed and skewering take on the shal... |
587,066 | 783,721 | 260,775 | 8 | A must hear for lovers of Latin jazz | Calle 54 , named after New York's 54th street where most of the studio filming was done , is a gift from director Fernando Trueba ( " Belle Epoque " ) to lovers of Latin Jazz everywhere . The film features 90 minutes of music by some of the idiom's finest artists with bonus material including a director's voice over ... |
585,921 | 783,721 | 130,761 | 8 | Sleeper alert | Heart , a lean and taught psychodrama , peers into the life of a heart transplant patient as a strange and aberrant relationship develops between him and the heart donor's mother . An excellent film for those into razor sharp , no frills drama , " Heart " qualifies as an under-rated " sleeper " . The film's only defi... |
586,281 | 783,721 | 269,095 | 8 | The " Good Bye " guy | City by the Sea is all about De Niro as a New York homicide detective who views the world as black and white and has trouble dealing with the grays of interpersonal relationships . Adrift between a broken home history , an ex-wife , a companion and bed mate ( McDormand ) , and a adult son junkie ( Franco ) , the agin... |
587,115 | 783,721 | 190,861 | 8 | Splendid . | Vatel is a French period film with Depardieu as the title character , a master steward under the crown of King Louis XIV whose job it is to put on feasts and spectacles for the pleasures of royalty . Typical of director Joffe , the film peers deep into the character of Vatel , around whom swirl politicking and wicked... |
585,694 | 783,721 | 190,590 | 8 | Good old fashioned fun uniquely Coen . | O Brother is a meandering comedy set in 1930's Mississippi which tells of the misadventures of three chain-gang escapees . A highly original and creative piece of work , the film amuses , taunts , and teases as it delivers a cleverly crafted script , some unique characters , and simple fun with little fanfare . As wi... |
587,015 | 783,721 | 241,303 | 8 | Creamy , smooth , rich , and very sweet | Chocolat is a sort of light drama fable which tells of a chocolatier ( Binoche ) who blows into a French village and with her winsome smile and confections methodically cuts the corset strings which bind the populace to Catholic dogma . An elegant fable with some top tier talent , " Chocolat " will be a satisfying wa... |
587,317 | 783,721 | 290,145 | 8 | Given its resources , an excellent film | Blue Car looks long and hard at a middle class teen female poetry student ( Bruckner ) who struggles with unhappy circumstances , the vicissitudes of her age , and discovers the yin-yang of human nature too often leans toward the negative . The young protag , well represented by Bruckner , finds herself with inadequa... |
586,641 | 783,721 | 156,096 | 8 | Everything an indie should be . | Spring Forward has the same limited resources as most indie films but applies them intelligently for maximum effect . The story , a simple male bonding tale about a couple of Parks Dept maintenance men , leapfrogs through the New England seasons as the all-conversation male musings and reflections take the entire run... |
586,025 | 783,721 | 167,565 | 8 | Goooooood and Loooooong | This miniseries rendering of pulp novelist Dumas ' 18th century " The Count of Monte Cristo " runs about 6 . 6 hours in length , all of it subtitled for non-French speakers . That's a whole lot of reading . However , the length allows this version of the oft filmed story to bring the characters to life in truer fashion... |
587,425 | 783,721 | 369,339 | 8 | One night in L . A . | In " Collateral " , an icy contract killer ( Cruise ) hijacks a cabbie ( Foxx ) who he forces to drive him around L . A . while he makes his stops to take care of business . The film neatly knits a scant human story including a babe and some cops with action , drama , suspense , and intrigues into an engrossing if not ... |
585,802 | 783,721 | 95,765 | 8 | The best gifts in life are not given . They're taught . | Cinema Paradiso tells of the younger years of a successful middle-aged businessman via flashback ; his life in Sicily , especially his relationship with a movie projectionist at the theater " Paradiso " . This award winning , critically acclaimed 2 hour classic-to-be if full of poignant moments , musings on life , an... |
586,736 | 783,721 | 117,959 | 8 | A very well crafted film with compelling undercurrents . | The Truce chronicles the homeward bound odyssey of an Auschwicz survivor - Primo played by Turturro - in the chaos immediately following the fall of the Third Reich . Although Primo , an Italian Jew , is the central character , the camera spends more time on the people , places , and vicissitudes which he encounters ... |
586,522 | 783,721 | 265,086 | 8 | One humungous firefight . | There are plenty of resources for info about the infamous and well documented Mogadishu fiasco recounted in " Blackhawk Down " . The film is both artistically and technically excellent . However , character depth and story is sacrificed in the interest of squeezing as much action as possible into a somewhat difficult t... |
586,083 | 783,721 | 300,015 | 8 | Excuse me while I go fall out of love with Cassandra | I Capture the Castle is a coming-of-age flick ( circa 1930 ) about a 17 year old English girl whose family takes up residence in a castle . A delightfully lyrical tale , the film spends time with the eccentric father suffering from terminal writer's block , the step-mother who likes to romp in the altogether , a sist... |
587,482 | 783,721 | 364,961 | 8 | A spellbinder for psychodrama fans | The Assassination of Richard Nixon is all about Penn as a mentally challenged man who , in spite of his best efforts , finds his life unraveling . The film is an in-depth study of the Penn character and reveals a kind of person not often examined in film . The character is a man living his life in that gray area betw... |
586,135 | 783,721 | 276,607 | 8 | A near perfect " indie " . | Virgil Bliss tells the story of a revolving door criminal who is released from Rikers to the streets of NYC where we watch his best intentions to go straight dissolve before our eyes . Maggio tells a moving and believable story and delivers a message about social ills while working with the obvious limitations of the... |
586,785 | 783,721 | 43,014 | 8 | Old but still a pretty good watch . | Wilder's Oscar winning noir psychodrama " Sunset Blvd " pales in comparison with many middle tier films of today in spite of being revered as a classic . In keeping with the public's appetite of its time , " Sunset . . . " is melodramatic , fraught with overacting , and promotes a plot which raises more questions than ... |
586,598 | 783,721 | 245,574 | 8 | A superficially ordinary flick with great depth | Y Tu Mama Tambien might be analogous to the great pyramids of Egypt . Some may find them breathtakingly beautiful / magnificent while other will see little more than antiquated simplistic geometry . However , all have to appreciate engineering which went into their construction and no one can deny the mysteries they ... |
587,420 | 783,721 | 381,681 | 8 | All you need to know | Before Sunset is an open-ended and worthy sequel to the very popular romantic niche film " Before Sunrise " . However , it will have little meaning or magic for those who have not seen the original 1995 film . Therefore . . . . - If you saw " Before Sunrise " and liked it , this film is a must see . - If you saw " Be... |
585,720 | 783,721 | 278,504 | 8 | Good stuff in spite of being flawed and over-hyped . | Insomnia 2002 tells a tortuous tale about a top cop from L . A . ( Pacino ) who travels to Alaska to help with a homicide investigation while being investigated by I . A . at home . Unable to sleep under the midnight sun , he begins to unravel as he digs deeper into the crime and becomes a reluctant partner to his qu... |
585,757 | 783,721 | 274,117 | 8 | A gripping character-driven psychodramatic caper flick | Read My Lips tells of a strange symbiosis which develops between a plain , socially maladroit female office worker ( Devos ) and her workplace trainee , a crude excon ( Casel ) . As the film fleshes out this unlikely duo down to their ids they become embroiled in a chilling merging of the minds , each using the other... |
587,326 | 783,721 | 106,226 | 8 | Not so much a wonderful story as a wonderful telling . | The Age of Innocence takes the audience into the pages of 19th century New York's social register as it follows one eligible blue blood , Day-Lewis , and his love interests ( Pfeiffer & Ryder ) . The film , which boasts many awards including several Oscars , is a 2 + hour long tale of the this and that of the upper c... |
586,434 | 783,721 | 144,201 | 8 | Man , woman , knives , love . | An artfully shot , black and white contemporary French film , " Girl on the Bridge " is a peculiar sort of romantic drama about a man and a woman bound together by an alloy of danger , fatalism , luck , libidos , and sharp steel . On one level the film is preposterous ; on another , implausible ; and yet on another a c... |
586,939 | 783,721 | 362,269 | 8 | An excellent biopic but not for everyone | Kinsey is all about Neeson as Alfred Kinsey , the first scientist to take on the daunting challenge of scientifically investigating human sexuality in the mid-20th century when sex education was still happening in the streets and American society was still corseted with the stays of puritan mores . A very well presen... |
585,795 | 783,721 | 257,360 | 8 | Great if you get it . | About Schmidt sticks Nicholson at the center as a recently retired nondescript midwest WASP widower who , finding himself with too much time with which to reflect on the emptiness of his life and the vacuum left by the absence of spouse and career , takes a road trip . A wonderful blend of off-kilter stereotypes , ke... |
587,181 | 783,721 | 265,307 | 8 | Time well spent | The Man From Elysian Fields tells of a struggling writer ( Garcia ) who pens his soul into the pages of a novel in a last ditch bid for success . A solid three star romanticized drama with a beautiful cast , " . . . Elysian Fields " delivers its " deal with the devil " story with seductive style and an engrossing ebb... |
586,102 | 783,721 | 280,707 | 8 | Professor Plum in the parlour with Miss Peacock | Gosford Park examines the clockworks of British class society ( circa 1930's ) through a wry and clever nonstory about a gathering of sundry notables at the manor of an aristocrat for chit-chat and a grouse hunt . Turning the audience into voyeurs , the camera spys on the manor staff as and guests exploring the crust... |
585,726 | 783,721 | 208,990 | 8 | Good grief | The Son's Room is a study in the grieving dynamics of a well off Italian family of four which loses a son in a SCUBA accident . On the up-side , the film is an exceptional one man tour-de-force by Moretti which takes the audience into the heart and soul of the immediate family with its realistic , even , plaintive , ... |
585,965 | 783,721 | 157,583 | 8 | Nutritious whole brain entertainment for the mind | Enigma blends fact with fiction as it tells a carefully crafted story about the unseen and unsung heros of British WWII code-cracking who decrypted the infamous " Enigma " code which Germany used to command it's U-boat armada in the North Atlantic putting allied convoys in peril . With plenty of history and super-sec... |
587,415 | 783,721 | 249,462 | 8 | Brit flick goes Hollywood and wins kudos . | The much lauded and nominated film " Billy Elliott " is a slice of life flick about an 11 year old English boy who , to the dismay of his motherless working class coal mining family , chooses ballet over boxing as a pastime . The film is technically excellent , artistically well done , and follows the traditions of Hol... |
585,782 | 783,721 | 114,117 | 8 | Forget the book . Enjoy the movie . | Persuasion , another Jane Austen novel knock-off , is a romantic dramady about a twenty something spinster , Anne ( Root ) , in Victorian England whose quiet demeanor leaves her and her secret affections eclipsed by the busy prattling and affectations of her polite society family . At issue is whether the unrequited ... |
587,109 | 783,721 | 209,144 | 8 | Under hyped , over lauded , and damn good . | Memento is a little , minimalistic drama , artistically and technically well done film , which has received accolades from all corners well beyond both budget and hype . A " whodunit " of sorts with a curious premises , the film tells of an insurance investigator ( Pearce ) who suffers midterm memory loss and can't r... |
585,675 | 783,721 | 443,518 | 8 | A fresh lil ' romcom with an agenda . | He's a stereotypical laconic mid-50s workaholic " bean counter " for Britain's finance minister and she's young , attractive , and available . They meet in a cafe and in typical romcom fashion one thing leads to another and they're off to Reykjavik , Iceland for the G8 summit where a lack of accommodations planning has... |
586,478 | 783,721 | 82,054 | 8 | When is a girl a woman ? | When a woman is killed in a car wreck , she leaves behind a husband and a daughter by an exhusband who become the center of gravity of the film . As the step father and beautiful 14 year old nymphet share their grief under the same roof , the girl reveals an uncommon maturity as she insinuates herself into the step fat... |
587,191 | 783,721 | 319,960 | 8 | LAPD Blue | Boomtown ( Los Angeles ) is a one-season-wonder TV cop show series which focuses on a pair of detectives , a couple of beat cops , a DDA , a paramedic , and a reporter with the usual sundry side characters ( spouses , lovers , friends , etc . ) as it develops its self contained episodic dramas set in the mean and not... |
587,343 | 783,721 | 365,651 | 8 | Tennison anyone ? | Prime Suspect 4 continues the exploits of the inscrutable and dogged seeker of truth and justice , Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison ; the first of three miniseries ( PS4 , PS5 , & PS6 ) with the notable absence of founding writer Lynda La Plante from the credits . Imbued with the same gritty reality of the firs... |
586,734 | 783,721 | 166,896 | 8 | A sentimental story beautifully told . | Straight Story tells the tale of an old man's cross-country odyssey on the back of a lawn mower to visit an ill brother and mend the rift between them before either passes on . More than just a slow moving , wistful , and sentimental drama , Lynch and Farnsworth manage to show us a unique charm and wisdom through the... |
586,315 | 783,721 | 195,685 | 8 | A good all around flick . Entertaining . Enjoyable . | Erin Brockovich , with Julia Roberts in the title role , is a not-too-serious and entertaining film based on a true story . The film wisely spends much of it's time developing the Brockovich character ; a very human but savvy divorcee with three kids , more brass than brains , more brains than education , and more ed... |
587,341 | 783,721 | 114,182 | 8 | Tennison anyone ? | Prime Suspect 4 continues the exploits of the inscrutable and dogged seeker of truth and justice , Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison ; the first of three miniseries ( PS4 , PS5 , & PS6 ) with the notable absence of founding writer Lynda La Plante from the credits . Imbued with the same gritty reality of the firs... |
586,394 | 783,721 | 319,769 | 8 | Masterfully masculine | Mondays in the Sun speaks boldly , loudly , and honestly albeit narrowly about the plaintive existence of a group jobless Spanish shipyard workers . What this study of working class men lacks in depth of story it makes up for in depth of character as it moves methodically through bitter , sweet , poignant , and humor... |
585,677 | 783,721 | 361,862 | 8 | Reminded me of " Memento " | The Machinist is a dark drama all about an unrecognizable Bale as a gaunt machinist who hasn't slept in a year and looks to be a sandwich away from the grave as we observe his daily activities which invariably include some peculiar and irreconcilable events . The film opens with the protagonist dumping a corpse and t... |
586,825 | 783,721 | 335,119 | 8 | The painting was better than the book | Girl with a Pearl Earring tells a fictional tale about how the title painting by 17th century Dutch painter Vermeer might have come to be . Outwardly , the film is a story about the painter and a household maid who becomes the subject of the painting . Inwardly , the film is about the unspoken but palpable feelings b... |
587,227 | 783,721 | 166,707 | 8 | The last day of 1999 . Someone must live . Someone must die . | Midnight is a powerful Brazilian drak drama with a minimal script and a gritty shoot in the slums of Rio which tells a man and a woman on a collision course with destiny . The film does not explain itself and leaves the audience to voyeuristically witness the the plight of the characters while not bothering with the ... |
586,966 | 783,721 | 304,229 | 8 | The less you know about this film , the better . | It would be impossible to say anything substantially meaningful about " Japanese Story " without spoiling the film for those who have not seen it . Suffice it to say , it's set in Australia and works with a an Aussie woman ( Colette ) and a Japanese man ( Hiromitsu ) to build slowly to an emotionally potent situation -... |
586,665 | 783,721 | 116,790 | 8 | Needed relief from the excesses of Hollywood . | Kolya , an award winning Czech film set in Prague , is a sweet and sentimental story about a boy ( the title character ) and a male cellist who , through circumstance , becomes his guardian . Set against a backdrop of Czech countryside and the architecture of Prague , this well crafted and wistful tale is a worthwhil... |
587,650 | 783,721 | 300,879 | 8 | The usual high quality BBC Victorian novel knock-off | The Way We Live Now , like most Victorian period satire , looks into the lives of numerous characters sorting through the intrigues and foibles of romance , wickedness , power , and the pursuit of peerage and property . A lightly perfumed costume flick which tilts unabashedly between comedy and drama , this story cen... |
586,403 | 783,721 | 191,636 | 8 | A beautifully austere film about character . | As the best of French cinema does so adroitly , " The Window of Saint-Pierre " tells most of it's story laconically with knowing looks and subtle behaviors while the story it tells is a relentlessly plodding drama of unspoken words and the emotions they evoke . " Widow . . . " is more about integrity , honor , love , a... |
587,320 | 783,721 | 116,985 | 8 | A huge little movie . Kudos to L . Kreueger . | Manny & Lo tells of two runaway girls and the how they deal with the challenges which arise when one gets pregnant . What this film lacks in big budget blockbuster appurtenances it more than makes up for with it's creative and unpredictable story , depth of character , raw charm , tongue-in-cheek humor , and insightf... |
585,912 | 783,721 | 124,298 | 8 | If there was an Oscar for " best little comedy " . . . | . . . " Blast " would have likely won . It boasts excellence in all aspects of the film from story to casting to acting to sets to costumes , music , etc . This tight , creative , unpretentious , and lightly romantic comedy romp between a hip " new millennium " chick and an old fashioned stuck - in - a - fallout - shel... |
586,317 | 783,721 | 124,315 | 8 | An ample helping of the warm and fuzzies . | Part of the charm of " Cider House Rules " , a coming-of-age movie with Tobey Maguire at the center , is the finesse with which it presents itself as a " feel good " movie when most of the characters have precious little to feel good about . The film could easily have had a harder edge to it . However , the makers of t... |
585,664 | 783,721 | 120,514 | 8 | The importance of being accurate | Wilde is an elegant film with sterling performances by Fry , the title character , and a superb supporting cast . However , " Wilde " is also a shaded and skewed partial portrait of the 19th century playwright , poet , and master of the epigram . The film is not so much a biopic as it is a drama : A drama which spend... |
586,755 | 783,721 | 116,722 | 8 | Beautifully depressing | Set in late 1800's Britain , " Jude " traces the life of the title character ( Eccleston ) , a learned but humble stonemason , who courageously struggles with life's disappointments only to be struck with unspeakable tragedy . A beautifully depressing human drama , " Jude " traverses the highs and lows of life through ... |
587,084 | 783,721 | 93,223 | 8 | The hand is quicker than the eye . But is the mind quicker than a bullet ? | Plenty has been written about Mamet's " The House of Games " ; most of it good . I decided to revisit the flick to see how it held up after 17 years and was surprised at how much I enjoyed viewing it again . The film's success and durability probably has much to do with two principal ingredients which are always fun on... |
586,072 | 783,721 | 258,273 | 8 | Fresh , fun , and female . | Lovely & Amazing is a slice-of-life dialogue-intensive comedy / drama-lite examination of a mother and her two adult daughters stumbling through life one day at a time . Holofcener paints an insightful portrait of the three women with delicate brushstrokes , sufficiently colorful to be interesting and sufficiently re... |
586,108 | 783,721 | 246,719 | 8 | A sleeper for the discerning drama enthusiast | Julie Walking Home is about a woman coping with a rocky relationship with the father of her children , her son who has cancer and may or may not be healed by a faith healer , and her feelings for a man who believes he has mystical healing powers . Though the film's storyline is nothing new , the sheer reality of the ... |
586,278 | 783,721 | 246,772 | 8 | Mostly Martha but all good . | Mostly Martha is a thoroughly delightful tale of a comely , self contained , socially unassured , and occasionally gauche German master chef , Martha ( Gedeck ) , in need of a recipe for living who finds love through tragedy and romance through cooking . In thinking about these comments I concluded that there is noth... |
586,486 | 783,721 | 301,199 | 8 | A slightly flawed gem | Dirty Pretty Things tells an obviously fictional tale about an illegal immigrant in the UK ; an African doctor ( Ejiofor ) who discovers a human organ black market operation in the hotel where he works as a night clerk , is blackmailed because of his illegal status , falls in love with a Turkish illegal immigrant ( T... |
585,958 | 783,721 | 110,598 | 8 | A fun Aussie comedy with a message | Muriel's Wedding is all about a young Aussie woman who bears the scars of a dysfunctional family as she sets out in life in search of happiness . Very much an Aussie film , rough as a day old beard but with a heart of gold and a visceral sense of humor , " MW " is one of those few movies which can accurately be calle... |
586,336 | 783,721 | 124,207 | 8 | A very worthy film out of Russia . | The Thief is a Russian slice-of-miserable-life film about a Soviet boy and his young widowed mother who fall in with a charismatic soldier of low character . Other than a beautfully filmed look at the Russian landscape and culture , rarely seen in the West , this austere but well crafted Hollywood antagonist offers t... |
587,346 | 783,721 | 340,377 | 8 | Size matters | The Station Agent is a slice-of-dwarf-life character study which takes a long , hard look at little person Fin ( Dinklage ) , a train buff who inherits an old , inactive train depot where he takes up residence and then becomes involved with the locals . This poignancy packed flick spends its full 88 minute run with a... |
587,409 | 783,721 | 107,002 | 8 | A French epic masterpiece and " must see " for movie buffs . | Germinal , based on a novel by Emile Zola , is an epic film which studies the anatomy of a strike in a 19th century French coal mine . During it's 2 . 5 + hour run time , the film shows the wretchedness of coal miners , their deplorable living conditions , their attempts to organize , negotiations , strike , rioting ... |
586,000 | 783,721 | 177,858 | 8 | How far is Istanbul ? Far enough to fall in love . | No one does people movies better than the Europeans and " In July " is no exception . This wonderfully creative flick tells of Juli who is attracted to Daniel after a chance meeting at a street bazaar . However , Daniel is struck by a beautiful Turk , Melek , who is leaving for Istanbul . Deciding to follow her , Danie... |
586,523 | 783,721 | 285,742 | 9 | A very human tale of redemption | Monster's Ball tells of a white man and a black woman in the rural South coming together through desperate human need ; each suffering grief , guilt , remorse , and misery . A slow , plodding drama with rumbling racial undercurrents , the film tells a simple story , though not uneventful , with finely nuanced perform... |
587,422 | 783,721 | 260,615 | 9 | Wonderful | The Forsyte Saga traces several generations of the monied upper-middle class English Forsyte family from the mid-Victorian period into the 20th century . The 6 hour miniseries immerses itself in all of the usual family affairs from feuds to alliances to romances to marriages to births and deaths , etc . all wrapped i... |
585,779 | 783,721 | 83,390 | 9 | Peerless | Brideshead Revisited is an 11x50 minute ( approx ) TV miniseries which takes the viewer into the lives of the residents of a magnificent English country house and sprawling estate called Brideshead , the ultra-rich Flyte family of Lord and Lady Marchmain , and a much welcomed interloper , Charles Ryder ( Jeremy Irons... |
586,678 | 783,721 | 243,931 | 9 | Good advice ? Watch it . | Good Advice tells of a down and out ex-stock broker ( Sheen ) who takes over his girl friend's advice column leading to love , success , and much fun . With a zinger every few seconds , funny characters and situations , a clever story with a feel good conclusion , " Good Advice " makes for a fresh and fun watch . In ... |
587,696 | 783,721 | 178,737 | 9 | Intelligent , witty , beguiling . | Mansfield Park is a wholly wonderful motion picture in every aspect based - how loosely we cannot know nor should we care - on a Jane Austen novel . The film which delves into the lives of an 18-19th century English gentry family is replete with lush scenic beauty , perfection in costuming , a rich and elegant script... |
585,937 | 783,721 | 335,266 | 9 | A mirror of nuances | Lost in Translation is by all accounts a huge film . Telling of a 50-something married man ( Murray ) and a 20ish married woman ( Johansson ) - both Americans stuck in a hotel in Tokyo with too much time on their hands - who come together to soothe the yearning they both have for companionship , " Lost . . . . " is a... |
586,363 | 783,721 | 316,188 | 9 | Exquisitely human | For what it is , " Raising Victor Vargas " is about as close to perfection as a film can get . Either sheer genius from a fledgling auteur or just one of those lucky mixes where everything clicked ( probably some of each ) , this simple little slice-of-urban-life ethnic first love flick fleshes out its young characters... |
587,222 | 783,721 | 149,723 | 9 | A film about what love should be | Take everything you ever knew about Hollywood and filmdom and flush it . Open you mind and your heart and , if you're lucky , " Besieged " will speak to you of love like no other . Make no mistake , this film is not about romance or sex or even closeness . It is about what love should be ; pure , unsolicited , unencumb... |
586,375 | 783,721 | 105,977 | 10 | The fat man rides again | Cracker is all about a behemoth but successful criminal psychologist , Dr . Edward Fitzgerald ( Coltrane ) , who armed only with his wits , Holmesian powers of deduction , superior intellect , knowledge of human behavior , etc . solves police-stumping murder mysteries . However , the biggest mystery for the drinking ... |
586,355 | 783,721 | 200,276 | 10 | The best ever ? | The West Wing is quite possibly the best TV series ever . Consider that the series avoids the usual cheap shot ratings boosters such as soapy melodrama , sex , violence , romcom cheese , silly fluff , etc . . Consider the series has been smartened up as opposed to dumbed down , something which would sink most shows w... |
442,503 | 819,382 | 457,270 | 1 | What Hath Playboy Wrought ? | Here is this perfect family - - nice Mom and Dad , clean-cut kids . The 13-year-old boy is not only a good student but a star of his high school swimming team . He's got a girl friend , Amy , who is as cute as a button , and moral too , since she won't go all the way with him . He does a lot of homework and things on t... |
442,233 | 819,382 | 89,927 | 1 | This isn't Mike Tyson , this is Woody Allan | It poses as another epic boxing movie but it boils down to a piffle . I can't believe the positive comments this piece of garbage has received . Is there no end to our lack of taste ? It's a " guilty pleasure " only in the sense that having a dominatrix snap a wet towel at your bare buns in a guilty pleasure . Rocky go... |
442,024 | 819,382 | 808,279 | 1 | Complete Rubbish . | A pair of queer young men invade the summer cottage of a middle-class couple . At first the two preppy-looking boys seem clumsy but apologetic and innocent . Then they turn rude , and finally violent , taking the husband ( Tim Roth ) , the wife ( Naomi Watts ) , and the child ( Devon Gearhart ) captives . They break Ro... |
442,476 | 819,382 | 28,346 | 1 | A Horrible Tragedy . | We all know there are some movies that are so bad they're funny . " Plan Nine From Outer Space . " They needn't be old or cheap either . John Wayne's " The Conquerer " is right up there in the first rank of the fifth rate . I think what we tend to forget , between viewings , is that bad movies are also extremely dull .... |
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