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512,967 | 3,223,254 | 284,631 | 8 | Life , Death , Friendships and Other Anomalies | WALKING ON WATER is disturbing in the best sense of the word : it calls forth a sense of identification with each of the major characters in this story and makes us uncomfortable while providing avenues for insight and change . Were that all movies had the emotional and spiritual impact of this fine film written by Rog... |
512,746 | 3,223,254 | 317,132 | 8 | One of the Better ' Family Films ' in recent years | BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE succeeds as a credible view of the world through children's eyes because it remains honest and straightforward . Credit director Wayne Wang and Joan Singleton's screenplay adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's fine novel for keeping this story simple , direct , terse , and most important , not allowing i... |
512,845 | 3,223,254 | 468,496 | 8 | A Powerful New Dimension in Documentaries : The Director is also Invisible | Konstantin Bojanov is a fearless , sensitive , respectful observer of the young people of Sofia , Bulgaria whose lives are focused on drugs . Three years in the making ( 2000 - 2003 ) this unique documentary was possible only because of the dedication of Bojanov who sought to depict from the addicts ' vantage a problem... |
513,509 | 3,223,254 | 804,461 | 8 | Revenge and other forms of Madness | DEATH SENTENCE is a tough movie to watch , not because it is a poorly made film , but because of the degree of violence that , once started , is mayhem on a roller coaster ride . Though based on a novel by Brian Garfield , the script by Ian Jeffers is a patchwork quilt - the holes show whenever the police arrive on the... |
513,403 | 3,223,254 | 104,691 | 8 | Restoration of Dignity to Native Americans , Long Overdue | James Fenimore Cooper's trusty old nineteenth century novel ' The Last of the Mohicans ' has provided a surprisingly sound springboard for a film that tries and succeeds in restoring a profound respect for the Native Americans . Yes , it is a story about the Indians and their culture desecrated by the arrival of Europe... |
513,259 | 3,223,254 | 443,274 | 8 | Confusion and Terror from Multiple Vantages | The story line of VANTAGE POINT is a brief one : a summit meeting on terrorism aimed at addressing the differences between the Arab world and the Western world is taking place in Salamanca , Spain and the arrival of the President of the United States is greeted with assassination attempts , terrorist explosions , and c... |
513,681 | 3,223,254 | 430,063 | 8 | A Refreshingly Different Story That Makes Many Meaningful Statements | Quentin Lee is to be congratulated for taking on several controversial issues and blending them into a novel story that works on many levels . While many writers and directors of Indie gay films focus on the downtrodden , bleak , tragic aspect of young gay lads coming to grips with their lives , few have presented stor... |
513,118 | 3,223,254 | 410,297 | 8 | A Visual Feast for a Time Travel Love Story | Anytime a story is about time travel the audience must accept the fact that suspension of belief is mandatory . Based on a Korean film ' Siworae ' by Eun-Jeong Kim and Ji-na Yeo and adapted for the latest version by David Auburn , Alejandro Agresti has his work cut out for him . The story is Swiss cheese full of holes ... |
513,381 | 3,223,254 | 142,393 | 8 | A Meditation on Death and Dying : Reconstructing a Family | Bruce Wagner's screen adaptation of his novel I'M LOSING YOU has some of the more intelligent dialogue to be encountered in a film . Since Wagner also directed this little gem , brimming over with excellent actors , we can be assured that his message of death as a necessary component in the cycle of life is intact . De... |
512,891 | 3,223,254 | 326,905 | 8 | Unsung Heroes | Much of what happens during war is not apparent to the general public : events that place American military personnel in a less than gratuitous light historically have been downplayed by the media , current events in Iraq excepted . Such was the case in World War II when Washington more or less ignored the imprisonment... |
512,701 | 3,223,254 | 396,818 | 8 | The Dark Corners of Love and Obsession | Writer / director Matteo Garrone has created in PRIMO AMORE yet another atmospheric film ( not unlike ' L'Imbalsamatore ' ) that deftly explores the dark side of human interactions and motivations . His style is Gothic in nature but with a contemporary setting manipulated with quirky camera work and artistically design... |
513,458 | 3,223,254 | 399,295 | 8 | Business as Usual : A Peek at the Weapons Trafficking World | Director / writer Andrew Niccol makes films with layers of meaning , the kind that find us laughing at inappropriate moments because contemporary life is like that : what on the surface seems like an entertaining story has very dark roots . His previous strange films include ' The Terminal ' , ' The Truman Show ' , ' S... |
513,422 | 3,223,254 | 199,777 | 8 | Aleksandr Sokurov Examines the Mind of Hitler : A Study of Insanity | MOLOCH ( translated as ' a demon in the shape of a man ' ) is a film that shows yet another aspect of Aleksandr Sokurov's approach to film-making . As in his splendid ' Russian Ark ' , ' Mother and Son ' , and ' Father and Son ' he manages to say more in his silences and interplay of his characters with nature and thei... |
513,292 | 3,223,254 | 816,616 | 8 | Both Sides of Forgiveness | POOR BOY'S GAME is a little film with a big message : hate can only be altered with forgiveness , remorse and redemption . The highly respected Jamaican director Clément Virgo ( episodes on ' The Wire ' , ' The L Word ' , ' Soul Food ' , and films ' Love Comes Down ' , ' Lie With Me ' , etc ) here takes on the tough su... |
513,549 | 3,223,254 | 239,509 | 8 | Wants , Needs , and Accessibility | JULIE JOHNSON is a quiet little film that deals with the frustrations facing a New Jersey housewife and mother who married and birthed before she graduated high school and finds herself in a rigid relationship , longing for knowledge to change things . She considers herself stupid , sneaks Science magazines to read whe... |
513,445 | 3,223,254 | 118,248 | 8 | With Respect for the Jules Verne Classic Novel | Few knew when Jules Verne was writing his futuristic novels in the 19th century that such entertaining page-turners would foretell so much reality . In this 1997 adaptation of Verne's ' 20 , 000 Leagues Under the Sea ' the screenwriter ( Brian Nelson ) and director Rod Hardy have elected to pay homage to the scientific... |
512,862 | 3,223,254 | 404,552 | 8 | Camera Fetishes Focus on a Colorful Life | María Lidón directed ' Yo puta ' ( ' The Life ' ) based on material and story by Adela Ibañez and Isabel Pisano , tied in three established actors ( Daryl Hannah , Denise Richards , and Joaquim de Almeida ) , and creative camera work ( visual manipulations , frame freezing , etc ) by Ricardo Aronovich - all with the ap... |
513,393 | 3,223,254 | 119,874 | 8 | A Real Suspenseful Thriller by Mimi Leder ! | Terrorist films abound these days , as though putting stories about terrorists who make mistakes is supposed to make us all feel more safe . This taut , well-written and finely acted espionage film is different that those currently in front of us : made in 1997 this film in retrospect had a better grip on just how frig... |
513,109 | 3,223,254 | 427,944 | 8 | ' In the end you have to pay the mortgage ' | The fact that everyone ( well , almost ) will do anything for money - the mortgage must be paid - is only one of the subversive elements placed on the table of this bitingly satirical film . Based on the very edgy novel by Christopher Buckley , director Jason Reitman has adapted the story for the screen , populated his... |
513,305 | 3,223,254 | 804,505 | 8 | All Is Not What It Seems | MARRIED LIFE will probably fare better in the DVD format where this at times disturbing view of marital status can be viewed in private rather than in the company of the throngs that resemble the characters depicted in this fine little film . Based on the novel ' Five Roundabouts to Heaven ' by John Bingham and well ad... |
512,800 | 3,223,254 | 327,919 | 8 | An Odyssey from the Womb of Prison to the Light of the World | Adapted from Danish writer Anne Holm's 1963 best selling novel ' David ' ( translated into English in 1965 as ' I Am David ' ) and written for the screen adaptation by Director Paul Feig , this film is one of conviction on the part of all those involved to re-create the odyssey of a child into the throes of the world a... |
512,809 | 3,223,254 | 382,069 | 8 | A Warm , Sensitive , Genteel Human Comedy | ' Le Hasard Fait Bien Les Choses ' ( AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT ) is a thoroughly surprising film . The marketing ploy makes this very well written ( Julie Gilbert and Philippe Le Dem ) and well directed ( Lorenzo Gabriele ) seem to be something it is not - a flashy fleshy gay flick from France . But what the viewer discove... |
513,535 | 3,223,254 | 80,662 | 8 | Finding Self , Finding Love | DU ER IKKE ALENE ( You Are Not Alone ) is a 1978 Danish landmark film written by Lasse Nielsen and Bent Petersen and directed by Nielsen and Ernst Johansen . When the period during which this film was made , a time when gay theme movies were all but verboten , this little film is a brave , delicate , tender , unpretent... |
513,481 | 3,223,254 | 313,202 | 8 | A Time Travel Story with Heart | In AN ANGEL FOR MAY director Harley Cokeliss has assembled a fine cast and production team to bring this ' children's classic ' novel by Melvin Burgess to the screen ( screenplay by Peter Milligan ) , and in doing so he has quite successfully transferred a very tender little tale into a full blown motion picture that s... |
513,283 | 3,223,254 | 791,315 | 8 | A Story of Sexual Awakening | KEILLERS PARK is a moody film noir from Sweden , a story by Pia Gradvall directed by Susanna Edwards that approaches the frequently told fears and joys of sexual coming out in a stylish and inventive way . It is a film that embellishes a fine script with creative camera work , sensitive use of flashbacks to peel the on... |
513,587 | 3,223,254 | 382,077 | 8 | ' Come out , come out wherever you are . . . ' | HIDE AND SEEK is a multileveled film that raises as many questions as it answers . Even the screenwriter Ari Schlossberg and director John Polson seem as though they weren't sure about the mysterious workings of their characters : there are four alternative endings on the DVD , each of which suggests something much dif... |
513,400 | 3,223,254 | 326,835 | 8 | A Film of Confused Genre | DOT THE I has so much going for it that it is sad to ultimately feel disappointed at film's end . Even as one who loves the strange and bizarre in cinema , this viewer opted out of the credibility game as the film turns from a subtle evaluation of relationships , commitments , initial physical attraction , and interest... |
513,497 | 3,223,254 | 366,627 | 8 | A Mixed Bag of Stories Glued Together by Brody's Galvanizing Performance | THE JACKET is a tough film to categorize much less to get your mind around . It is as though writers Tom Bleeker and Marc Rocco had a wealth of thoughts for a story that includes near-death experiences , mind manipulation , time travel , and messianic ideals and tried to weld them all together in a script for John Mayb... |
513,113 | 3,223,254 | 360,323 | 8 | A Tense , Moody , Atmospheric Thriller | Robert Moresco ( ' Crash ' ) is proving to be a fine storyteller with a definite style of his own . 10TH & WOLF , written by both Moresco and Allan Steele and directed by Moresco appears on the shelves of DVDs as one of those films that makes us wonder why it didn't do well on the theater screens : it is well written ,... |
513,558 | 3,223,254 | 414,510 | 8 | And then there were two . . . Mind Games in the Woods of Canada | Cassandra Nicolaou is a writer and director with a talent for exploring the inner lives of her characters . Much of what she creates is on the surface : an equal part lies beneath the facade and reveals personal histories through the looks in eyes and the silences she encourages form her actors . Affluent mid-thirties ... |
513,616 | 3,223,254 | 435,623 | 8 | A Nice Creative Stretch in Film Making | Hans Canosa makes a strong debut with Gabrielle Zevin's intelligent screenplay ( read two character dialogue ) CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN and while some viewers may be distressed about his choice of use of the split screen presentation , Canosa's decision to be the editor of the film makes a strong argument for his... |
512,730 | 3,223,254 | 380,389 | 8 | A Film with a Heart | Yes , this is another sports biography that offers a stage on which to play out the drama of the possibilities of dreams of the disenfranchised to become a reality . There are many , many films like this one and will doubtless be more : something there is about the ' team spirit ' in the identity crisis of whether or n... |
513,239 | 3,223,254 | 282,413 | 8 | Fate , Destiny , Happenstance : Keys to a Lovely , Quiet little Film | TOUCH OF FATE is not one of the big Indie movies successes , nor is it a theatrical release that garnered wide audiences . Instead it is a quiet film about fate bonding people who are blindly searching for connection . Writer / director Rebecca Cook knows how to weave an intricate story into a canvas that is , well , l... |
513,377 | 3,223,254 | 367,089 | 8 | The Permutations of the Broken Family | Noah Baumbach makes an impressive debut as writer / director of his autobiographical story THE SQUID AND THE WHALE . It is a piece of life sliced out of the 1980s that is just as pertinent to today's culture as it was to the period piece Baumbach resurrects . Bernard Berkman ( Jeff Daniels ) is a shell of a being , a o... |
513,170 | 3,223,254 | 367,097 | 8 | Inside Hollywood : Comedy about the Sobering McCarthy Era | STRAIGHT JACKET began as a play by writer / director Richard Day and Day transforms this bit of fluff about Hollywood and its foibles and hidden secrets in the 1950s with the panache that true comedy must have : verisimilitude . The look of the film within a film has the constant appearance of being ' on camera ' and t... |
513,269 | 3,223,254 | 765,447 | 8 | Nostalgia and Reverie - A Cinematic Mood Piece | Criticism of the film EVENING , based on the novel by Susan Minot and adapted for the screen by Minot and Michael Cunningham , has been harsh , so harsh that it may have discouraged many viewers from giving the film a try . The primary criticism has centered on the fact that very little happens in this film about a dyi... |
513,447 | 3,223,254 | 452,660 | 8 | Cynthia Nixon and Michael Angarano Shine in this Tender Story | The concept for this little Indie film - the dying wish of a teenager opening spiritual doors - is far from original , but Barry Stringfellow's strong script as directed by Alex Steyermark ( whose only other directorial venture was ' Prey for Rock and Roll ' , though he has been on the crew of some very fine films like... |
512,675 | 3,223,254 | 875,705 | 8 | Running Home | LAKE CITY is a little low budget film that has a good enough story behind it , backed by several social issues that are well handled to make it work . Writers / Directors Hunter Hill and Perry Moore present a flavorful feeling of the South and keep this at times creaky story line moving along with the necessary momentu... |
513,385 | 3,223,254 | 340,529 | 8 | All that was Rome | AUGUSTUS ( also known as IMPERIUM : AUGUSTUS ) is a film made for television , which could explain how its three and one half hour length would be spread over at least three nights . This movie was made with an obvious plentiful budget , sponsored by the Italian government and US filmmakers , and the result is a comple... |
512,799 | 3,223,254 | 375,735 | 8 | McEwan's Internal Dialogues Made Visual | Ian McEwan masterfully written novels capitalize on interior dialogues , tracing mental vagaries that reveal the workings of the mind . While reading McEwan is a particular intellectual joy , transposing his tightly wrought stories to the screen would seem a daunting project . Thanks to the fine screenplay by Joe Penha... |
513,402 | 3,223,254 | 115,964 | 8 | The Etiology of Sexual Arousal : Edge of Life Terror | David Cronenberg takes chances and his pushing the edge of cinematic art is what makes his films so interesting . JG Ballard's controversial novel CRASH seemed an unlikely prospect for a film , so dark were its explorations of the outer zones of excitation and their relationship to near-death events . But Cronenberg wo... |
513,035 | 3,223,254 | 452,624 | 8 | A Black and White Movie with a Story that is Anything but Black and White | Viewers are split on reaction to Steven Soderbergh's experimental THE GOOD German and for good reason . The theatrical and cinematic qualities of this film noir are stunning , creating not only a flashback to the 1940s films but to the period of the 1940s in postwar Europe . The story is rich in suspense , visual surpr... |
513,699 | 3,223,254 | 831,884 | 8 | Fireflies and the Effects of Extinguishing a Brief Life | The profound effects of the accidental death of a child on three families is vividly portrayed in this dark film by writer / director Terry George ( ' Hotel Rwanda ' , Hart's War ' , ' In the Name of the Father ' ) as adapted and co-written by John Burnham Schwartz on whose novel the film is based . While it seems we a... |
513,307 | 3,223,254 | 414,426 | 8 | Strange and Fascinating Detective Story | Helpful Note : Wikipedia definition : Quid pro quo ( Latin for " something for something " ) indicates a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services . Carlos Brooks makes an impressive debut as both writer and director of this little independent film QUID PRO QUO , a story that may make some viewer... |
513,345 | 3,223,254 | 880,578 | 8 | ' Curiosity killed the cat ' and others | UNTRACEABLE is a thriller that takes our current obsession with the Internet and our hunger for the grisly ' eyewitness ' matter found on certain blogsites to an extreme that is at times difficult to watch - but maybe a bit too close to apparent public interest to ignore . Written by Robert Fyvolent , Mark Brinker and ... |
512,734 | 3,223,254 | 356,159 | 8 | The West Hollywood , Texas Scythe-Wielding Massacre ! | HELLBENT is a tough movie to classify . Yes , it is about a serial killer on one Halloween night in West Hollywood , but it also seems to be a light-hearted takeoff on all the silly teenage massacre horror films . Is it parody or was it meant to be a thriller ? No matter , because what we get is an entertaining , well-... |
513,610 | 3,223,254 | 367,027 | 8 | The Courage of John Cameron Mitchell | Finally there is a film that rises to the intelligent choices of European cinema ! In a giant leap forward John Cameron Mitchell has broken the taboo of frankly cinematically captured sexuality that has so long embarrassed American filmmakers . What he has created in this important experimental film SHORTBUS is not onl... |
513,640 | 3,223,254 | 420,206 | 8 | The Quiet Before , The Turbulence Of , and The Aftermath Following a Storm | Teenage hormones are at peak level in this nice little German film ' Sommersturm ' or ' Summer Storm ' and the result is a set of mini-crises that tumble young people all the time : first sexual attraction , the ambiguity of close friendships , the trials and lessons of first sexual encounters , and the manner in which... |
513,630 | 3,223,254 | 414,387 | 8 | Distilled Austen Makes for a Fine Brew | Some will ask " how many versions of Jane Austen's read-to-the-point-of-fraying ' Pride and Prejudice ' do we need ? " The current film archives show no fewer than ten versions and growing . But for this viewer the current P & P du jour is as satisfying as any , edited and distilled to its main story lines without dimi... |
512,679 | 3,223,254 | 398,963 | 8 | A Smart , Snappy , Sensitive Coming Out Movie | Writer / director / producer Tennyson Bardwell is definitely a talent to watch . In his first venture into film , DORIAN BLUES , he has created an intelligent script with razor sharp dialogue , witty and acerbic and touching depending on the moment , and has cast his film with a fine groups of actors who obviously hold... |
513,406 | 3,223,254 | 320,661 | 8 | An Epic Film with a Heart | KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is not just another Hollywood epic with a cast of thousands laying pillage to the earth and fellow man . Yes , it is a mammoth production with enough spectacular sets , battle scenes , violence and atmosphere to satisfy even the most ravenous Big Picture appetite . But is also has a fine script ( writ... |
512,738 | 3,223,254 | 434,124 | 8 | Light , Pleasant Entertainment , but the Message is Getting Tired | KINKY BOOTS has a lot of positive things going for it - a cast that is committed , a pace that is fluid , the presence of some fun song and dance sequences , and a lot of sight gags and moments of introspection and awakening . The problem is that , for all the sweet ideas the film explores , the story has been repeated... |
512,893 | 3,223,254 | 378,109 | 8 | The Beauty and Danger of the Deep | INTO THE BLUE surprises . Despite an opening sequence that is frightening and grisly , this film starts with the feeling that it is another pretty people at the beach flick - mindless , but visually attractive ' what I did last summer on the waves ' story . But stay tuned : this is a film of visual splendor and tense i... |
513,251 | 3,223,254 | 422,133 | 8 | Ménage a Trois : Coming of Age Under the Microscope | ' Douches froides ' ( ' Cold Showers ' ) is a film by Antony Cordier that has been marketed in a strange way : the projected audience was supposedly the gay audience , but aside from brief frontal nudity in an innocuous gym shower room there is nothing ' gay ' about this movie . Instead COLD SHOWERS is an examination o... |
512,804 | 3,223,254 | 360,130 | 8 | A Promising Tale Meanders into the Director's Indulgences | UNDERTOW is a perplexing film , one that seems like it could be a superb atmospheric contemplation of poverty and its consequences in the back roads of the South , but ends in a prolonged ennui that suggests that a growing director doesn't know when excess has been met and indulged . John Munn ( Dermot Mulroney ) lives... |
513,192 | 3,223,254 | 371,246 | 8 | A Mismarketed and Mislabeled Film That is Surprisingly Good ! | When movie trailers come out months before the release of a film and movie billboards crowd the malls and other places trying to convince the public of what to expect ( read ' how can we guarantee making the most money from the biggest crowd ? ' ) , it is difficult to get motivated to step over the hype and decide for ... |
512,748 | 3,223,254 | 371,257 | 8 | A Mixed Pot of Stew | STAY is a strange bird of a movie , one that you must be rested and in the mood for to watch , and one that asks that you forget the usual linear storyline and stay alert every minute . Directed by Marc Forster ( Monster Ball , Finding Neverland , and the upcoming The Kite Runner ) and based on a story and screenplay b... |
512,999 | 3,223,254 | 454,921 | 8 | Running Toward Happiness : The American Dream Revisited | PURSUIT OF Happiness is a film that despite all its flaws ( repetition of chases , repeated encounters that mirror the last , emotional overload , excessive playing time of two hours , etc ) reinforces some truly important human values : love between a father and son , pushing forward toward success despite all the roa... |
513,308 | 3,223,254 | 1,135,961 | 8 | Raw Yet Tender Love Story From the Underbelly of Bangkok | The cover of the DVD for this very fine film is misleading : the photograph of the two leads in a rather quiet and elegant setting is about as far from the content of the cinematic adventure as imaginable . Writer / Director Poj Amon has created a love story that is more from the underbelly of the poor section of Bangk... |
512,703 | 3,223,254 | 398,982 | 8 | Divorce , Addiction , and Other Obstacles in the Path to Happiness | Matt Mulhern is an actor turned writer / director in this amazingly fine first feature film . If DUANE HOPWOOD is any indication of the storehouse of creative and gently profound films housed in Mulhern's mind , we have a major artist being birthed . Duane Hopwood ( David Schwimmer ) is a loser : despite the fact that ... |
513,313 | 3,223,254 | 397,101 | 8 | A Gothic Thriller Delivered with Panache | A Gothic Thriller Delivered with Panache , November 17 , 2005Reviewer : Grady Harp ( Los Angeles , CA United States ) - See all my reviews Writer Ehren Kruger ( ' The Ring ' movies , ' The Brothers Grimm ' ) has supplied Director Iain Softley ( ' Wings of the Dove ' ) with a sound story from which Softley has created a... |
513,577 | 3,223,254 | 395,173 | 8 | A Classy Little Art Nouveau Look at Turn of the Century Behavior | UNCONSCIOUS ( Inconscientes ) is a stylish little Spanish film form the minds of writers Dominic Harari and Joaquín Oristrell , a tongue in cheek look at the influence of Sigmund Freud on social behavior at the fin de siecle in Spain . Not only is the story highly entertaining as a comedy , the production values and cr... |
513,686 | 3,223,254 | 388,828 | 8 | Tackling a Controversial Subject in Perilous Times - Successfully ! | This taut and important film CHASING FREEDOM was apparently a made for television film in 2004 . It is a shame it never made it into the theaters as it is a searing document about the problems of victims from foreign countries seeking asylum in the United States . The script by Barbara Samuels is a brave indictment aga... |
513,340 | 3,223,254 | 1,034,331 | 8 | Old Cops Disenchanted with the Law | The trail of good cop / bad cop films grows longer as does the fascination with Serial Killers ( witness the success of the excellent television series DEXTER where killing of ' people who deserve to die ' is condoned ) . RIGHTEOUS KILL is a good story with problems : the script is wrinkled with aphorisms , the directi... |
512,707 | 3,223,254 | 402,894 | 8 | A Visually and Musically Beautiful Romp Through Venice | Director Lasse Hallstrom admits in a bonus feature on this DVD that he fell in love with Venice , that this is the first film to be filmed entirely in that magnificent city , and that he elected to play Serenissima as the main character . And that is clearly the best part of this adaptation of the life of the infamous ... |
513,581 | 3,223,254 | 208,675 | 8 | A Creative Little Film That Tackles Philosophical Issues of Love and Marriage | ' Sexo por compasión ' ( COMPASSIONATE SEX ) is a rare little film created in 2000 by Spanish director and writer Laura Mañá that dares to address controversial issues of marital fidelity , the ' oldest profession in the world ' , the impotence of a Catholic priest in holding his community together , and the irresistib... |
513,668 | 3,223,254 | 384,504 | 8 | A Tender Story of Women , Love , and Cultural Bindings | Alice Wu has written and directed this absolutely charming little story about love in various permutations with such grace and delicacy that it transcends the various genre categories into which it could fall ( lesbian movie , Chinese cultural stringencies on contemporary life , December / May affairs ) and becomes a m... |
513,711 | 3,223,254 | 115,741 | 8 | Boyfriends and Boy Friends | Co-writers / directors Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter conjured this little Indie film in 1996 , an examination of relationships among seven gay men that not only impresses as a non-exploitive , honest sociologic study of life in the 90s in England , it also is a film that is a healthy mix of humor and tenderness that st... |
513,464 | 3,223,254 | 362,496 | 8 | The Continuing Mystery of Argentina's ' Desaparecidos ' | CAUTIVA ( ' Captive ' ) is a very effective film by young writer / director Gaston Biraben who has taken to task the impact of Argentina's ' Dirty War ' of the late 1970s and succeeds in making a very personal story out of the horror of the ' desaparecidos ' tragedy that stole from Argentina some of its brightest minds... |
513,328 | 3,223,254 | 399,095 | 8 | The Dirty Little Secret of International Sex Slave Trade : A Wake-up Call | Based on an article written by Peter Landesman , who also wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Jose Rivera ( ' The Motorcycle Diaries ' ) , TRADE literally forces us to experience the cruel , vicious international market for sex slaves . It is brutally captured on film by director Marco Kreuzpaintner ( ' Su... |
513,659 | 3,223,254 | 303,313 | 8 | A Meditation on Roots | While we as a country are discovering / acknowledging the struggles of the different sects within the Middle East , tribal differences that are longstanding and divisive and painful , along comes another sensitive story about Native Americans in this country and how the scars of past and ongoing abuses of our ' reserva... |
513,475 | 3,223,254 | 497,116 | 8 | And now that we all know . . . . . | Al Gore created the film AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH as an important step to alert the global audience to the threat of global warming that is all too terrifying . Some may dismiss this well-made documentary as Gore's reaction to the election debacle that placed our current ' President ' in an undeserved office , but that is... |
513,452 | 3,223,254 | 117,913 | 8 | Time and ' Social Progress ' Make this Film Maintain it Poignancy | John Grisham's powerful novel about persistent racial conflict in the South was transformed ten years ago into a gripping film by Joel Schumacher with the screenplay adaptation by Akiva Goldsman . The reporting of an act of violence by an African American father whose daughter had been kidnapped , brutally beaten , rap... |
513,334 | 3,223,254 | 384,488 | 8 | Every little movement has a meaning all its own . . . . | SAINT RALPH is a little jewel of a film . Stories about kids who gain faith through acts of courage are usually tainted with saccharine scripts , but with the wise use of presenting a well-rounded , multidimensional character as the hero of this story , writer / director Michael McGowan succeeds in a touching tale that... |
513,140 | 3,223,254 | 107,165 | 8 | An Early Bardem Film | HUEVOS DE ORO ( Golden Balls ) is a 1993 film by writer / director JJ Bigas Luna ( best known for his ' Jamon , Jamon ' and ' Son de Mar ' ) that suffers from defective promo / packaging . The cover of the DVD ( probably released only of late because of Javier Bardem's growing popularity in this country ) suggests an e... |
513,374 | 3,223,254 | 420,291 | 8 | A Film That Finds The Gaping Hole In Which Unbalanced People Live | Lodge H . Kerrigan is a force in film who demands our attention . The fact that Steven Soderbergh produced this small , low budget work should indicate the quality of endorsement a fine filmmaker has in a relatively unknown writer and director . Essentially a one-man drama , the ' story ' is more an autopsy on the mind... |
513,430 | 3,223,254 | 421,994 | 8 | A Polished Film Worth Watching | Something there is that the British understand about drawing room comedies that results in taking subjects that may prove a bit shaky in others ' hands , but in the British manner it all seems so right . Writer / director Ol Parker's IMAGINE YOU & ME is not a novel idea - love triangles that begin at the wedding of a c... |
513,489 | 3,223,254 | 349,260 | 8 | A Fine Documentary Cluttered with Peripheral Distractions | IN MY COUNTRY ( COUNTRY OF MY SKULL ) , based on a book by Antjie Krog about South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission ( TRC ) of 1996 set in the aftermath of Apartheid , has been altered by screenwriter Ann Peacock and director John Boorman who have elected to ' dramatize ' that event by fleshing out ' commit... |
512,952 | 3,223,254 | 490,204 | 8 | Look Around . . . | While dramas reenacting the devastation of 911 abound , only a few select films appear to be dealing with the personal , long-term effects of that day of doom . REIGN OVER ME , with a brilliant script by Mike Bender ( who also directs and acts in the film ) , reaches into the arena of emotional states that continue to ... |
513,347 | 3,223,254 | 479,275 | 8 | A Family Finding Itself | Ethan Canin is one of our more important authors ( ' America , America ' , ' Emperor of the Air ' , ' The Palace Thief ' which became the film ' The Emperor's Club ' ) and to discover a screenplay / story by him is a treat . BEAUTIFUL OHIO is a fascinating little film directed by Chad Lowe about an apparently close kni... |
513,725 | 3,223,254 | 458,352 | 8 | Meryl Streep Once Again Proves She Act Any Role ! | THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA may put off many moviegoers because it sounds like a silly bit of fluff best seen when released on DVD . But this is a fine little movie that , despite its rather predictable and silly storyline , gives a number of fine actors the opportunity to sharpen their skills in playing roles not usually as... |
513,190 | 3,223,254 | 362,276 | 8 | A Glimpse into the Fascinating Life of Author Manuel Puig | One of the most fascinating Latin American authors of the past century is Manuel Puig ( 1932 - 1990 ) and VEREDA TROPICAL , much like another similar author Reinaldo Arenas ' mini-biography ' Before Night Falls ' , shows at least the last few years of his colorful life in Rio de Janeiro before he moved to Cuernavaca , ... |
512,986 | 3,223,254 | 251,636 | 8 | Questions and Commitments and Consequences | CHICO , a two hour film that is a mixture of documentary footage , biographical exploration of an amazing young man who just happens to be the actor portraying himself , and historical drama creating a film that is as confusing , contradictory , explicitly powerful and ugly as the wars it traverses . Given the fact tha... |
513,354 | 3,223,254 | 123,358 | 8 | Paintings Inspire Stories : A Series of Short Films of Varying Quality | PICTURE WINDOWS is a 1994 Showtime television series now available on CD . The concept for the series was to focus on five well-known paintings and give five writers and directors the opportunity to enter the canvas and create a story stimulated by their response to the painting . Sometimes it works well , sometimes th... |
513,186 | 3,223,254 | 456,396 | 8 | A Brave Film Masterfully Made | The writing and directing team of Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne once again have created a film that is harsh , difficult to watch , and tremendously honest and recalcitrant to opt out for happy endings . These two artists manage to address strange issues , play them as realistic as feasible and them allow the a... |
513,034 | 3,223,254 | 498,380 | 8 | Memorial Day | Decoration Day or Memorial Day as it is now called is a day set aside to honor those who fought in all of the wars since the Civil War , wars in defense of country and citizens . While we languish over the misbegotten war on Iraq it is helpful to view the Clint Eastwood film LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA and visit the mindset ... |
513,467 | 3,223,254 | 376,007 | 8 | Learning About Life Through the Eyes of a Voyeur Teenager | Israeli Writer / director Savi Gavison has a unique concept about the discoveries and joys and travails of coming of age and he makes this tender little story come to life with simplicity and honesty and a large dose of human kindness . The multiple awards this movie garnered are very well deserved : perhaps now that i... |
512,802 | 3,223,254 | 376,006 | 8 | Ménage a Trois , but on whose terms ? | If three can play at love , and if that love is an equilateral triangle , then each of the three is equally responsible for the ramifications . Were that the case in this little low budget Indie film BOOK OF LOVE the story would have more resonance . But art imitates life and life is full of contradictions and double s... |
512,927 | 3,223,254 | 437,171 | 8 | A Classy New Coming Out Film with Emphasis on the East LA Community | Fresh young talent and a healthy dollop of enthusiasm serve as the springboard of this well written ( Carlos Portugal and Charo Toledo ) , well directed ( Carlos Portugal ) and well acted exuberant story of those once perceived tightly closet doors of the East Los Angeles Hispanic community . Not that this is the first... |
512,943 | 3,223,254 | 354,356 | 8 | Looking Back | François Ozon ( Swimming Pool , Under the Sand , 8 Women , Water Drops on Burning Rocks , etc ) is a French director with a style of telling stories that is entirely his own . He seems to revel in challenging the audience to participate intellectually and emotionally in the common stories through which we daily walk . ... |
512,907 | 3,223,254 | 412,798 | 8 | A Suspenseful Thriller / Mystery in Story and Setting | HALF LIGHT ( a title with a lot of meaning revealed only at the conclusion of the film ! ) is a fine , atmospheric , well-acted little drama that explores belief in the beyond and its impact of post-traumatic responses to death . Written and directed by Craig Rosenberg ( Hotel de Love ) the story challenges the viewer ... |
513,009 | 3,223,254 | 796,335 | 8 | A Dazzling Period Piece : Filling in the Missing Pieces of Moliere's Career | ' Molière ' is a treat for the eyes as well as a tickler for historical manipulation and in the hands of writers Laurent Tirard and Grégoire Vigneron the cinematic version of the ' lost years ' of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin AKA Molière's life abounds in superb entertainment . If the story becomes a bit too convoluted at ti... |
513,252 | 3,223,254 | 372,122 | 8 | A Very Mixed Bag | ADAM AND STEVE is a movie you want to succeed : the idea of an honest gay relationship developing between two guys with a weird history and subsequent difficulties forming meaningful intimacy , the presence of four fine actors , and a film that seems to take itself not too seriously . The problem is that writer / direc... |
512,650 | 3,223,254 | 777,896 | 8 | A Sensitive Examination of Displaced People and the Consequences | Writer / director Simon Chung , in his first major motion picture , shows evidence of a solid talent and promise that there are many fine films lurking about in his head . He has produced a story that is pertinent on many levels , addressing the questions of family bonding after transplantation to another country , sex... |
513,092 | 3,223,254 | 401,997 | 8 | A Strong Character Driven Drama Revealing the Underbelly of our National Intelligence | BREACH could have been a documentary as the facts are all in place and the 2001 capture of Robert Hanssen , the most formidable spy in this country's history , is one that is mind boggling enough without the need for dramatization . Yet the screenplay by Adam Mazur and William Rotko in turn based on a story by director... |
513,045 | 3,223,254 | 329,330 | 8 | Aging : The Hardships and the Rewards | LUGARES COMUNES ( Common Ground ) is yet another sensitive Argentinean film that has the courage to deal with the bumpy political life of Argentina as well as the equally rocky road to aging . Based on the novel by Lorenzo F . Aristarain and directed by Adolfo Aristarain this is a film of sunlight and shadows - and tho... |
512,894 | 3,223,254 | 430,105 | 8 | Brotherhood and Revenge : A Study in Fighting Crime | John Singleton has a gift for depicting the gritty side of life and making it credible : there are reasons for heads-up defensive action in neighborhoods where perpetrators an victims live side by side in a world teetering on imbalance . FOUR BROTHERS is a finely tuned , taut little film that demonstrates the influence... |
512,866 | 3,223,254 | 211,387 | 8 | Ozon Updates Fassbinder in an Edgy Ménage a Quarte | François Ozon has flair and style ( ' Swimming Pool ' , ' Under the Sand ' , ' 8 Women ' , etc ) and in scripting Rainer Fassbinder's 1970s play ' Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes ' for the screen he has created an edgy , fun , and poignant examination of the lives of four people at their intersection . Act I ( for ... |
512,911 | 3,223,254 | 438,859 | 8 | A Friendship Defined | While many books and films about South Africa's Apartheid have attempted to convey the tension and the eventual dissolution of that sociopolitical scheme , few histories bring us as close to the core of the schism as does Bille August's excellent film THE COLOR OF FREEDOM . Based on the book GOODBYE BAFANA by James Gre... |
512,765 | 3,223,254 | 428,430 | 8 | French Fluff Farce Surveys Pansexuality | The French have always been able to take issues involving sexuality , fidelity , relationships , and youth and create a healthy fun discussion : Hollywood still has problems even approaching these subjects , much less allowing itself to be lighthearted and universal . ' Crustaces et coquillages ' ( COTE D'AZUR ) is a l... |
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