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513,413 | 3,223,254 | 406,038 | 10 | The Homing Instinct | Loggerheads are turtles , found along the coast of North Carolina , whose lives are unique in that the females always return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs , hatch their young who in turn by moonlight go out to sea only to return to their origin to repeat the life cycle . The film by the name LOGGE... |
512,844 | 3,223,254 | 443,543 | 10 | A Well-Crafted , Well-Acted Atmospheric La Belle Epoque Viennese Mystery | Steven Millhauser's brilliant little short story ' Eisenheim the Illusionist ' is beautifully realized cinematically by Neil Burger who not only adapted the story as a screenplay but also directed with a great flair for the subject . Wisely using the repeated line ' Nothing is what it seems ' Burger infuses this dark i... |
513,491 | 3,223,254 | 402,223 | 10 | The Graffiti Artist is Cinematic Art ! | James Bolton ( ' Eban and Charley ' ) is emerging as a filmmaker of considerable note . As writer , producer and director of THE GRAFFITI ARTIST he is introducing a new realm of American verismo that is beautiful to watch , touching in content , and a creatively conceived film from beginning to end . Portland , present... |
512,861 | 3,223,254 | 339,357 | 10 | Pas de deux , Pas de quatre : A Phenomenal Ghost Story | Jacques Rivette is one of the most under appreciated French film directors in history - and one of the most creative . He seems to dwell in a space known only to cinema , a world as changing , transparent , enigmatic , and transient as the camera's interplay with scenes and actors . His works do not fit into the expect... |
513,391 | 3,223,254 | 408,306 | 10 | ' Home is all that matters ' | Attempting to understand what drives people to kill other people for any reason is , in the pit of the soul , a challenging enigma . Whether that ' reason ' is war between countries at odds , protecting one's self when endangered , revenge or vengeance for deeds perpetrated by ' the other ' , for panic in the moment of... |
513,366 | 3,223,254 | 381,850 | 10 | A Truly Valiant Film Providing an Inside Look at Cuba Today | Director Antonio Cano is a brave artist , the class of filmmaker who is willing to take risks for the sake of his art . SIETE DIAS , SIETE NOCHES takes a frank and brutal look at one week in Cuba , primarily in Havana , where Cano follows the lives of several women under the kind of stress those of us in this country c... |
513,510 | 3,223,254 | 381,849 | 10 | Understanding why Westerns are a National Treasure | If there is a truly unique American contribution to film making then that contribution has to be the Western . Though not as popular a theme these days as it was in past decades , it only takes a powerhouse film such as 3 : 10 TO YUMA to remind us just how pungent storytelling of this type can be . Yes , the story itse... |
513,189 | 3,223,254 | 369,672 | 10 | Broken Hopes and Broken Lives : A Study of New Orleans | For those who have read Ronald Everett Capps ' novel ' Off Magazine Street ' and savor the slow , lugubrious , decadent pattern of life in the poor section of New Orleans , then Screenwriter / Director Shainee Gabel's transformation of those ideas into A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG will certainly satisfy . Though Gabel ha... |
513,159 | 3,223,254 | 465,551 | 10 | An Intense , Powerful Story Ignited by Dench and Blanchett | NOTES ON A SCANDAL invites the audience to read the diary of a very lonely , crusty , frumpy , acerbic history teacher Barbara Covett ( Judi Dench ) through the voice-over narrative throughout this challenging , harsh , but very brave cinematic version on the novel ' What Was She Thinking : Notes on a Scandal ' by Zoe ... |
513,628 | 3,223,254 | 1,078,188 | 10 | Living with the Sins of Childhood | BOY A is a film that moves the audience in ways few other films do . Part of this is the subject matter , part the solid drama of the novel by Jonathan Trigell on which Mark O'Rowe based his brilliantly understated screenplay , part the sensitive direction by John Crowley , and in large part is the cast of remarkably f... |
512,666 | 3,223,254 | 366,444 | 10 | One of the Sleepers of the Year : A Superb Film ! | FIGHTING TOMMY RILEY has so many things going for it that it is amazing it didn't do well in the box office . Perhaps audiences are tired of ' boxing movies ' ( ' Million Dollar Baby ' sort of usurped that position for a while ) , but this is not a typical boxing movie : Fighting Tommy Riley takes risks all over the pl... |
513,046 | 3,223,254 | 348,853 | 10 | Fascinating Story , Brilliant Acting and Directing | The French have a way with steamy films that makes the rest of the cinematic world seem bland in comparison . NATHALIE is fine case in point . Based on an idea by Philippe Blasband and transformed into a superb screenplay by Jacques Fieschi , François-Olivier Rousseau and the director Anne Fontaine , this incredibly we... |
513,133 | 3,223,254 | 413,015 | 10 | A Perfect British Confection with Heart | MRS . HENDERSON PRESENTS is easily one of the best films of 2005 . That it didn't garner an Oscar for Judi Dench is amazing as this is one of her finest roles ( in a long line of superb films ! ) . Director Stephen Frears ( Dangerous Liaisons , Dirty Pretty Things , The Grifters , Liam etc ) has put together a film tha... |
513,082 | 3,223,254 | 430,576 | 10 | Silence as a Protection for Facing Past Horrors | It is always a joy to find a DVD in the videostore that is completely an unknown entity , only to discover upon viewing it that it is a little masterpiece of cinematic art . Such is the case with THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS , and having seen the film now raises the question of how it went unnoticed in the theater release ... |
513,319 | 3,223,254 | 476,964 | 10 | Vengeance is Mine . . . but Who am I ? | Trauma , severe trauma , can unleash aspects of the human personality that may appear as a stranger within . Such is the premise for this well-constructed film by Neil Jordan ( screenplay by Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor ) , and while the neither concept of trauma-altered personality or revenge tales is new , THE BR... |
513,679 | 3,223,254 | 218,705 | 10 | Another Poignant View of the Holocaust from Prague | Writer Jirí Hubac and Director Matej Minac have created a fine and very different approach to the Holocaust stories of WW II - its insidious origins and relentless destruction of a beautiful Czech family - in the film ' Vsichni moji blízcí ' ( ' All My Loved Ones ' ) . Though the subject matter has been treated in coun... |
513,238 | 3,223,254 | 119,608 | 10 | The Belly of the Beast | NOTE : According to the dictionary : Mandragora is 1 ) a plant of nightshade family : a plant with a forked root resembling a human body that was formerly believed to have magical powers and was made into a drug and 2 ) a 14th century alteration of medieval Latin mandragora , influenced by man , drake " dragon " ( from... |
513,172 | 3,223,254 | 423,510 | 10 | Understanding FDR : Physical Challenges Offer Triumph | WARM SPRINGS is one of the finest films ever produced by HBO and clearly belongs on the theatrical screens . But until that happens the news of the release of the DVD should allow those who missed this phenomenal film to feel greeted with well-earned joy . Writer Margaret Nagle and Director Joseph Sargent have created ... |
513,390 | 3,223,254 | 402,399 | 10 | Awe : The Quiet Curiosity and Fear When Worlds First Meet | Terrence Malick is a master of understatement and it is that quality of his writing and directing that makes THE NEW WORLD so luminous an experience for the viewer . Though the historical material in this film has been told and written and filmed to exhaustion , Malick finds that awe and wonder as the Old World of the ... |
512,981 | 3,223,254 | 119,626 | 10 | Ensemble Film-making at its Finest | Adolfo Aristarain is one of those rare filmmakers who defines his own world in cinema by writing and directing terrific stories with brilliant dialogue and using a familiar cadre of actors who give the finished product an ensemble effort . He is one of Argentina's finest artists and couples frequently with writer Kathy... |
512,987 | 3,223,254 | 101,921 | 10 | An Old Friend of a Movie | There are films that linger in memory for the warmth they exude and the impression they leave . So it is with the now 15 year old film FRIED GREEN TOMATOES based on the novel ' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe ' by Fannie Flagg and arranged for the screen by that author . This is a film that explores racis... |
513,106 | 3,223,254 | 71,315 | 10 | A Hollywood Masterpiece | Experiencing older Hollywood films , films made in the era when script , direction , cinematography , lighting , musical scoring and acting became melded together in an intricate but cohesive escapist adventure , is like visiting a fine art museum - masters at work creating a living work of art that time only enhances ... |
513,127 | 3,223,254 | 439,289 | 10 | Humanizing Augusten Burroughs : A Model of Screenplay Adaptation | For those legions of us who delighted in Augusten Burroughs ' sharing of his exceedingly warped childhood in the memoir RUNNING WITH SCISSORS , this book to film transformation will be revelatory and extremely satisfying . Until watching the DVD ( not expecting a book of this nature could be successfully molded into a ... |
513,070 | 3,223,254 | 362,225 | 10 | A Virtuosic Mind Twister of a Film | TELL NO ONE ( Ne le dis à personne ) succeeds on every level for this viewer . Based on Harlan Coben's novel and adapted for the screen and directed by Guillaume Canet , this is one of those intricately complex French films that is much in the same mode as the 1955 film LES DIABOLIQUE . Nothing is as it appears at firs... |
513,380 | 3,223,254 | 406,216 | 10 | Seeking and Finding Meaning in the Midst of Bleakness | SCHIZO is a stunning cinematic achievement from Kazakhstan courtesy of Gulshat Omarova who directed and co-wrote with Sergei Bodrov this story of survival in the bleak landscape of poverty in that part of the world about which we know little . Mustafa ( nicknamed Schizo by his schoolmates who find his behavior crazy ) ... |
512,961 | 3,223,254 | 282,628 | 10 | A Visually Stunning , Bold , and Intensely Moving Film | JAN DARA is one of those rare films that succeeds on many levels : the story as adapted from a famous Thai novel ' The Story of Jan Dara ' by Utsana Phleungtham is one of intrigue and exploration of lust , revenge , and thwarted passion ; the cinematography by Nattawut Kittikhun is incredibly atmospheric while at the s... |
513,083 | 3,223,254 | 443,456 | 10 | Serendipity and the Resulting Emotional Changes | Anthony Minghella is an artist of distinction . His current successful role as writer and director of BREAKING AND ENTERING once again demonstrates how subtlety and economy can enhance the impact of a well-devised and well-paced strange story , leaving the viewer with a true sense of dramatic climax and awe . This is o... |
513,129 | 3,223,254 | 402,417 | 10 | A Quiet Little Film about the Isolation of Aging | Writer Marcos Bernstein ( ' Central Station ' ) takes a step forward as Director of yet another soulful and touching film about aging and the loneliness and isolation that surrounds our older generations . Together with Melanie Dimantas he has written a story that is not only intriguing as a suspense tale , but it is a... |
513,108 | 3,223,254 | 428,038 | 10 | One of the Finest Films of the Immigrant Experience Ever Made ! | Ali Selim is a gifted artist and one that surely will continue to create magical films such as his masterpiece SWEET LAND in the coming years . Selim wrote the screenplay based on Will Weaver's perfect little short story ' A Gravestone Made of Wheat ' , found the perfect setting for his tale of the trials of immigrants... |
512,977 | 3,223,254 | 364,120 | 10 | Human Sexuality and the Spectrum of Love | Sébastien Lifshitz ( ' Come Undone ' , ' The Crossing ' ) is one of the more sensitive directors to arrive on the scene in some time . He molds stories about the periphery of mankind and creates deeply human dramas without the clutter and noise that often dampen the effect of intense emotional experiences . He is intel... |
512,971 | 3,223,254 | 411,270 | 10 | The Silences within the Psyche of a Life in Transition | ' De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté ' ( ' The Beat that my Heart Skipped ' ) is another superb and delicate character-driven film from French writer / director Jacques Audiard ( ' Read My Lips ' ) and his collaborator Tonino Benacquista . How this director can take such potentially fragile subjects and create enormously... |
513,437 | 3,223,254 | 387,898 | 10 | Living on the Rug under which We Sweep Our Guilt | Michael Haneke ( ' Le Temps du loup ' , ' La Pianiste ' , etc ) is a writer / director who respects the minds of his viewers . Nothing he creates is simple , instantly understandable , full of Hollywood endings , nor does he answer the questions he poses . He merely gives us the visual evidence of dysfunction , allows ... |
513,111 | 3,223,254 | 120,873 | 10 | Re-visiting U . S . MARSHALS : An Appreciation | There are times when re-viewing a film that seemed powerful at the first viewing can be even better on the second time around . Such is the case for this viewer with US MARSHALS , a film made in 1998 but one that remains one of the finest of the genre of chase thrillers . The story is well-known to everyone by now : Ch... |
512,888 | 3,223,254 | 188,030 | 10 | Childhood Innocence Abused By Political Strife | ' La Lengua de las mariposas ' ( BUTTERFLY ) is a small miracle of a film , one of those magical experiences that reminds us about the beauty of life but also about the realities of living in a world ruled by politics and adversity and how all of that affects the vulnerable child . The Spanish title refers to the tongu... |
512,686 | 3,223,254 | 407,936 | 10 | A Triumph on Every Level ! | LACKAWANNA BLUES is a fine stage play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and an even finer film as the author adapted his own life story for the screen . This brilliant film ignites the screen with rich colors , fine music , brilliant editing , superb direction by George C . Wolfe , and a cast so stunning that they make an encor... |
512,696 | 3,223,254 | 231,844 | 10 | Straight or Gay Relationships : Just a Question of Love | ' Juste une question d'amour ' is a small film made for French TV that is one of the most sensitive , unbiased examinations of how the ' coming out ' of gay men impacts not only the one who bravely steps forward but also his friends both male and female and his family . So often films such as this fall under the title ... |
513,426 | 3,223,254 | 411,291 | 10 | A Small but Powerful Film about Coping with Challenges | Beginning with a smart script by Jeff Pope and Ian Puleston-Davies ( the latter a fine actor who happens to be afflicted with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ) and under the inordinately delicate direction of Adrian Shergold , DIRTY FILTHY LOVE is one of the more sensitive examinations of two challenges that affect the l... |
513,631 | 3,223,254 | 374,345 | 10 | A Brilliant Film Examines the Criminal Mind and the Forces of Alzheimer's Disease | ' De Zaak Alzheimer ' or ' The Alzheimer Case ' or the US titled ' The Memory of a Killer ' is a stunningly well written , directed , acted , and photographed film from Belgium . Though termed by director Erik Van Looy as a ' police thriller ' , this gripping drama is so much more : this is the story of organized crime... |
513,018 | 3,223,254 | 455,915 | 10 | The Disintegration of a Family | BLACK IRISH is one of those little Independent films that manage to give more to the audience than the extreme constrictions of time and budget would suggest . Writer / director Brad Gunn ( his first film ) manages to tell a story about an Irish family from South Boston that is sincere , realistic , poignant , and prof... |
512,874 | 3,223,254 | 117,039 | 10 | One of the Finest Examples of Filmed History | Neil Jordan always manages to make films that are edgy , pungent , and intensely accurate in defining the motivation of his characters ( ' The Crying Game ' , ' The Butcher Boy ' , ' The End of the Affair ' , etc ) and in MICHAEL COLLINS Jordan has not only directed but also wrote a docudrama that stands with the fines... |
513,696 | 3,223,254 | 805,564 | 10 | A Potentially Silly Premise for a Story becomes a Touching , Tender Film | Were anyone to suggest that a ' romance ' between a guy and a blowup doll could become one of the more sensitive films of the year , it would be cause for derision - that is , before viewing LARS AND THE REAL GIRL . The improbable story was written by Nancy Oliver ( the writer of many episodes of the TV series ' Six Fe... |
513,677 | 3,223,254 | 317,965 | 10 | What is a Saint ? | Marco Bellocchio is brave thinker and a fine writer who is unafraid to take on controversial subjects concerning Catholicism in the country where the Vatican watches everything very carefully . His work has been labeled ' blasphemous ' but it seems Bellocchio is more interested in stirring the thoughts of his viewers t... |
513,064 | 3,223,254 | 352,994 | 10 | Certainly One of the Finest Films of the Year ! | Eytan Fox ( ' Yossi & Jagger ' , and others ) is an important director to watch . Born in the USA and emigrated to Israel at the age of two , Fox understands the art of cinematic storytelling and in WALK ON WATER he brings this impressive tale of universal and personal forgiveness written by Gal Uchovsky with collabora... |
512,673 | 3,223,254 | 383,028 | 10 | Maddeningly Impossible to Follow : A Terrific Surrealistic Adventure | SYNECDOCHE , NEW YORK is a firecracker display that sets the audience up for a grand epic of adventures then sputters its lovable way through over two hours of loosely connected views of life as we live it - through the eyes of an increasingly physically disabled director Caden Cotard ( Philip Seymour Hoffman ) . Tryin... |
513,272 | 3,223,254 | 420,901 | 10 | A Powerful , Deeply Moving Examination of the Rwanda Genocide of 1994 | To acknowledge the fact that genocides are still active in our supposedly enlightened times is terrifying , yet through films such as BEYOND THE GATES , HOTEL RWANDA , and SOMETIMES IN APRIL we are gradually bring informed about one particular genocide - that occurred in 1994 in Rwanda - and hopefully will make us as a... |
512,670 | 3,223,254 | 974,554 | 10 | Dignity and Sensuality : Intoxication | ' When you make love to a woman you get revenge for all the things that defeated you in life . ' Few American writers have been able to examine the fear and rage and desperation of aging as eloquently as Philip Roth , and as with another of his novels brought to life on the screen ( ' The Human Stain ' ) , here Nichola... |
513,176 | 3,223,254 | 306,597 | 10 | Remarkable Film the Radiates Intelligence , History and Passion | Rodney Evans has created a wondrous little independent film , that sort of film that is born out of insight , devotion , research , and passion for the story . This is a fine work of art on every level from the research , writing and directing by Evans to the consistently superb cast . The Harlem Renaissance of the 192... |
513,019 | 3,223,254 | 465,326 | 10 | Gloriana ! | Though many a fine actress has essayed the role of Elizabeth I and done so quite successfully , each finding her own vision of the most important queen that ever lived and translating that to film ( Cate Blanchette , Bette Davis , Judi Dench , and Glenda Jackson to name but a few ) , it should come as no surprise that ... |
513,073 | 3,223,254 | 807,721 | 10 | Living on the Lonely Rim of Life | There are an increasingly impressive number of films coming from Israel and MEDUZOT ( JELLYFISH ) is one of the more creative works of cinematic art in that rich catalogue . Shira Geffen ( who also wrote the screenplay ) and Etgar Keret collaborated on this seemingly small film and from a few threads of separate and di... |
513,197 | 3,223,254 | 323,807 | 10 | The Inner Sanctum of Family , The Durability of Love | RECORDATI DI ME is a beautifully written and constructed film by Italian director Gabriele Muccino about the workings of a ' normal middle class ' family and the bonds and challenges that peak at the time of fragmentation of the family unit that accompanies 1 ) middle age of the parents and 2 ) departure of the childre... |
513,548 | 3,223,254 | 436,697 | 10 | Helen Mirren Creates Another Triumph ! | THE QUEEN seems like one of those biographical features that would be difficult to hold anyone's interest - on the surface , without the benefit of knowing much about the content . Queen Elizabeth II is not exactly a figure who generates anything but a response of boredom , so flat and uninteresting is her persona . Bu... |
513,095 | 3,223,254 | 444,182 | 10 | ' Liberty , Equality , Fraternity ' : Nationalism and its Abuses | ' Indigènes ' ( DAYS OF GLORY ) as written by Olivier Lorelle and Rachid Bouchareb ( who also directed ) is a film of visceral power , another aspect of World War II that has not been addressed and that points to problems of inequality among fighting troops that still exists . It is a grisly film ( how can a film about... |
513,500 | 3,223,254 | 220,631 | 10 | The Indelible , Lingering Aftermath of War on the Human Psyche | EL MAR is a tough , stark , utterly brilliant , brave work of cinematic art . Director Agustí Villaronga , with an adaptation by Antoni Aloy and Biel Mesquida of Blai Bonet's novel , has created a film that traces the profound effects of war on the minds of children and how that exposure wrecks havoc on adult lives . A... |
513,036 | 3,223,254 | 489,327 | 10 | There really isn't anything else | And so reflects 70-something Maurice ( Peter O'Toole ) about the importance of beauty and searching for love as the only significant goals as life races by him . VENUS is a small miracle of a film written by Hanif Kureishi ( ' My Beautiful Laundrette ' ) about the isolation and inner devastation of growing old in today... |
513,178 | 3,223,254 | 361,862 | 10 | A Dark and Somber Maze of Altered Reality | THE MACHINIST is a mesmerizing film , a journey through the interstices of a mind deprived of sleep , of nourishment , and a mind that struggles to untangle the chaos of a past of guilt and terror . And the journey is terrifying . When the film opens we meet Trevor Reznik ( Christian Bale ) or at least the emaciated , ... |
512,674 | 3,223,254 | 1,013,753 | 10 | A Splendid and Important Film | MILK is one of the more powerful bio-epics produced by Hollywood . Harvey Milk , the man honored by this superbly crafted film by writer Dustin Lance Black and directed by Gus Van Sant , is brought to life by Sean Penn in his most skilled performance of his fine career . Not only is this movie an homage to Harvey Milk ... |
513,093 | 3,223,254 | 308,476 | 10 | Three People Beyond Words : Communication ! | THE CUCKOO ( Kukushka ) is a small miracle of a film . It is not only a unique story but one that draws us into the individual lives of three people form different languages and backgrounds who bond in time of war because of their mutual isolation . It is at once charming , gently humorous , and deeply touching . Takin... |
512,717 | 3,223,254 | 365,737 | 10 | Work your way through this one . . . | Stephen Gaghan is a master psychologist in addition to being a uniquely creative writer and director . He knows how to take a controversial topic , spread it over a period of time and from vantages that involve everyone who would ever view his information , and pace a film in such away that his viewers must stay glued ... |
512,980 | 3,223,254 | 328,844 | 10 | Family : Obligations , Commitments , Consequences | Writer / director Per Fly is a strong filmmaker from Denmark who is unafraid to make controversial statements that challenge certain ' family values ' sentiments prevalent in this country . In this brilliantly written , directed and acted film he manages to reveal the inner destruction of a family under whose surface i... |
513,680 | 3,223,254 | 188,128 | 10 | A Little Town in South Wales is Bursting with Life and Stories | VERY ANNIE MARY is a quirky little film written and directed by Sara Sugarman that manages to delve into myriad fantasies and manners and crushed dreams and come out with a thoroughly tender , warm hearted and funny result . There are more interesting characters of all types in this story , each of whom could be expand... |
512,942 | 3,223,254 | 346,336 | 10 | An Epic Film Rich in History , Wondrously Performed | La Meglio gioventù ( THE BEST OF YOUTH ) is a spellbinding drama that sweeps the viewer through Italian history from 1966 through 2003 as distilled in the lives of one family . Writers Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli have created a screenplay that is both informative to those of us who did not live this period in It... |
513,647 | 3,223,254 | 88,461 | 10 | Another Jewel in Pedro Almodóvar's Crown ! | Though the films by one of our geniuses of film-making in our times , Pedro Almodóvar , is making films now that are polished to perfection - Volver ( 2006 ) , La Mala educación ( 2004 ) , Hable con ella ( 2002 ) , and Todo sobre mi madre ( 1999 ) - his early films such as this one ' ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto ... |
513,572 | 3,223,254 | 450,188 | 10 | The Fragile yet Indomitable Little Street Sparrow : Édith Piaf in Fragments | That ' La Môme ' AKA ' La Vie En Rose ' is a triumph for actress Marion Cotillard who manages to inhabit the persona of Édith Piaf is a given . This is a powerful , deeply moving tribute to a musical phenomenon whose impact on the world remains as heady as during her short lifetime ( December 19 , 1915-October 11 , 196... |
512,947 | 3,223,254 | 421,057 | 10 | A Staggering Film That Should Be Required Viewing | The truth is tough , the truth must be faced , and the truth is what THE EXONERATED is all about . A project started by writers Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen in 2000 when , in response to a lecture on capital punishment , the couple was moved by the telephone voice of one of the many innocent people on death row who ha... |
513,131 | 3,223,254 | 411,195 | 10 | An Odyssey of a Visual and Emotional Feast ! | BREAKFAST ON PLUTO is now on DVD and perhaps that will garner the larger audience it deserves after its scant art house run on the big screen . In every way this is a tender , sensitive , sweet story , full of hope , faith , indefatigable courage and persistence that is embellished by a first class performance by the g... |
513,420 | 3,223,254 | 428,803 | 10 | The Sacrifices of Procreation and the Timeless Dignity of the Emperor Penguins | As a moment of respite and perspective in a world cluttered with tribal warfare , human responses to natural disasters , and the garish flames of politics , MARCH OF THE PENGUINS reminds us of the eternal cycle of life , life perpetuated against all manner of foes and odds , and helps us re-center our blurring focus . ... |
513,209 | 3,223,254 | 407,887 | 10 | Moles and the insidious tunnels they dig | Martin Scorsese has another major hit on his hands with the release of the intelligent , chilling , violent , puzzling , and completely fascinating THE DEPARTED . This viewer has not seen the INFERNAL AFFAIRS on which this film is based so comparisons are not possible . But taking this film solely on its own merits thi... |
513,479 | 3,223,254 | 377,107 | 10 | A Perfectly Integrated Film , Played as a Fine String Quartet | PROOF is one of those rare films that transfers a superb play directly to the screen without losing a bit of the power of the play , but enhancing the story with the advantages of the camera . With a tough story like this one it takes a brilliant cast and director to fine-tune the work and in this instance it all works... |
513,257 | 3,223,254 | 72,976 | 10 | A Tale of Deceit , Power , and Victimization : Fassbinder at his Best ! | Rainer Werner Fassbinder has long been honored as the ' bad boy ' in European cinema , a writer / director / actor who repeatedly has taken chances and because of his brutal honesty has succeeded in making a stream of important films . FOX AND HIS FRIENDS dates back to 1975 and remains one of Fassbinder's most successf... |
513,597 | 3,223,254 | 800,027 | 10 | The Multiple Courses of a Feast of Love | It is always puzzling when films of the caliber of FEAST OF LOVE are short-lived in the theaters , usually scantily attended in the shadows of the big , mean , noisy blockbusters . And when film buffs begin to believe that the meaningful movies only come from foreign sources , out pops the DVD release of a jewel like t... |
512,838 | 3,223,254 | 469,623 | 10 | Sensitivity | Few films released last year have the quiet sensitivity in writing ( Allan Loeb ) , direction ( Susanne Bier ) , cinematography ( Tom Stern ) , and acting ( Berry , Del Toro , Duchovny ) as this gem of a movie . Taking on a subject of grief after a sudden traumatic death and the way it affects family and friends would ... |
513,089 | 3,223,254 | 465,188 | 10 | ' I lift my lamp beside the golden door ' : A Touching Tribute to Immigrants | THE GOLDEN DOOR ( NUOVOMONDO ) is for this viewer the finest film of the year to date . It is a masterpiece of concept , writing , directing , acting and cinematography . More importantly , this radiantly beautiful film is a much needed reflective mirror for us to view the history of immigration of ' foreigners ' into ... |
513,673 | 3,223,254 | 379,306 | 10 | An Oscar Wildely Witty , Intelligent , Entertaining Film ! | When it comes to playwrights who can manipulate the English language with a flair , endless double entendres , and clever dialogue , few can match Oscar Wilde . In this wholly entertaining and luxurious adaptation of his fine play ' Lady Windemere's Fan ' screen writer Howard Himelstein and director Mike Barker have cr... |
513,733 | 3,223,254 | 308,595 | 10 | A Fascinating Story , Sifting through Legend and Fact about Napoleon's Last Days | Director Antoine de Caunes has adapted Rene Mansor's fine screenplay concerning the enigma that still exists as to the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte into a film that relates the period of history from 1816 to 1840 during which time the bifurcated responses of the British and French to the legend of Napoleon... |
513,107 | 3,223,254 | 421,229 | 10 | Love : Meeting the Needs of the Aged and the Youthful | MRS . PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT is an adaptation by Ruth Sacks of the book by British novelist Elizabeth Taylor ( 1912 - 1975 ) and directed with consummate skill by Dan Ireland . It is a showcase for the extraordinary talents of Dame Joan Plowright who owns the title role and of relative newcomer Rupert Friend , surely... |
513,074 | 3,223,254 | 834,938 | 10 | A Powerful Story About Immigrant Journeys | SANGRE DE MI SANGRE ( also known as PADRE NUESTRO ) is a fast-paced , raw , and rather brutal indictment against the cruelty immigrants face upon entering this country . Written and directed by Christopher Zalla the film may cover territory becoming a bit overexposed in cinema of late , but the story is so well told an... |
513,196 | 3,223,254 | 365,885 | 10 | The Upside of Anger is that we learn about ourselves and change | Mike Binder both wrote and directed this searingly important film ; important for its concept , for its ensemble acting , and for performances by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner that are now the gold standard for the year by which all other award quality performances must be judged . Anger , and how it paralyzes our emoti... |
512,875 | 3,223,254 | 110,260 | 10 | Terrifyingly Timely , Excellent Film | KILLER KID is another in the series of French films from the TALE FROM THE ORPHANAGE series . The title of the film is unfortunate as is the graphic on the cover of the DVD : this is not a silly sci-fi comic book story , but instead is a serious , alarming , poignant , and timely true story of how in this age of Terror... |
513,117 | 3,223,254 | 421,238 | 10 | A Raw Story That Gleams Like a Diamond | THE PROPOSITION is one of the more satisfying ' westerns ' to come along in years . Just as Serge Leone created the spaghetti westerns in Italy and set a precedent that American films were to follow , so director John Hillcoat and writer Nick Cave turn the back country of 1880s Australia into a devastating impressive w... |
513,043 | 3,223,254 | 426,578 | 10 | Beliefs and Bravery | SOPHIE SCHOOL - THE FINAL DAYS is one of those films made more powerful by the understated production values . The script , yes , the story itself , is so powerful that it doesn't need big battle scenes or full-fledged staged crowd scenes to make it work : the dialogue among the actors speaks volumes . Written by Fred ... |
512,798 | 3,223,254 | 775,529 | 10 | Capturing the Drama of Our Everyday Simple Existence | How we all come to grips with our mortality is often previewed in how we manage the care of our elders . When that elder care is focused on a parent , as it is in Tamara Jenkins's brilliant film THE SAVAGES , it not only strikes chords with individual philosophies , but is also reveals the intricacies of family relatio... |
512,762 | 3,223,254 | 419,294 | 10 | One of the Great Films of 2005 | Tommy Lee Jones makes an impressive debut as a director with this superlative atmospheric film based on the writing of Guillermo Arriaga who has proved his mettle with such screenplays as ' 21 Grams ' and ' Amores Perros ' . This is one of those rare ' westerns ' where the plot is woven so tightly into the scenery that... |
512,974 | 3,223,254 | 377,084 | 10 | ' If music be the language of love , play on ! ' : A Fairy Tale | Short stories often make better films than full novels as is evident in the case of JD Locke's ' Ladies in Lavender ' as adapted for the screen and directed by the multi-talented Charles Dance . Given the barest outline of a quiet little idea of a ' fairy tale ' , LADIES IN LAVENDER becomes an unfolding meditation of q... |
513,261 | 3,223,254 | 487,273 | 10 | Love and Passion in the 1980s : Enter the Spectre | Les Témoins ( The Witnesses ) is another fine artwork by French director André Téchiné that continues to examine relationships in times of stress and through areas of rough travel . As written by Téchiné , Laurent Guyot , and Viviane Zingg this film is a love story and a social commentary on life in 1984 when AIDS rais... |
513,663 | 3,223,254 | 381,392 | 10 | The Oedipus Complex with Variations from Novelist Georges Bataille | ' Ma mère ' is a film on the edge . Director Christophe Honoré ( who gave us the little jewel ' Closer to Leo ' ) has adapted a tough book by Georges Bataille that explores incest , sadomasochism , love , family dysfunction , and nebulous moral values of conflicted adolescents caught in the web of sexual investigation ... |
513,504 | 3,223,254 | 390,080 | 10 | An Intelligent , Well Written Controversial Film | HARRY AND MAX goes where films have dared ( at least American films ) : consensual incestuous relationships between two brothers . Writer / director Christopher Münch ( ' The Sleepy Time Gal ' , ' The Hours and Times ' , ' Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day ' ) has previously proved that he is unafraid to take on tough s... |
512,780 | 3,223,254 | 108,149 | 10 | ' I want life to be experiences , not just anecdotes ' | SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION is an outstanding play transformed to the screen with dignity but with a script that keeps us in the live theatre instead of in a motion picture . Not that that is a bad thing : the script by John Guare is brilliant . It simply seems a little static , with its marvelous plays on words , repeat... |
513,123 | 3,223,254 | 176,415 | 10 | Love and Honor | EL ABUELO ( The Grandfather ) began as a 1954 novel by Benito Pérez Galdós and was adapted for the screen by writer / director José Luis Garci in 1998 , a year when it was nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar . It is a period piece of epic proportions , an immensely beautiful work both visually and emotionally , that ... |
513,195 | 3,223,254 | 400,063 | 10 | A Film Even More Powerful for its Simplicity of Presentation | The gruesome tragedy of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 absolutely must become public knowledge if we are to maintain the watch for symptoms of similar acts in the present and the future . HOTEL RWANDA was a fine film that capitalized on the heroism of one man , and justly so , for his selfless vision that saved many li... |
513,712 | 3,223,254 | 419,256 | 10 | The Fallout of British Colonialism | Gifted actor Richard E . Grant makes his writing and directing debut with this highly entertaining film about the last days of British colonial protectorate of Swaziland , East-South Africa , drawing from his memoirs as a child growing up in Swaziland the time when the Kingdom of Swaziland was given its independence fr... |
513,158 | 3,223,254 | 119,280 | 10 | A Strong Period Drama and Another Brilliant Characterization by Judi Dench | MRS . BROWN as written by Jeremy Brock and directed by John Madden ( Proof , Shakespeare in Love , Captain Corelli's Mandolin ) is a sprightly , entertaining and engrossing study of a moment in the life of enigmatic Queen Victoria . Selecting an outstanding production crew and a fine cast this film succeeds on every le... |
513,695 | 3,223,254 | 292,963 | 10 | A Family Implosion | The full title of this film is ' May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead ' , a rewording of the old Irish toast ' May you have food and raiment , a soft pillow for your head ; may you be 40 years in heaven , before the devil knows you're dead . ' First time screenwriter Kelly Masterson ( wit... |
492,713 | 3,280,905 | 104,178 | 1 | Whatever Happened to THE ADVENTURE OF THE NOBLE BACHELOR ? | This episode of the Jeremy Brett " Sherlock Holmes " series was the worst in terms of being a bloated two hour reconstructed story . Despite good work by Brett , Edward Hardwicke , and Simon Callow , it again demonstrates how the writers of a screenplay can wreck the work of a better writer . THE ADVENTURE OF THE NOBLE... |
493,207 | 3,280,905 | 46,248 | 1 | When the Medveds Are Right . . . . | I hesitate to give this a " 1 " for awful , but it is - by all memories of all the bad films I ever saw - the worst I ever saw . The Medved Brothers , back in the 1980s , listed " Robot Monster " among the 50 worst films of all time . It deserves that accolade . With dialog ( serious dialog ) like " I am not a human . ... |
491,847 | 3,280,905 | 57,622 | 1 | Lemmon's Worst Film | UNDER THE YUM YUM TREE was one of three films in the middle 1960s that Jack Lemmon starred in that he despised . He had shown in THE APARTMENT and THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES that he was a gifted dramatic actor - an everyman fighting the pressures of modern society , be they big business bosses or alcoholism . Then he d... |
493,268 | 3,280,905 | 31,387 | 2 | One good joke and the rest is garbage | There is a pecking order about comedians and comedy teams . It goes like this for most of us ( you can alter the figures on top ) : Best Comics and comic teams : Charlie Chaplin , Buster Keaton , Harold Lloyd , Harry Langdon , Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy , W . C . Fields , The Marx Brothers , Burns and Allan , The Three... |
491,618 | 3,280,905 | 46,094 | 2 | What was the shouting about ? | The problem about censorship is that inevitably it dates . D . H . Lawrence , James Joyce , Gustave Flaubert , Leo Tolstoi were all censored for " Lady Chatterly's Lover " , " Ulysses " , " Madame Bovary " , and " The Kruezer Sonata " when they came out , but today these books seems very run-of-the-mill in terms of the... |
493,414 | 3,280,905 | 58,828 | 3 | When Television Was A Wasteland , or Was Newton Minnow right ? | It is interesting to find myself recalling Mr . Newton Minnow - hardly anyone remembers him today , but he was involved with the F . C . C . in the Kennedy Administration or that period , and in the early 1960s came up with a statement that set television stations and producers teeth on edge . Looking at what televisio... |
492,630 | 3,280,905 | 50,858 | 3 | My God . . . That Damned Big Gun ! | Anyone acquainted with many of my reviews notices my background as a history major . Frequently I lament the fact that in pursuit of movie making that will turn into box office gold the studios ( especially American ones ) will ignore historical events or places . This is true about Ancient Greek History ( pace the two... |
492,771 | 3,280,905 | 31,851 | 3 | Bogart's Contribution to the First Horror Film Cycle | This film is important because it shows that even Hollywood legends need huge amounts of luck to avoid film oblivion . Bogie had been in Hollywood for four years in the early 1930s , and never hit a good film ( although he did appear for his one and only time in that period with the young Spencer Tracy ) . He went back... |
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