Showing Tag: " foreign" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Showcases One Wife’s Incompatibility With Her Stubborn Jewish Husband Shimon Amsalem

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 21, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Directed By: Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz

Starring: Ronit Elkabetz, Menashe Noy, Sasson Gabai, and Simon Abkarian

Some people just aren't meant to be together. The blinding nature of love can have disastrous consequences. Still, the divorce rate isn't exactly sky high in the United States, or most other countries around the globe for that matter. As of 2011, the divorce rate stateside sits at a respectable 6.8%, but I'm certain the percentage of unsucc...
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REVIEW: Wild Tales Rages Comically With Gabrielle Pasternak, Bombita, An Angry Driver, Rat Poison, & One Crazy Bride

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 21, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)

Directed By: Damián Szifron

Starring: Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, and Darío Grandinetti

I normally am not one to review short films, but I must make an exception in the case of Damián Szifron's Wild Tales. This Argentinian anthology of shorts offers the biggest laughs I've had in a movie theater since last year's Chef. It's a rather insane series of films, but they all deliver incredible h...
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REVIEW: Creative Comedy Is What We Vampires Do in the Shadows During the Unholy Masquerade

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 27, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

What We Do in the Shadows

Directed By: Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement

Starring: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, and Stu Rutherford

Vampire movies have been getting increasingly creative over the last several years. 2013's Kiss of the Damned wasn't particularly enjoyable, but it certainly broke the mold for vampire flicks. Last year's post-modern drama Only Lovers Left Alive gave us some cool vampires portrayed by Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddlesto...
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REVIEW: Unusually Attached to Mommy Die, Steve Loves to Mingle, Especially With Kyla

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 27, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Mommy

Directed By: Xavier Dolan

Starring: Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, and Suzanne Clément

I've said this a million times, but I love movies about crazy people. These are the kinds of films that feature immensely intriguing characters and offer loads of spontaneity. These are the kinds of films that tend to boast fuller, richer performances that resonate with me. It's one of the reasons I love Xavier Dolan's Mommy. The Canadian drama boasts some fascinating performances as Dolan navi...
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REVIEW: For Two Days, One Night, Sandra Tries to Sway Her Voting Co-Workers to Save Her Job Instead of Their 1,000 Euro Bonuses

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 31, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit)

Directed By: Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Starring: Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione

I've been slipping on the foreign film front over the past year. Sadly, I've not seen any of the nominees in the best foreign language film category for the Oscars. It's a real shame because foreign films are often hidden gems that don't get the respect or recognition they deserve. In light of my shortcomings on this front, I'm going to make one last N...
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REVIEW: Giving Kronoles for No More Protein Bars, the Snowpiercer Train's Tail Bucks Balance & Preordained Position to Take Wilford's Sacred Engine

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 4, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

Snowpiercer

Directed By: Bong Joon-ho

Starring: Chris Evans, Kang-ho Song, Go Ah-sung, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, and Ed Harris

For a guy who supposedly would like to retire from acting in a few years, Chris Evans of Captain America fame seems to be a consistent presence at the box office. He reprised his role as the elder Avenger in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He's got two other comedies on the horizon later in the year in A Many Splintered Th...
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REVIEW: In Australian Western The Rover, Three Robbers Get a Bloody Lesson in Why Not to Steal Another Man's Car

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Rover

Directed By: David Michôd

Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, and Scoot McNairy

I've been begging for something fresh and original over the last several weeks. In my reviews of The Signal, The Grand Seduction, and Think Like a Man Too, I've been critical of filmmakers for not taking the road less traveled and offering up the same old predictable, formulaic stuff. Well, my wish is apparently director David Michôd's command. His latest film, The Rover is unlike anything I've seen...
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REVIEW: For a Doctor to Launch a Petrochemical Repurposing Facility, Tickle Head Harbor Organizes the Grand Seduction of Cricket & Fishing

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 19, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Grand Seduction

Directed By: Don McKellar

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Brendan Gleeson, Liane Balaban, and Gordon Pinsent

My movie reviews are the product of my passion for or against a film. I know this sounds like a rather mundane, obvious statement, but it's something I see in every piece I pen on a movie. If I really love or hate a movie, I'll go to bat for it or tear it to shreds. If, however, I feel nothing for a movie one way or the other, my ensuing review accordingly lacks inspiratio...
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REVIEW: Despite Baseball Bats, Hammers, & Uco's Fiery Ambition, It's Rama's Time to Rage in The Raid 2: Berandal

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 5, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Raid: Berandal

Directed By: Gareth Evans

Starring: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kenichi Endo, and Kazuki Kitamura

Applause is a memorable thing in a movie theater. In a place where silence is golden, it's the rarest of signs of utter amazement and respect for what an audience has just witnessed on the big screen. I reflect on films like The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and Moonrise Kingdom and remember the applause that came ...
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REVIEW: Whether a Hungry Tiger or a Deformed Tree on a Hill Named Fido, Nymphomaniac Joe Tells Us 3 + 5 = 8 All Over Again in Volume II

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Nymphomaniac: Volume II

Directed By: Lars von Trier

Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Bell, Stacy Martin, Mia Goth, Michael Pas, and Shia LaBeouf

Lars von Trier's Trilogy of Depression is no longer really a trilogy. With the unedited cut of Nymphomaniac topping five hours, this movie was destined from the beginning to require two parts. This means that the Danish sex addiction drama has had twice as many chances to ruffle the feathers of more socially cons...
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REVIEW: With the Empty Lunchbox, the Wrong Train Gets Saajan & Ila to the Right Station — Bhutan

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 9, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Lunchbox (Dabba)

Directed By: Ritesh Batra

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui

"Sometimes the wrong train will get you to the right station."
-Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)

2014 marks another year in which the Academy got it wrong, particularly for Best Foreign Language Film. Sure, The Great Beauty rightfully was nominated and won the award. The problem is that it didn't face off with the other great foreign language films of the year like The Past and Blue Is the Warm...
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REVIEW: With Fly Fishing, Ash Trees, Fibonacci Numbers, & Polyphony, Nymphomaniac: Volume 1 Makes Love the Metaphorical Cantus Firmus of Sex

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 9, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Nymphomaniac: Volume I

Directed By: Lars von Trier

Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Uma Thurman, and Connie Nielsen

"When the ash tree was created, it made all the other trees in the forest jealous. It was the most beautiful tree. You couldn't say anything bad about it. Then, in the winter, when the ash tree lost all of its leaves, all the trees noticed the black buds and started laughing. 'Oh look! The a...
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REVIEW: The Broken Circle Breakdown – A Heart-Wrenching Tale of Love, Loss, Religion and Bluegrass

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 1, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Broken Circle Breakdown
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Felix Van Groeningen

Starring: Veerle Baetens, Johan Heldenbergh, Nell Cattrysse, Geert Van Rampelberg

President Barack Obama once said that having a child is like having your heart walking around outside of your body. That comment always struck me. When you have a son or a daughter, you become vulnerable and exposed because of your overwhelming love for that child. As a parent, your worst fear is that some type of harm will come to your...
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REVIEW: The Hunt A.K.A. Jagten – A Modern Day Scarlet Letter

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, February 8, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Hunt
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Alexandra Rapaport, Annika Wedderkopp, and Lasse Fogelstrom

Within the last week, Hollywood has been rocked as the molestation allegations against Woody Allen resurfaced. Allen’s stepdaughter Dylan Farrow wrote an open letter chastising Hollywood for honoring the man who allegedly molested her as a child. Battles have been waged on daytime talk shows disputing the issue, and articles have be...

REVIEW: With a Blood-Stained Dress, Love Letter Emails & Suicide by Detergent, The Past Is Steeped in One Rich Mystery

Posted by James Brown on Monday, January 13, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Past (Le Passé)

Directed By: Asghar Farhadi

Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, and Ali Mosaffa

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has gotten it wrong on many, many occasions. With this year's Oscar nominations to be announced later this week, let's talk about a film the Academy won't even consider nominating. When the Academy announced its short list of foreign language film contenders — an all-inclusive list of potential nominees — several films were noticeably abse...
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REVIEW: Seeing The Great Beauty of Roma as a Vanishing Trick, Jep Gambardello, King of the High Life, Does Know Why He Never Wrote Another Novel

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 8, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)

Directed By: Paolo Sorrentino

Starring: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, and Pamela Villoresi

It's been a week to remember. On Wednesday, President Obama gave a potent speech advocating for the poor that might just indicate the direction for the rest of his second term. On Thursday, we lost a giant of the twentieth century in former South African President Nelson Mandela, a fierce opponent of not just against apa...
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REVIEW: For Adèle, Emma's Blue is the Warmest, Sexiest Color

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 3, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Blue is the Warmest Color

Directed By: Abdellatif Kechiche

Starring: Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux

Since founding STMR, I've been to more movies than I care to count. Because of this, I've seen and interacted with all kinds of audiences. Until last night, I thought I had seen it all. When I attended a screening of Blue is the Warmest Color, however, I checked off one more thing I never could have anticipated, especially at an independent theater. As you may know, Palme d'Or winner Bl...
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REVIEW: For Spunky Little Girl Wadjda, Memorizing and Reciting the Koran is the Key to Riding Her Own Bike

Posted by James Brown on Monday, September 30, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Wadjda

Directed By: Haifaa al-Monsour

Starring: Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah, and Abdullrahman Al Gohani

Cinema is at its absolute best when it exposes us to different ways of thinking, different belief systems, and different ways of life. A movie is a way of transporting one's culture all across the globe to viewers of all backgrounds. With the homogeneity of blockbuster filmmaking in Hollywood, you're often not going to find this in mainstream cinema. You have to set your sights on independ...
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REVIEW: During Estate Manager François's Last Harvest, the Land Chooses Philippe to Be Paul's Son & Heir Instead of Martin

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 29, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

You Will Be My Son

Directed By: Gilles Legrand

Starring: Niels Arestrup, Lorànt Deutsch, Nicolas Bridet, Anne Marivin, and Patrick Chesnais

As I've matured, I've made an interesting transition as a drinker. I used to be all about the spirits. I had a love for cocktails and martinis of all kinds. Specifically, I was a gin man. Things have changed as time has marched on. Nowadays, I prefer wine to spirits, especially white wines. I guess the transition to wine happens for a good chunk of us...
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REVIEW: Thérèse Has the Wrong Ideas About Smoking Cigarettes, Arsenic Drops, and Especially the Pines

Posted by James Brown on Monday, September 2, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Thérèse (Thérèse Desqueyroux)

Directed By: Claude Miller

Starring: Audrey Tautou and Gilles Lellouche

The French had a really good run for a few years with cinema. Think of films like The Artist, The Intouchables, and Amour. With the notably consistent quality films that had been coming from across the Atlantic over the last several years, I've come to expect more of them. Sadly, however, the French have been letting me down this year. Augustine was a really dry period piece earlier this...
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REVIEW: When Ip Man's Wing Chun Meets Gong Er's 64 Hands in The Grandmaster, Everybody Wins the Chess Match

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 1, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Grandmaster

Directed By: Wong Kar-wai

Starring: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Benshan, Song Hye-kyo, and Wang Qingxiang

I've been in need of a good martial arts flick for some time now. 2012 gave us such good films as The Raid: Redemption and The Man With the Iron Fists. So far in 2013, we've had nothing to match these movies. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's taken notice of this void throughout the year. Well, things are finally looking up for those moviegoers who love the...
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REVIEW: In I Give It a Year, I Never Knew Love Like This Before

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 4, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

I Give It a Year

Directed By: Dan Mazer

Starring: Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris, Simon Baker, Stephen Merchant, Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, and Olivia Colman

In my review of Drinking Buddies recently, I wrote about the fact that romance films are an endangered species. Naturally, a romantic comedy hits theaters as soon as I say that. The British rom com I Give It a Year has made its way across the pond, and I just have to say that I never knew love like this before. It's a quirky film ...
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REVIEW: With the Angel of Vengeance Running the Show, Only God Forgives Is Drive on Crack in Thailand

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 20, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Only God Forgives

Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Vithaya Pansringarm

Ryan Gosling has been all about re-teaming with his past directors this year. He did just that in The Place Beyond the Pines with his Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. He's doing it again this weekend by getting back together with his Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn in Only God Forgives. Despite repeat collaborations with directors who each took Gosling's caree...
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REVIEW: Hairy Crystal Fairy & Pollo & the Magical San Pedro Cactus & the World's End in 2012 on the Mayan Calendar & One Crazy Movie

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 18, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus and 2012

Directed By: Sebastián Silva

Starring: Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, and Agustín Silva

With all that's going on in America these days, it might be time for a little vacation. Regardless of your perspective on the array of events and issues of the day, I'm sure you can agree that it might be time to get some distance, perhaps in the form of international travel. While we all can't just hop on a plane and leave ...

REVIEW: With a Psychic, an Actor, a Dominatrix, and Three Gay Male Flight Attendants, I'm Not So Excited for Peninsula Flight 2549

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 6, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

I'm So Excited

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

Starring: Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Raúl Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, and Guillermo Toledo

After Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In a couple of years ago, I swore I'd never watch one of his movies again. It was too much for me. It was just too much. Two years later, here I am again with I'm So Excited, Almodóvar's latest comedy. Unfortunately for me, his twisted, often perverted sense of humor is...
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REVIEW: With Ovarian Hysteria & Sexually Stimulating Attacks, the Desensitized Augustine is the Most Sensual Patient of All

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 23, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Augustine

Directed By: Alice Winocour

Starring: Vincent Lindon, Soko, and Chiara Mastroianni

There haven't been quite as many weird movies at indie theaters this year thankfully. I'm happy to say we haven't gotten another Holy Motors or The Paperboy. This week, however, I think we're getting our first dose of weirdness with the French drama Augustine, a film that explores the relationship between neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his most interesting patient.

Augustine (Soko) is a housemaid a...
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REVIEW: Female Suicide Bomber Siham Leaves a Big Mess for Her Doctor Husband Amin in The Attack

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 23, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Attack

Directed By: Ziad Doueiri

Starring: Ali Suliman, Evgenia Dodena, Reymond Amsalem, Dvir Benedek, Uri Gavriel, Ruba Salameh, Karim Saleh, and Ramzi Makdessi

Because it's the summer season, we haven't been reviewing too many serious films, and I wouldn't have it any other way at this time of year. That being said, I do recognize that some moviegoers would prefer some more serious material at the box office. Well, those moviegoers are getting exactly what they've been craving this weeke...
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REVIEW: In the House Is All About Math Tutor Claude Peeping Through the Keyhole at Middle Class Woman Esther and Her Watercolors

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 12, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

In the House

Directed By: François Ozon

Starring: Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, Yolande Moreau, and Denis Ménochet

I write so many reviews that I find myself struggling sometimes to get a review started. Writing my fifth review this weekend, I've once again found myself in this very familiar place, stuck on the introduction. I don't have a damn clue what to write to get this review on In the House going. Fittingly, this indie is a film that's all ...
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REVIEW: My Brother the Devil is a Terrorist, Not a Homo???

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 11, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

My Brother the Devil

Directed By: Sally El Hosaini

Starring: James Floyd, Fady Elsayed, and Saïd Taghmaoui

I was just having a conversation yesterday about homosexuality in Islamic culture. Though I wasn't particularly interested in the conversation at the time, another individual and I were discussing how being gay is more than just taboo to Muslims. It's comparable to a mortal sin and can often have fatal consequences. It's so fitting that I ended up seeing Sally El Hosaini's My Brother th...
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REVIEW: Kon-Tiki is a Slow Ride Through an Interesting Theory

Posted by Zach Davis on Monday, May 6, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Kon-Tiki
Zach Davis

Directed By: Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Starring: Pål Sverre Valheim Hagan, Anders Bassmo Christiansen, Tobias Santelmann, Gustaf Skarsgård, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Jacob Oftebro, and Agnes Kittelsen

Kon-Tiki is a harrowing tale of survival propelled by an interesting theory from Thor Heyerdahl. According to Heyerdahl, the Peruvians were the first to colonize Polynesia from the east contrary to the traditional notion that Asians migrating from the west settled on th...
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REVIEW: Love Is Not Quite All You Need When There Are Lemons from Italy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 4, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Love Is All You Need

Directed By: Susanne Bier

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, Kim Bodnia, Paprika Steen, Sebastian Jessen, Molly Blixt Egelind, Christiane Schaumburg-Müller, Micky Skeel Hansen, Bodil Jørgensen, and Line Kruse

Is it me or is it déjà vu this weekend? Last year on this very weekend, Marvel jumpstarted the summer movie season with The Avengers starring Robert Downey, Jr. This weekend, Marvel is again kicking off the summer with Iron Man 3, once again starring the per...
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REVIEW: A Malt Mill is the Whisky of Choice in The Angels' Share

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 28, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Angels' Share

Directed By: Ken Loach

Starring: Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, and Siobhan Reilly

Every year, two percent of alcohol evaporates from a barrel of whisky. It's what's called the angels' share. It's a damn shame. Nature steals two percent of one of God's greatest gifts every year. It's the good stuff too! The whisky lost has aged and has only gotten better with time. On the other hand, this is what makes older whisky much more va...
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REVIEW: Blancanieves - A Silent Film Turns Snow White Into A Bullfighter And Brings New Tragedy To The Fairytale

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, April 28, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Blancanieves
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Pablo Berger

Starring: Maribel Verdú, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Ángela Molina, Pere Ponce, Macarena García, and Sofía Oria

As of late we have been inundated with reinvented fairytales. Snow White’s story has been of particular interest to filmmakers, and two movies tackled the legendary tale last year: Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. Mirror Mirror was colorful, but ultimately unimaginative and a little too sweet. The Huntsman was ...

REVIEW: Luciano Holds onto His Big Brother Dreams Too Long, Which is a Sad Reality for Moviegoers

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 7, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Reality

Directed By: Matteo Garrone

Starring: Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, Claudia Gerini, Paola Minaccioni, Ciro Petrone, Nunzia Schiano, Nando Paone, Arturo Gambardella, and Angelica Borghese

I was never big on reality TV. Sure, I watched the first few seasons of American Idol and the first season of Survivor back in the day. After that brief foray into it, I went right on back to scripted programs. That's what I knew and that's what I loved. I've never watched any of the popular serie...
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REVIEW: The 533 Children Father-To-Be David Wozniak Had Under the Alias Starbuck Apparently Weren't Enough

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 30, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Starbuck

Directed By: Ken Scott

Starring: Patrick Huard, Antoine Bertrand, and Julie LeBreton

At the ripe old age of 25, I can tell you with 100% certainty that I am not ready to have kids. They sap all your energy. They eat up all your time. They spend all your money. I do know this. Whenever I do decide to become a father, I'll have one and then I'll be done. Multiple kids are not in the cards for me. I can't fathom having more than one kid terrorizing my home on a 24/7 basis, much less...
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REVIEW: In The Sapphires, Bridesmaids' Chris O'Dowd and the Songbirds Take Some Aboriginal Soul on the Road to Vietnam

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 30, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Sapphires

Directed By: Wayne Blair

Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell

The music of today is some real crap. We all know it. We all hear it. Some of us even do something about it. Personally, I've found that I spend very little time listening to Top 40 radio anymore. It genuinely sucks. What passes for music today is truly a sin and a shame. Consequently, I stay in the past and tend to go for the oldies. I listen to the likes of...
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REVIEW: In Like Someone in Love, Millipedes Akiko and Noriaki Quarrel All the Time

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Like Someone in Love

Directed By: Abbas Kiarostami

Starring: Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno, and Ryo Kase

Love might just be the most dangerous force on Earth. Some people really can't handle it when they're rejected by the one they love. It devastates them to the point that they just snap. They become a danger to any and every person around them. That being said, this is something we've seen depicted on the big screen many times before with countless angry husbands, wives, boyfriends, and gir...
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REVIEW: In Beyond the Hills, No Confession or Exorcism Can Cure Alina's Evil Spirit or the Movie

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 16, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Beyond the Hills

Directed By: Cristian Mungiu

Starring: Cristina Flutur, Cosmina Stratan, Valeriu Andriutâ, Dana Tapalagâ, Catalina Harabagiu, Gina Tandura, Vica Agache, Nora Covali, Dionisie Vitcu, Ionut Ghinea, Liliana Mocanu, Doru Ana, and Costache Babii

Exorcism movies are frequent, but intelligent ones are a rare gem. Like the horror genre as a whole, teen-oriented mindless exorcism movies are the norm. We're plagued with films like The Devil Inside and The Last Exorcism Part II as oppo...
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REVIEW: Heaven or Hell, Lore Will Do What She Must to Get to Her Omi in Hamburg

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 10, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lore

Directed By: Cate Shortland

Starring: Saskia Rosendahl, Kai-Peter Malina, Nele Trebs, and Ursina Lardi

In my review of Emperor, I wrote that I was tired of movies about World War II. I said that filmmakers had covered every aspect of the second Great War and that there was nothing more that could be done. Honestly, I'm going to have to retract the second part of that statement. There was one thing I had never fathomed I would see in a World War II movie, but it's here with Australian war ...
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REVIEW: Voting NO Against Pinochet Means Happiness is Coming for Our Comrades in Chile; YES Means a Better Sex Life With the Same Old Dictator

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 3, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

NO

Directed By: Pablo Larrain

Starring: Gael García Bernal, Néstor Cantillana, Amparo Noguera, Antonia Zegers, Marcial Tagle, and Luis Gnecco

"No me gusta, no. No lo quiero, no... (I don't like him, no. I don't want him, no...)"
-Chilean Singers

The Academy Awards have come and gone. That means that the awards season is finally done. The golden statuettes handed out this year are now collecting dust on the trophy-laden shelves of the winners. Slowly but surely, films like Amour, Beasts of t...
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REVIEW: The Sorcerer And The White Snake – A Cheesy Martial Arts Meets Demon Fantasy Tale

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, February 16, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

The Sorcerer And The White Snake
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Ching Siu-tung

Starring: Jet Li, Eva Huang, Raymond Lam, Charlene Choi, Zhang Wen

The Sorcerer and the White Snake is a 2011 Chinese film that was not released to U.S. theaters until 2013. As a Jet Li fan, I was enthused to see the film—although all I really knew about the movie was that Jet Li was a sorcerer fighting a thousand year old demon. While that sounds ridiculous on its face, Li has successfully dabbled in the fantasy ...

REVIEW: Amour Is a Superior Distraction About the Tragic Beauty of Long Life and One Bold Pigeon

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, January 13, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

Amour (Love)

Directed By: Michael Haneke

Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, and Isabelle Huppert

Getting old sucks, or so I've heard. If we live long enough, it's a journey we all must take. It's a subject that's often glossed over at the movies, but the floodgates have opened as of late on this topic. While we've had lighter fare like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in recent months, director Michael Haneke, a septuagenarian himself, has decided to tackle the darker side o...

REVIEW: Rust and Bone is OPé (Operational)

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 22, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Rust and Bone (De rouille et d'os)

Directed By: Jacques Audiard

Starring: Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts

At the indie box office, it seems to be the weekend for depressing movies. After revisiting one of the worst natural disasters in human history, I now get the distinct pleasure of watching Rust and Bone, a movie about a killer whale trainer who loses her legs in a tragic accident with the very orcas she trained. What happened to putting out happy movies around the holiday sea...

REVIEW: Abraham's Sons Isaac & Ishmael Find a Common Bond in The Other Son

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Other Son

Directed By: Lorraine Lévy

Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Pascal Elbé, Jules Sitruk, Mehdi Dehbi, Areen Omari, Khalifa Natour, and Mahmud Shalaby

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a touchy subject to say the least, and there have probably been a thousand movies bringing this controversial subject to light. Most probably think of Steven Spielberg's Munich as the most prominent film on the topic. Others probably think of the documentary Waltz With Bashir. None are more creati...

REVIEW: With Violins, Shipyards, and Secret Letters, Simon and the Oaks is Really the War of the Dads

Posted by James Brown on Monday, October 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Simon and the Oaks (Simon och ekarna)

Directed By: Lisa Ohlin

Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Helen Sjöholm, Jonatan Wächter, Stefan Gödicke, and Jan Josef Liefers

Violins seem to be back in style at indie theaters this fall. We had Chicken with Plums last month, Simon and the Oaks this month, and A Late Quartet next month. All these films are about violinists. While I definitely love the strings, I would happily welcome a flick about some other instrument. For now, I'm going to tell you a...

REVIEW: For the Love of Ludo, Little White Lies Reveals His Real Friends and the Weasels

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 16, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Little White Lies

Directed By: Guillaume Canet

Starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie Bonetton, and Pascale Arbillot

Lies almost always catch up with you, especially the small ones. The worst lies are those that you tell yourself. You can't evade the truth forever. Sometimes it just comes crashing down on you, and you're absolutely helpless when it does. This is definitely the case for a group of longtime friends ...
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REVIEW: When the Angel of Death Faces the Power of Prayer, We Get Chicken with Plums

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 16, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Chicken with Plums

Directed By: Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros, Golshifteh Farahani, Eric Caravaca, and Chiara Mastroianni

A title can sometimes tell you everything about a movie long before you see it or absolutely nothing at all. Of all the movie titles I've encountered over the years, I have to say Chicken with Plums might just be the most enigmatic I've ever heard. When I first learned of this movie, my initial thought was "...
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REVIEW: Farewell, My Queen is the Wrong Title for This Movie. 'Goodbye' is Not in Sidonie's Vocabulary

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Farewell, My Queen

Directed By: Benoít Jacquot

Starring: Diane Kruger, Léa Seydoux, and Virginie Ledoyen

I can't lie. When I first heard of Farewell, My Queen, I thought it would be a rather steamy film that highlighted an alleged lesbian romance between Marie-Antoinette and the Duchess of Polignac with the French Revolution as the backdrop for the film. As it turns out, it's just the opposite. This lesbian romance is emphasized in the film but takes a backseat to the French Revolution and ...
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REVIEW: Polisse. That's How the Good Lord Works

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 26, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Polisse

Directed By: Maïwenn

Starring: Karin Viard, Joeystarr, Marina Foïs, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Karole Rocher, Emmanuelle Bercot, Frédéric Pierrot, Arnaud Henriet, Naidra Ayadi, Jérémie Elkaïm, and Maïwenn

Our society has a way of turning some of our more serious problems or struggles in life into entertainment. Reality TV is a prime example of this. It's turned love and relationships into a joke with shows like The Bachelor and Flavor of Love. It's turned family life into a gag with...
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REVIEW: Monsieur Lazhar is the King of the Hill with a Classroom Full of Trees and Chrysalises

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 29, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Monsieur Lazhar
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Directed By: Philippe Falardeau

Starring: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx, Brigitte Poupart, and Jules Philip

A child's innocence is a one-time deal. Once it's gone, it's gone for good. That's why we as a society value it so much. When a child is robbed of this innocence, it's a true tragedy. That's why it's so incomprehensible that a suicidal teacher would hang herself in a classroom for all the school to see. That's the proble...
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REVIEW: Leading Is Dangerous Business, and We Have a Pope Who Knows It

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)

Directed By: Nanni Moretti

Starring: Michel Piccoli and Nanni Moretti

Being a leader is hard work. How many people have shied away from opportunities to lead a student organization, a neighborhood association, or some committee at work? Stepping up to the plate can be tough stuff, and often none of us want to do it in the midst of our already stressful lives. You know you've avoided something like this at some point in your life. Hell, I certainly have...on mor...
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REVIEW: The Kid with a Bike Is a Scrappy Little Pitbull

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 1, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Kid with a Bike

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne

Starring: Cécile de France and Thomas Doret

If you recall from my review of Delicacy last week, I was hoping that the saccharine romantic comedy was a hidden gem among a slate of great films from or involving France. I was wrong then, and have some leftover Merlot to prove it. I'm happy to say that I've found a gem in Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's French (and Belgian) film The Kid with a Bike.

Cyril (Thomas Doret) is a 12 ...
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REVIEW: The Forgiveness of Blood - The Kanun And Blood Feuds

Posted by Mary Dieng on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Forgiveness of Blood
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Joshua Marston

Starring: Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Lacej, Refet Abazi, and Ilire Vinca Celaj

There are some films that make you surf the Internet and do a little research upon viewing them. You feel compelled to find out whether the subject matter is real or whether the filmmakers were pulling your leg. Joshua Marston's The Forgiveness of Blood is that kind of film and I found myself googling Albania and the Kanun as soon as the credits started rol...
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REVIEW: A Separation Is Undeniably Riveting

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 3, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

A Separation

Directed By: Asghar Farhadi

Starring: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Farhadi

I'm a little late to the game for A Separation. This Iranian drama has been in theaters for a while now and has had a lot of good buzz. It's won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. It's won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. With all this hype, it's the must-see foreign film of the year. Having now seen A Separat...
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