This well-received film covers the World War II survival tactics of two young French Jewish boys, aged 10 and 13, as they try to make the journey to the southern Free Zone where the Nazi occupation is not yet in force. They persuade a priest to say that they are with him and successfully arrive just ahead of the Nazi occupiers. Through their unhesitating deceit, these charming boys are able to outwit their persecutors, and survive with some grace.Read More »
Ma vie en rose (English translation: My Life in Pink) is a 1997 Belgian drama film directed by Alain Berliner. It tells the story of Ludovic, transgender girl who is seen by her family and community as a boy, but consistently communicates that she is a girl. The film depicts Ludovic and her family as they struggle to accept her gender.Read More »
PLOT: The second part of Aki Kaurismaki “Finland” trilogy, the film follows a man who arrives in Helsinki and gets beaten up so severely he develops amnesia. Unable to remember his name or anything from his past life, he cannot get a job or an apartment, so he starts living on the outskirts of the city and slowly starts putting his life back on track.Read More »
THAT WAY WITH WOMEN was a cute romantic comedy nothing especially special, but it had a solid cast and provided a diverting 84 minutes. The story, a remake of THE MILLIONAIRE (1931), is about a former automobile manufacturing tycoon from Detroit, J.P. Alden (Sydney Greenstreet), who is bored with his retirement in sunny Pasadena, California; on a whim J.P. buys a half interest in a gas station. The other half of the gas station is owned by Greg Wilson (Dane Clark), a young man struggling to get a business going after wartime service. Greg has no idea of J.P.’s true identity, or that J.P. is the father of Marcia (Martha Vickers), the gorgeous young woman with whom Greg has a love-hate relationship.Read More »
Maria and Karl Lang are the singing duo of Vienna. Maria had previously enjoyed attention from many men before marrying Karl, and Karl is very jealous. Karl tries to test Maria’s loyalty by masquerading as a Russian guardsman to see whether she will flirt. Karl, in his Russian disguise, makes vigorous attempts to seduce Maria. But he becomes more and more confused because he can’t determine whether Maria’s friendly reception to the guardsman is innocent, or whether it signifies a deeper interest. Has Maria has seen through Karl’s disguise and is she toying with him?Read More »
Old bachelor Benjamin still lives with his sister Micaela in the boredom of a small town. His only entertainment is getting together with a bunch of old men and spare time playing like children. Benjamin falls inlove with beautiful and young Natividad. First, he writes love letters for her. Then, when this strategy fails, Benjamin and the old men plan to abduct her and wait for her falling in love.Read More »
From IMDB:
Hannelore Reitzler elopes with her boyfriend to the Hotel Liebesnest but he leaves her during the night after failing to take her virginity. Not wanting to return home, Hannelore takes job as a chambermaid which also involves giving sexual favors to the guests at an extra charge. Meanwhile, a female cat burglar visits Das Liebesnest every night and each time she gets caught, she offers her body to the captor to keep them quiet.Read More »
Synopsis:
The mayor (Pascal Greggory) of this unpolished provincial town has plans for a beautiful field on the edge of town, and he’s quite sure they will be put through the central government in time to help him with his political career. He intends to replace the field with a sports and “cultural” center, along with a large parking lot. The only overt opposition to this plan at the outset comes from an environmentally sensitive grammar school teacher (Fabrice Luchini), and he’s hardly a threat, because he doesn’t imagine he can successfully oppose the builders’ designs. Meanwhile, the mayor has fallen in love with one of the local representatives of the intelligentsia, a woman novelist (Arielle Dombasle). Trouble begins to percolate into the mayor’s life and thwart his plans when his daughter and the daughter of the schoolteacher become friends.
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie GuideRead More »
One of the most striking and critically acclaimed French films of the 1990s, Irma Vep offers a witty and insightful comment on film-making in that decade. The film demonstrates not just the precarious nature of an industry which is constantly constrained by time and money, and its susceptibility to personal whims and prejudices, but also provides an eye-opening résumé of the whole film making process. The film was directed by Olivier Assayas, a one-time critic who has since gained a reputation as one of France’s most promising filmmakers.Read More »