Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Film Reviews
Film Reviews
Film Name Last Tango in Paris (1972) The Dreamers (2003) Stealing Beauty (1996) The Sheltering Sky (1990) Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) Lolita (1997) Eyes Wide Shut 1999 A Clockwork Orange [1971] Poison Ivy (1992) Irrversible (2002)
Genre Dramas
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Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick Katt Shea Ruben, Andy Ruben Gaspar Noe
Emmanuelle (1974)
Just Jaeckin
Toni Venturi
Chen Kaige
Kathryn Bigelow
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Bruce Beresford
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Stanley Donen
Nancy Meyers
Bernard Rose
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Russ Meyer
By Russ Meyer
Elia Kazan
Russ Meyer
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Damage (1992)
Louis Malle
Stephen Poliakoff
Casablanca 1942
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Michael Curtiz
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King Vidor
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David Lean
Caligula (1979)
Tinto Brass
CHINATOWN (1974)
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Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
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Gil Junger
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Michel Gondry
TITANIC 1997
James Cameron
Clint Eastwood
Roger Michell
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Richard Curtis
GHOST 1990
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Jerry Zucker
Garry Marshall
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Garry Marshall
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Nick Cassavetes
John Madden
Wall E
Andrew Stanton
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Robert Altman
Billy Wilder
Frank Darabont
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Frank Capra
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Alexander Mackendrick
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Billy Wilder
The Graduate
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Mike Nichols
Boaz Yakin
John Ford
Max Faerberboeck
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Rituparno Ghosh
Billy Wilder
Abahoman
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Rituparno Ghosh
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Rituparno Ghosh
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Antarmahal
Rituparno Ghosh
Rashomon (1950)
Akira Kurosawa
Raajneeti
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Prakash Jha
Akira Kurosawa
High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku) (Heaven and Hell) (1962) Ran (1985)
Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa`
Intimacy (2001)
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Lukas Moodysson
Sam Raimi
H1.M
Patrice Chreau
The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
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Peter Greenaway
Creation (2009)
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Jon Amiel
In.the.City.of.Sylvia.2007
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EROS
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Adrian Lyne
OUT OF AFRICA
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Sydney Pollack
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Catherine Breillat
Roger Dodger[2002]
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Dylan Kidd
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Gabriele Muccino
Malena 2000
Giuseppe Tornatore
H1.M
Ang Lee
Dracula (1992)
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David Lean
Twilight (2008/I)
Catherine Hardwicke
Remember Me (2010)
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Allen Coulter
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Peter Billingsley
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Joe Wright
Nine (2009)
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Rob Marshall
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Michelangelo Antonioni
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Michelangelo Antonioni
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Michelangelo Antonioni
Luis Buuel
Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988) The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)
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Pedro Almodvar
Paul Verhoeven
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John N. Smith
Abohoman
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Rituparno Ghosh
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Krzysztof Kieslowski
Wicker Park
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Paul McGuigan
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David Fincher
A Walk To Remember
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Adam Shankman
Serendipity
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Peter Chelsom
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Anthony Minghella
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Richard LaGravenese
H1.M
Nora Ephron
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Joel Schumacher
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Joseph Ruben
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EMILE ARDOLINO
H1.M
Gabriele Muccino
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Frank Darabont
Garry Marshall
Saviour (1998)
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Predrag Antonijevic
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Nick Cassavetes
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David Frankel
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I am Sam (2001)
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Jessie Nelson
H1.M
Mark Herman
Grease (1978)
H1.M
Randal Kleiser
H1.M
Marc Forster
H1.M
Jon Turteltaub
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Jason Reitman
C'era una volta il West (1968) Once Upon a Time in the West
Sergio Leone
H1.M
Frank Capra
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Frank Capra
Utsab (2000)
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Rituparno Ghosh
H1.M
Richard Linklater
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Richard Linklater
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Ingmar Bergman
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Pedro Almodvar
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Ingmar Bergman
Casanova[2005]
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Lasse Hallstrm
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Ingmar Bergman
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Ingrid Bergman
Busby Berkeley
Luis Bunuel - The Diary of a Chambermaid (1964) Le journal d'une femme de chambre
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Luis Buuel
Volver 2006
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Pedro Almodvar
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Jean Renoir
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Jacques Audiard
Bertrand Blier
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D. Elia Kazan
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Joel M. Reed
David Lynch
Alfonso Arau
Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Jacques Demy
Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Giuseppe Tornatore
Sydney Pollack
Mark Rydell
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Neil Jordan
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Sharon Maguire
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Claude Lelouch
8 (1963)
Federico Fellini
Julian Schnabel
Brief Encounter
David Lean
Joel Zwick
Caroline Link
Woody Allen
An Affair to Remember
Leo McCarey
Roman Holiday
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William Wyler
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Luis Buuel
Le Boucher
Claude Chabrol
Contempt
Jean-Luc Godard
Alejandro Amenbar
Lucrecia Martel
Alfonso Cuarn
Gregory's Girl
Bill Forsyth
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Pedro Almodovar
Billie August
Inland Empire
David Lynch
Jake Scott
David Fincher
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Les Choses de la vie (The Little Things in Life) (These Things Happen) (1970)
Claude Sautet
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Claude Sautet
Claude Sautet
Andre Techine
Les choristes
Christophe Barratier
Nir Bergman
I1.M
Max Ophls
Citizen Kane
Orson Welles
Dangerous Liaisons
Stephen Frears
Cinderella Man
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Ron Howard
Gate of Hell
Teinosuke Kinugasa
Ingmar Bergman
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Babettes Feast
Gabriel Axel
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Nikita Mikhalkov
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Roberto Benigni
H2.M H1.M
Pedro Almodvar
Lawrence Kasdan
Steven Spielberg
Ingmar Bergman
Winter Light
Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Jack Clayton
Teenage Bride
Gary Troy
Tinto Brass
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H2.M
Fernando Meirelles
Woody Allen
Taken 2008
Pierre Morel
Remember Me
Allen Coulter
Basu Bhattacharya
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Clint Eastwood
Mani Ratnam
H2.M
Nicolas Klotz
Jean Herman
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Thieves) (1968) L' Homme qui Aimait les Femmes (The Man Who Loved Women) (1977)
Franois Truffaut
"L' enfant sauvage (The Wild Child) [1970] dir Francois Truffau"
Franois Truffaut
Franois Truffaut
Franois Truffaut
Day for Night (La Nuit Amricaine) (The American Night) (1973)
Franois Truffaut
H2.M
Franois Truffaut
Franois Truffaut
Franois Truffaut
Franois Truffaut
Wim Wenders
Ingmar Bergman
12 Angry Men
Sidney Lumet
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Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky
Sean Penn
Robert Zemeckis
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Three Colors: White (Trzy kolory: Bialy) (Trois Couleurs: Blanc) (1994)
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1968)
Sergio Leone
Repulsion (1965)
Roman Polanski
Luis Buuel
Sam Wood
Lean on Me (1989)
John G. Avildsen
Richard LaGravenese
2 4 7 . 2 4 8 . 2 4 9 . 2 5 0 . 2 5 1 . 2 5 2 . 2 5 3 . 2 5 4 . 2 5 5 . 2 5 6 . 2 5 7 . 2 5 8 .
Ramn Menndez
Rudy (1994)
David Anspaugh
James Clavell
Tim McCanlies
Michael O. Sajbel
Phillip Noyce
Isabel Coixet
21 Grams (2003)
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Pedro Almodvar
Henry Hathaway
Lilja 4-ever
Lukas Moodysson
Sam Mendes
Lixin Fan
Ki-duk Kim
H1.M
Luis Buuel
Memento (2000)
Christopher Nolan
Viridiana (1961)
Luis Buuel
Andrei Tarkovsky
2 7 2 . 2 7 3 . 2 7 4 . 2 7 5 . 2 7 6 . 2 7 7 . 2 7 8 . 2 7 9 . 2 8 0 . 2 8 1 . 2 8 2 . 2 8 3 .
Paolo Sorrentino
Luis Buuel
James Gray
Clarence Brown
Eugnie (1974)
Jesus Franco
Jesus Franco
Abbas Kiarostami
Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua) (1991)
Yimou Zhang
H2.M
Thomas Vinterberg
John M. Stahl
Yasujiro Ozu
Edward Zwick
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Francesco Rosi
Walerian Borowczyk
Luis Buuel
Luc Besson
Penelope (2006)
Mark Palansky
I1.M
Baz Luhrmann
I1.M
Jaromil Jires
Hiroshi Teshigahara
I1.M
Walerian Borowczyk
I1.M
Jean-Luc Godard
I1.M
Alain Resnais
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Alain Resnais
H1.M
Salvatore Samperi
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Ricardo de Montreuil
Naked (1993)
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Mike Leigh
Mncora (2008)
H1.M
Ricardo de Montreuil
I1.M
Penelope Spheeris
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Guillaume Canet
Edgar Wright
I1.M
Chang-dong Lee
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Ki-duk Kim
H1.M
H2.M
Takashi Miike
I1.M
Sarah Polley
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Isabel Coixet
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Tom Ford
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Jean Eustache
El lado oscuro del corazn (1992) The Dark Side of the Heart
I1.M
Eliseo Subiela
I1.M
Derek Cianfrance
I1.M
Alan J. Pakula
Bo (2010)
I1.M
Hans Herbots
Biutiful (2010)
I1.M
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Mark Herman
I1.M
Alan J. Pakula
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Kenneth Branagh
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Milos Forman
Waitress (2007)
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Adrienne Shelly
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Marc Rothemund
Michael Haneke
Claudia Llosa
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Alejandro Amenbar
Edge of Darkness
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Martin Campbell
Papillon (1973)
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Franklin J. Schaffner
I1.M
Elia Kazan
I1.CNF
Andrea Arnold
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Roy Andersson
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Robert Redford
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Todd Field
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MICHAEL CIMINO
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Ryan Fleck
An Education 2009
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Lone Scherfig
I1.M
Vadim Perelman
Vozvrashchenie
I1.M
Andrei Zvyagintsev
I1.M
Susanne Bier
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring 2003 aka Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom
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Ki-duk Kim
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Hirokazu Koreeda
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Kiyoshi Kurosawa
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Sean Penn
Ed Wood 1994
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Tim Burton
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Werner Herzog
Constantinen 2005
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Francis Lawrence
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D.J. Caruso
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Jean-Luc Godard
I1.M
Claude Berri
Jean de Florette
I1.M
Claude Berri
I1.M
Ingmar Bergman
I1.CNF
Julio Medem
Mathieu Kassovitz
I1.CNF
Julio Medem
I1.CNF
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Clment Virgo
Diary of a Nymphomaniac
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Christian Molina
Fatih Akin
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Todd Field
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Michael Radford
Cashback (2006)
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Sean Ellis
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Martin Gero
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Kevin Smith
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Ted Demme
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Paul Weitz
I1.CNF
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Daisuke Got
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Daisuke Got
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Yji Tajiri
I1.CNF
Yutaka Ikejima
I1.CNF
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Paul Schrader
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Jlio Bressane
No te mueras sin decirme adonde vas (Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going) 1995
I1.M
Eliseo Subiela
I1.M
Icar Bollan
I1.M
Sam Peckinpah
I1.M
Ritwik Ghatak
I1.M
Sam Peckinpah
I1.M
Jorge Fons
I1.M
Ken Loach
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Ken Loach
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Adam Brooks
My Life to Live (It's My Life) (Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux) (1962)
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Jean-Luc Godard
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Jean-Luc Godard
I1.M
Luis Buuel
I1.M
Marc Lawrence
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie) (1972)
I1.M
Luis Buuel
I1.M
Franois Truffaut
The Young One (Island of Shame) (White Trash) (La Joven) (1960)
I1.M
Luis Buuel
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Nancy Meyers
Head On (1998)
I1.M
Ana Kokkinos
I1.M
Franois Truffaut
I1.M
Franois Truffaut
I1.M
Luis Buuel
I1.M
Elia Kazan
I1.M
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Terrence Malick
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Terrence Malick
I1.M
I1.M
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Luis Buuel
I1.M
I1.M
Gilbert Cates
I1.M
Jon Kasdan
I1.M
Nancy Meyers
I1.M
Lasse Hallstrm
I1.M
Billy Wilder
I1.M
Norman Jewison
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Bruce Beresford
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William Wyler
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Fred Zinnemann
Gigi (1958)
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Richard Brooks I
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George Stevens
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George Cukor
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Fred Zinnemann
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Hugh Hudson
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James L. Brooks
Chicago (2002)
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Rob Marshall
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Kevin Costner
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Vertigo (1958)
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Alfred Hitchcock
Psycho (1960)
I2.M
Alfred Hitchcock
Awakenings (1990)
I2.M
Penny Marshall
I2.M
I2.M
Gene Saks
Gilda (1946)
I2.M
Charles Vidor
I2.M
Theodoros Angelopoulos
I2.M
Victor Erice
I2.M
Orson Welles
I2.M
Raoul Walsh
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Delbert Mann
Laura (1944)
I2.M
Otto Preminger
I2.M
Charles Vidor
I2.M
Chi-Jan Hou
I2.M
Kevin Macdonald
I2.M
Lone Scherfig
I2.M
Julian Jarrold
I2.M
Jonathan Demme
I2.M
David Frankel
I2.M
James Marsh
I2.M
Hirokazu Koreeda
Le Gout Des Autres (The Taste of Others) (It Takes All Kinds) (2000)
I2.M
Agns Jaoui
I2.M
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Joshua Marston
I2.M
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Marco Risi
La riffa (1993)
I2.M
Francesco Laudadio
I2.M
Ralph Thomas
I2.M
Samuel Fuller
I2.M
J. Lee Thompson
I2.M
Sam Peckinpah
Watcher in the Attic (Edogawa Rampo ryoki-kan: Yaneura no sanpo sha) (1976)
I2.M
Noboru Tanaka
Gregory Hippolyte
Gregory Hippolyte
Gregory Hippolyte
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Almut Getto
Volker Schlndorff
Oliver Hirschbiegel
Chris Kraus
Auf der Anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven) (On the Other Side) (2007)
Fatih Akin
Feo Aladag
The Marriage of Maria Braun (Die Ehe der Maria Braun) (1979)
Leni Riefenstahl
Alexander Kluge
Rodrigo Garca
Vincere (2009)
Marco Bellocchio
Rodrigo Garca
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Notorious (1946)
Alfred Hitchcock
Spellbound (1945)
Alfred Hitchcock
George Cukor
Garson Kanin
Michael Gordon
Marcel Carn
Ernst Lubitsch
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
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Synopsis: After her mother commits suicide, nineteen year old Lucy Harmon travels to Italy to have her picture painted. However, she has other reasons for... After her mother commits suicide, nineteen year old Lucy Harmon travels to Italy to have her picture painted. However, she has other reasons for wanting to go. She wants to renew her acquaintance with Nicolo Donati, a young boy with whom she fell in love on her last visit four years ago. She also is trying tosolve the riddle left in a diary written by her dead mother, Sara.
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Slowly Elizabeth becomes increasingly dependent on John--he feeds her in the morning, bathes her, takes care of her, and makes love to her in ways she's never experienced. She finally realizes that their relationhip is unhealthy and is driven to the edge when John starts to have sex with a prostitute in front of her in a dingy motel room. She can't think straight anymore, and is desperately unhappy. She becomes even more confused and upset when her best friend begins a relationship with her ex-husband. In the end she leaves John, telling him it's too little too late when he tries to tell her about himself. When she walks out the door into the apartment complex courtyard, he whispers to himself that he loves her and that she had better come back in 50 seconds. She doesn't though, and the movie ends with her walking down the lonely streets of the city, crying and thinking about the fact that for nine and a half weeks she had an erotic affair with a perfect stranger.
barely in her teens. His odyssey, which next takes him into a world of wealthy sex play at a masked ball of hedonism, threatens his life, his self-respect, and his marriage. Synopsis: Stanley Kubrick's final film is a mature, highly intelligent, thrilling masterpiece of sexual obsession and marital (in)fidelity. Tom Cruise stars as Bill Harford, a doctor who becomes obsessed with a sexual fantasy that his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), confesses to him. Although the fantasy (involving a naval officer) occurred only in Alice's mind, Bill can't get it out of his own head; his obsession leads him through a series of potential sexual encounters, each one surrounded by the specter of death. His whole world threatens to unravel as he falls deeper and deeper into a web of mystery, lies, and deceit. Kubrick's film breathes with vivid blues, reds, and blacks, the threat of illicit sex and death lurking around every corner. Cruise and Kidman, who are married in real life, are utterly convincing as a happy couple suddenly forced to reexamine their faith in each other. Sidney Pollack, Todd Field, Julienne Davis, Marie Richardson, and Vinessa Shaw sparkle in minor roles. Based on the novella TRAUMNOVELLE by Arthur Schnitzler, EYES WIDE SHUT is a brilliant examination of the psychological nature of sex and marriage, of faith and faithlessness, of obsession and desire. Kubrick said that his last film (he died shortly before the film opened) was "my best film ever;" while that is debatable, there is no doubting that the film is a splendid finale to a glorious career. [Less]
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Irrversible
Starring: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Nahon Director: Gaspar Noe Synopsis: Irreversible is a demanding and audacious but thoroughly rewarding cinematic experience that has been thrilling audiences since its world premiere in Cannes and its North American debut screenings at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals earlier this year. The film will be released by Lions Gate Films on March 7, 2003. Even for a director that has been known to invite controversy in films such as Sodomites (1998), Seul contre tous (I Stand Alone) (1998), and Carne (1991), Nos Irreversible can still be considered the ultimate in bravura filmmaking. An emotional odyssey that unspools in reverse from gutwrenching violence to sweetly observed moments of sublime tenderness, the film stars Monica Bellucci and real-life husband Vincent Cassel as a couple whose story is told over the course of a fateful evening in a series of long takes. The film features two unsettling and graphic scenes of violence and sexuality that are difficult to watch. However, these grim sights are nestled within a carefully constructed -- although unconventional -- narrative which serves as a counterpoint to moments of striking tenderness, and the film is in some ways a study of darkness and light. -- Lions Gate Films [Less] ## The film opens with two men talking in an apartment building. One of the characters is from another film by Gaspar Noe, "Carne". The camera pans out the window to a gay club called "The Rectum". The police have arrived and they are wheeling out one man on a stretcher, and another man is being arrested. In the next scene, the same two men frantically searching in "The Rectum" for a man whose name is La Tenia. One of the men keeps asking the patrons of the club, but they will only ask him to perform sexual acts on them. The second man seems to be trying to stop the first man from what ever it is he's trying to do. Eventually, the first man finds who he believes is La Tenia. The man picks a fight with La Tenia and loses. La Tenia is about to rape him, but the second man smashes La Tenia's head in with a fire extinguisher. Then, we see the two men in a car. The first man is driving the car, the second is in the back seat. They pull over and the first man goes into a bar to ask where The Rectum is, and someone tells him. The scene changes again, and the two men in the car, but both in the back seat. There's an Asian man driving, and we learn they are in a taxi. The driver pulls over and gets out of the car, and the first man jumps in the driver's seat and drives away. Next, we see the two men, whose names are revealed to be Marcus and Pierre, with two other men, and they are all walking down a street lined with prostitutes. They're looking for a man named Guillermo Nunez. One of the prostitutes points out another, named Concha, who is actually Nunez, a transvestite. They threaten Concha, and she reveals that La Tenia is in The Rectum. The other prostitutes then come to the aid of Concha and chase all four of the men away, and Marcus and Pierre get in a taxi and drive away. The film then flashes back to Pierre and Marcus leaving a party. The walk outside and the police are wheeling a body out of a subway. Marcus identifies the woman as his girlfriend, Alex. She has been brutally beaten and is in a coma. A man approaches Marcus and asks him if he wants revenge, and Marcus says yes. The man tells Marcus a purse was found at the scene of the crime, which contained an identification for a man named Guilermo Nunez. The film flashes back again, this time to a beautiful woman, Alex, exiting a building. She want to cross the street, but the traffic is too heavy. A prostitute recommends that she take the underground walkways because they are safer. She enters the walkway and sees La Tenia threatening Guillermo/Concha with a knife. La Tenia sees Alex, lets go of Guillermo/Concha, and grabs Alex. He rapes her, and then beats her brutally. The scene lasts for nine minutes, and is one continuous camera shot (most of the scenes are). Another flash back - this time to a party. Alex, Marcus, and Pierre socialize with friends. Marcus is drunk, and sniffing cocaine. Alex gets mad at him and leaves. Back further in time, Alex, Pierre, and Marcus take the subway to get to the party. It is revealed that Pierre was Alex's previous boyfriend, but Marcus "stole" her. Flashing back again to a couple hours before, where it's revealed that Alex and Marcus had sex before the party. After they have sex, Marcus leaves to go to the store. While he is gone, Alex learns that she is pregnant. In the final scene, Alex sits in a park reading a book while children play. She is completely unaware of her coming fate. The scene fades into flashing strobe lights and shows a final slide saying LE TEMPS DETRUIT TOUT (time destroys all things).
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Emmanuelle (1974)
Starring: Sylvia Kristel, Alain Cuny, Marika Green Director: Just Jaeckin Synopsis: Emmanuelle, a svelte, naive young woman, is en route to Bangkok where she'll join her new husband. He works for the French Embassy and has a lovely home, several dedicated servants, and an expensive car at his disposal. Once Emmanuelle arrives, her husband and a few friends introduce her to a realm of sexual ecstasy she'd never imagined. I remember seeing this film on Skinemax and Showslime about two dozen times as a teenager. I'd stay up as late as it took. It's amazing how little sleep I got on a school night just for a few seconds of titillation. I recently re-watched this film as an adult out of sheer nostalgia value (nudge nudge), but sometimes one should let fond memories be. Whether I enjoyed seeing this as a teen through rose-colored glasses, or merely just a rosy palm, the film just hasn't lasted the test of time with so much more sexier and more explicit films that have been released since. Jean (Sarsky, The Pelican) marries Emmanuelle (Kristel, Private Lessons) and takes her to his home in Bangkok. He loves her because she's great in the sack, but wants to open her up to explore her sexuality without inhibitions. At first she is awkwardly shy, but later gives in, and when she goes off for a couple of days with a female archaeologist, Jean doesn't know how to feel. Can love and sex be separate in a relationship? Can a couple have extramarital affairs and still claim to love each other? Can someone love more than one person at a time? These are the questions the film tries to deal with. Emmanuelle caused quite a stir when it was released back in 1974. It's pretty tame by today's standards. It's sort of a cult classic for breaking many taboos, such as lesbianism, threesomes, and fairly rough sex. It usually gets favorable reviews due to being so-called groundbreaking, but if you examine it with a critical eye, it is fairly obvious this is a poor film. The story is anemic, with every scene just a set-up to show another sexual act. The directing is horrible, with the sloppiest editing imaginable, and more padding than a typical episode of "CHiPs". The film stock is of very low quality, and the cinematography, well, let's just say they try to make their environs look exotic but they only succeed in making the armpit look less sweaty. The film is less than erotic, unless you feel rape and women kissing each others shoulders is hot stuff, and with the exception of a scene where a young Asian girl smokes a cigarette with her womanhood, you've probably seen it all done better by later films.
things about her husband's past. Is he really the romantic that she had him pegged as, or is he something a lot more dangerous? It's quite incredible how stupid the characters are throughout this film. Hmm, let's see. Alice goes off for a fling for a man she meets at a pedestrian crossing (yes, it really is that dull) and has rampant sex without knowing anything about the man she's screwing. She then marries him, despite the fact that he is an obvious psycho (Fiennes has the obligatory 'I'm ever so evil' sneer throughout the film). As the 'truth' begins to be revealed, we're not worried about her. In fact, we hope she gets bumped off as anybody who is that dumb deserves it. The actors seem to have realised that they are making an utter turkey: everyone phones in their performances with the two leads exuding the charisma and sexual chemistry of a carrot. The ending completely negates everything that has gone. The direction is no better. Set in a flat and featureless London, the film avoids any glamour whatsoever. The supposed shocks are pedestrian and can be seen from a mile away, while some of the mountaineering scenes seem to be tacked on to give a bit more grandeur to the proceedings. Needless to say, it doesn't work. Hopefully everyone involved will let this one slide to the bottom of their CV. It would probably do quite well on video with the dirty mac brigade hoping to see Graham in the buff. But she does the same in Boogie Nights (1997). Get that instead. Contrary to the bad review, the charisma and sexual chemistry is the best i've seen in any film to date. There are no teasers or "art" shots, instead the director did the best thing by showcasing the sex scenes in the manner that he did. Even though it seems that they seem to be the only thing that ties the whole movie together, that isn't necessarily a bad thing as you actually are abled to grasp the foundation of their relationship instead of being left with cheap "huh? when the hell did that happen?" scenes. What should be noted for are the subtleties in the characters. These are surprising perfomances by joseph fiennes and especially heather graham. Instead of going through the deer-caught-in-headlights route that most actresses go for in dangerous plots (ie. Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm), heather graham actually brings personality to her character. The scenes which showcase this best are...basically every scene. For joseph fiennes it's the part in the taxi cab when they first meet, as Alice puts her hand on the car door, Adam gives a sly know-it-all look, a subtlety that most actors aren't able to pull-off. It's hard to not want to believe that Alice must be a crazy and paranoid little girl and that the two should get a happy ever after in the end. Plot-wise, this is certainly different from almost every script out there. The suspense is chilling emotionally and visually without resorting to cliche shots even though it tends to make you believe that it will. I found myself actually giving serious thought to the storyline and the characters when my first intent was just to watch joseph fiennes' rippling pecs and heather graham's perfect set of ti*cough* legs. The acting is lavish without being overacting. Reviewer Laurence Boyce obviously does not see the importance of the mounteering and it's connections and basis with Adam's controlling behaviour and sexual perversities in their relationship. However, i have the strong feeling that people who have not been in slightly similar situations (in general; ie. swept away by lust/love, or even slight afflictions with bd/sm) will not be able to connect as much with the characters or even understand the underlying genius in the film as a whole. And comparing Boogie Nights and with Killing Me Softly, Paul Thomas Anderson doesn't have as much professionalism/creativity to handle the sex scenes as Chen Kaige did. Instead using them as a shock tool more than anything else. In Boogie Nights, PTA was selfish in using the actors just as hangers (cardboard actors) instead of letting the characters speak for themselves. And with such a such a great line-up it all went to waste. Actually that could've been the problem, in most of his movies there's too much talking that goes on for 3 straight hours and the "artistic" silences in between. This Laurence Boyce person is exactly the type of audience that Chen Kaige would pay to not see his films as they do not realise the difference between hyped-up/cool-as-Starbucks/cliched "art" films and a damn good movie that deserves to be preserved till the cows come home so that all so-called cliched "art" directors can be slapped at the side of their heads with the DVD cover years from now. This is the kind of movie not meant for old dinasours who still think sex is supposed to be shocking in this information age. This caters for the more younger open-minded movie-goers who know the beauty of a sex scene when they see one. The ones who survive on movies and're able to weed out great films from the spoon-fed art variety. Not meant for pessimists who try to make themselves look or feel better by putting down a movie just because she/he still covers his/her eyes when people start getting naked.
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Anna Karenina
Starring: Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Alfred Molina, Mia Kirshner Director: Bernard Rose Plot summary The novel is divided into eight parts. The novel begins with one of its most quoted lines: unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Part 1 The novel opens with a scene introducing Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky, "Stiva", a Moscow aristocrat and civil servant who has been unfaithful to his wife Darya Alexandrovna, nicknamed "Dolly". Dolly has discovered his affair - with the family's governess - and the house and family are in turmoil. Stiva's affair and his reaction to his wife's distress shows an amorous personality that he cannot seem to suppress. In the midst of the turmoil, Stiva reminds the household that his married sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina is coming to visit from Saint Petersburg. Meanwhile, Stiva's childhood friend Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin ("Kostya") arrives in Moscow with the aim of proposing to Dolly's youngest sister Princess Katerina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya, "Kitty". Levin is a passionate, restless but shy aristocratic landowner who, unlike his Moscow friends, chooses to live in the country on his large estate. He discovers that Kitty is also being pursued by Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, an army officer. At the railway station to meet Anna, Stiva bumps into Vronsky. Vronsky is there to meet his mother. Anna and the Countess Vronskaya have travelled together in the same carriage and talked together. As the family members are reunited, and Vronsky sees Anna for the first time, a railway worker accidentally falls in front of a train and is killed. Anna interprets this as an "evil omen." Vronsky is infatuated with Anna. Anna, who is uneasy about leaving her young son, Seryozha, alone for the first time, talks openly and emotionally to Dolly about Stiva's affair and convinces Dolly that her husband still loves her, despite his infidelity. Dolly is moved by Anna's speeches and decides to forgive Stiva. Dolly's youngest sister, Kitty, comes to visit her sister and Anna. Kitty, just 18, is in her first season as a debutante and is expected to make an excellent match with a man of her social standing. Vronsky has been paying her considerable attention, and she expects to dance with him at a ball that evening. Kitty is very struck by Anna's beauty and personality and is infatuated with her. When Levin proposes to Kitty at her home, she clumsily turns him down, because she believes she is in love with Vronsky and that he will propose to her. At the ball, Vronsky pays Anna considerable attention, and dances with her, choosing her as a partner instead of Kitty, who is shocked and heartbroken. Kitty realises that Vronsky has fallen in love with Anna, and that despite his overt flirtations with her he has no intention of marrying her and in fact views his attentions to her as mere amusement, believing that she does the same. Anna, shaken by her emotional and physical response to Vronsky, returns at once to Saint Petersburg. Vronsky travels on the same train. During the overnight journey, the two meet and Vronsky confesses his love. Anna refuses him, although she is deeply affected by his attentions to her. Levin, crushed by Kitty's refusal, returns to his estate farm, abandoning any hope of marriage, and Anna returns to her husband Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, a senior government official, and their son Sergei ("Seryozha") in Petersburg. On seeing her husband for the first time since her encounter with Vronsky, Anna realises that she finds him repulsive, noting the odd way that his ears press against his hat. Part 2 The Shcherbatskys consult doctors over Kitty's health which has been failing since she realizes that Vronsky did not love her and that he did not intend to propose marriage to her, and that she refused and hurt Levin, whom she cares for, in vain. A specialist doctor advises that Kitty should go abroad to a health spa to recover. Dolly speaks to Kitty and understands that she is suffering because of Vronsky and Levin. Kitty, humiliated by Vronsky and tormented by her rejection of Levin, upsets her sister by referring to Stiva's infidelity and says she could never love a man who betrayed her. Stiva stays with Levin on his country estate when he makes a sale of a plot of land, to provide funds for his expensive city lifestyle. Levin is upset at the poor deal he makes with the buyer and his lack of understanding of the rural lifestyle. In St. Petersburg, Anna begins to spend more time with the fashionable socialite and gossip Princess Betsy and her circle, in order to meet Vronsky, Betsy's cousin. Vronsky continues to pursue Anna. Although Anna initially tries to reject him, she eventually succumbs to his attentions. Karenin warns Anna of the impropriety of paying too much attention to Vronsky in public, which is becoming a subject of society gossip. He is concerned about his and his wife's public image, although he believes that Anna is above suspicion. Vronsky, a keen horseman, takes part in a steeplechase event, during which he rides his mare Frou-Frou too hard and she falls and breaks her back. Vronsky escapes with minimal injuries but is devastated that his mare must be shot. Anna tells him that she is pregnant with his child, and is unable to hide her distress when Vronsky falls from the racehorse. Karenin is also present at the races and remarks to her that her behaviour is improper. Anna, in a state of extreme distress and emotion, confesses her
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affair to her husband. Karenin asks her to break off the affair to avoid society gossip and believes that their relationship can then continue as previously. Kitty goes with her mother to a resort at a German spa to recover from her ill health. There they meet the Pietist Madame Stahl and the saintly Varenka, her adopted daughter. Influenced by Varenka, Kitty becomes extremely pious, but is disillusioned by her father`s criticism. She then returns to Moscow. Part 3 Levin continues his work on his large country estate, a setting closely tied to his spiritual thoughts and struggles. Levin wrestles with the idea of falseness, wondering how he should go about ridding himself of it, and criticising what he feels is falseness in others. He develops ideas relating to agriculture and the unique relationship between the agricultural labourer and his native land and culture. He believes that the agricultural reforms of Europe will not work in Russia because of the unique culture and personality of the Russian peasant. Levin pays Dolly a visit, and she attempts to understand what happened between him and Kitty and to explain Kitty's behaviour to him. Levin is very agitated by Dolly's talk about Kitty, and he begins to feel distant from her as he perceives her behaviour towards her children as false. Levin resolves to forget Kitty and contemplates the possibility of marriage to a peasant woman. However, a chance sighting of Kitty in her carriage as she travels to Dolly's house makes Levin realise he still loves her. In St. Petersburg, Karenin crushes Anna by refusing to separate from her. He insists that their relationship remain as it was and threatens to take away their son Seryozha if she continues to pursue her affair with Vronsky. Part 4 Anna continues to pursue her affair with Vronsky. Karenin begins to find the situation intolerable. He talks with a lawyer about obtaining a divorce. In Russia at that time, divorce could only be requested by the innocent party in an affair, and required either that the guilty party confessed (which would ruin Anna's position in society) or that the guilty party was discovered in the act. Karenin forces Anna to give him some letters written to her by Vronsky as proof of the affair. However, Anna's brother Stiva argues against it and persuades Karenin to speak with Dolly first. Dolly broaches the subject with Karenin and asks him to reconsider his plans to divorce Anna. She seems to be unsuccessful, but Karenin changes his plans after hearing that Anna is dying after a difficult childbirth. At her bedside, Karenin forgives Vronsky. Vronsky, embarrassed by Karenin's magnanimity, attempts suicide by shooting himself. He fails in his attempt but wounds himself badly. Anna recovers, having given birth to a daughter, Anna ("Annie"). Although her husband has forgiven her, and has become attached to the new baby, Anna cannot bear living with him. She hears that Vronsky is about to leave for a military posting in Tashkent and becomes desperate. Stiva finds himself pleading to Karenin on her behalf to free her by giving her a divorce. Vronsky is intent on leaving for Tashkent, but changes his mind after seeing Anna. The couple leave for Europe - leaving behind Anna's son Seryozha - without obtaining a divorce. Much more straightforward is Stiva's matchmaking with Levin: a meeting he arranges between Levin and Kitty results in their reconciliation and betrothal. Part 5 Levin and Kitty marry and immediately go to start their new life together on Levin's country estate. The couple are happy but do not have a very smooth start to their married life and take some time to get used to each other. Levin feels some dissatisfaction at the amount of time Kitty wants to spend with him and is slightly scornful of her preoccupation with domestic matters, which he feels are too prosaic and not compatible with his romantic ideas of love. A few months later, Levin learns that his brother Nikolai is dying of consumption. Levin wants to go to him, and is initially angry and put out that Kitty wishes to accompany him. Levin feels that Kitty, whom he has placed on a pedestal, should not come down to earth and should not mix with people from a lower class. Levin assumes her insistence on coming must relate to a fear of boredom from being left alone, despite her true desire to support her husband in a difficult time. Kitty persuades him to take her with him after much discussion, where she proves a great help nursing Nikolai for weeks over his slow death. She also discovers she is pregnant. In Europe, Vronsky and Anna struggle to find friends who will accept their situation. Whilst Anna is happy to be finally alone with Vronsky, he feels suffocated. They cannot socialize with Russians of their own social set and find it difficult to amuse themselves. Vronsky, who believed that being with Anna in freedom was the key to his happiness, finds himself increasingly bored and unsatisfied. He takes up painting, and makes an attempt to patronize an migr Russian artist of genius. Vronsky cannot see that his own art lacks talent and passion, and that his clever conversation about art is an empty shell. Bored and restless, Anna and Vronsky decide to return to Russia. In Petersburg, Anna and Vronsky stay in one of the best hotels but take separate suites. It becomes clear that whilst Vronsky is able to move in Society, Anna is barred from it. Even her old friend, Princess Betsy - who has had affairs herself - evades her company. Anna starts to become very jealous and anxious that Vronsky no longer loves her. Karenin is comforted and influenced by the strong-willed Countess Lidia Ivanovna, an enthusiast of religious and mystic ideas fashionable with the upper classes. She counsels him to keep Seryozha away from Anna and to make him believe that his mother is dead. However, Seryozha refuses to believe that this is true. Anna manages to visit Seryozha unannounced and uninvited on his ninth birthday, but is discovered by Karenin. Anna, desperate to resume at least in part her former position in Society, attends a show at the theatre at which all of Petersburg's high society are present. Vronsky begs her not to go, but is unable to bring himself to explain to her why she cannot go. At the theatre, Anna is openly snubbed by her former friends, one of whom makes a deliberate scene and leaves the theatre. Anna is devastated.
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Unable to find a place for themselves in Petersburg, Anna and Vronsky leave for Vronsky's country estate. Part 6 Dolly, her mother the Princess Scherbatskaya, and Dolly's children spend the summer with Levin and Kitty on the Levins' country estate. The Levins' life is simple and unaffected, although Levin is uneasy at the "invasion" of so many Scherbatskys. He is able to cope until he is consumed with an intense jealousy when one of the visitors, Veslovsky, flirts openly with the pregnant Kitty. Levin tries to overcome his jealousy but eventually succumbs to it and in an embarrassing scene evicts Veslovsky from his house. Veslovsky immediately goes to stay with Anna and Vronsky, whose estate is close by. Dolly also pays a short visit to Anna at Vronsky's estate. The difference between the Levins' aristocratic but simple home life and Vronsky's overtly luxurious and lavish country home strikes Dolly, who is unable to keep pace with Anna's fashionable dresses or Vronsky's extravagant spending on the hospital he is building. However, all is not quite well with Anna and Vronsky. Dolly is also struck by Anna's anxious behaviour and new habit of half closing her eyes when she alludes to her difficult position. When Veslovsky flirts openly with Anna, she plays along with him even though she clearly feels uncomfortable. Vronsky makes an emotional request to Dolly, asking her to convince Anna to divorce her husband so that the two might marry and live normally. Dolly broaches the subject with Anna, who appears not to be convinced. However, Anna is becoming intensely jealous of Vronsky, and cannot bear it when he leaves her for short excursions. The two have started to quarrel about this and when Vronsky leaves for several days of provincial elections, a combination of boredom and suspicion convinces Anna she must marry him in order to prevent him from leaving her. She writes to Karenin, and she and Vronsky leave the countryside for Moscow. Part 7 The Levins are in Moscow for Kitty's confinement. Despite initial reservations, Levin quickly gets used to the fast-paced, expensive and frivolous Moscow society life. He starts to accompany Stiva to his Moscow gentleman's club, where drinking and gambling are popular pastimes. At the club, Levin meets Vronsky and Stiva introduces them. Levin and Stiva pay a visit to Anna, who is occupying her empty days by being a patroness to an orphaned English girl. Levin is uneasy about the visit and not sure it is the proper thing to do, and Anna easily makes Levin fall in love with her. When he confesses to Kitty where he has been, she accuses him of falling in love with Anna. The couple are reconciled, realising that Moscow life has had a negative, corrupting effect on Levin. Anna, who has made a habit of inducing the young men who visit her to fall in love with her, cannot understand why she can attract a man like Levin, who has a young and beautiful new wife, but cannot attract Vronsky in the way she wants to. Anna's relationship with Vronsky is under increasing strain, as whilst he can move freely in Society - and continues to spend considerable time doing so to stress to Anna his independence as a man - she is excluded from all her previous social connections. She is estranged from baby Annie, her child with Vronsky. and her increasing bitterness, boredom, jealousy and emotional strain cause the couple to argue. Anna uses morphine to help her sleep, a habit we learned she had begun during her time living with Vronsky at his country estate. Now she has become dependent on it. After a long and difficult labour, Kitty gives birth to a son, Mitya. Levin is both extremely moved and horrified by the sight of the tiny, helpless baby. Stiva visits Karenin to encourage his commendation for a new post he is seeking. During the visit he asks him to grant Anna a divorce, but Karenin's decisions are now governed by a French "clairvoyant" recommended by Lidia Ivanovna who apparently has a vision in his sleep during Stiva's visit, and gives Karenin a cryptic message that is interpreted as meaning that he must decline the request for divorce. Anna becomes increasingly jealous and irrational towards Vronsky, whom she suspects of having love affairs with other women, and of giving in to his mother's plans to marry him off to a rich Society woman. There is a bitter row, and Anna believes that the relationship is over. She starts to think of suicide as an escape from her torments. In her mental and emotional confusion, she sends a telegram to Vronsky asking him to come home to her, and pays a visit to Dolly and Kitty. Anna's confusion overcomes her, and in a parallel to the railway worker's accidental death in part 1, she commits suicide by throwing herself in the path of a train. Part 8 Stiva gets the job he desired so much, and Karenin takes custody of baby Annie. A group of Russian volunteers, including Vronsky, who does not plan to return alive, depart from Russia to fight in the Orthodox Serbian revolt that has broken out against the Turks. Meanwhile, amid the joys and fears of fatherhood, Levin no longer feels he lacks Christian faith; he decides to give his life its own meaning through acts of goodness.
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Damage (1992)
Director: Louis Malle A member of Parliament (Irons) falls passionately in love with his son's fiance. They pursue their affair with obsessive abandon despite the dangers of discovery and what it would do to his complacent life and his son. Completely obsessed, he wants to give up his current lifestyle to be with her. She has no intention of allowing him to do this, preferring to have her marriage to the son as a cover. They are eventually discovered, and must deal with the damage. Based on the novel by Josephine Hart. Written by Ed Sutton {[email protected]}
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Casablanca
A Film Review by James Berardinelli United States, 1942 U.S. Release Date: 1/23/43 (wide) MPAA Classification: NR (Mature themes) Running Length: 1:42 Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Cast: Humphrey Bogard, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Dooley Wilson Director: Michael Curtiz Producer: Hal B. Wallis Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch based on the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison Cinematography: Arthur Edeson Music: Max Steiner U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers It's probably no stretch to say that Casablanca, arguably America's best-loved movie, has had more words written about it than any other motion picture. Over the years since its 1943 release, the legends and rumors surrounding the making of the film have generated almost as much attention as the finished product. Some of the best-known and most often repeated anecdotes include producer Hal B. Wallis' near-casting of Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan as Rick and Ilsa, the existence of two scripts for the last day of shooting (one version had the ending as filmed; the other, unproduced version kept Rick and Ilsa together), and the reported backstage tension between several of the principal actors. Ultimately, however, while it's fascinating to examine and dissect all that went into the making of Casablanca, the greatest pleasure anyone can derive from this movie comes through simply watching it. Aside from some basic knowledge of recent world history, little background is needed to appreciate the strength and power of the film. Casablanca accomplishes that which only a truly great film can: enveloping the viewer in the story, forging an unbreakable link with the characters, and only letting go with the end credits. Unlike many films that later became classics, Casablanca was popular in its day, although a cadre of officials at Warner Brothers were convinced that it would be a box-office failure. The movie earned 8 Academy Award nominations, leading to three Oscars (Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture). The picture went on to have a long, healthy life in re-releases, television, and (eventually) video. It contains a slew of recognizable lines ("Here's looking at you, kid", "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine", "Round up the usual suspects", "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", "We'll always have Paris", "The problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world"). Ironically, however, the best-known bit of dialogue from Casablanca, "Play it again, Sam," isn't even in the movie. Like Captain Kirk's "Beam me up, Scotty," it's an apocryphal line. The closest the movie gets is either "Play it" or "Play 'As Time Goes By.'" The first time I saw Casablanca, I remember remarking how "modern" it seemed. While many movies from the '30s and '40s appear horribly dated when viewed today, Casablanca stands up markedly well. The themes of valor, sacrifice, and heroism still ring true. The dialogue has lost none of its wit or cleverness. The atmosphere (enhanced by the sterling black-and-white cinematography), that of encroaching gloom, is as palpable as ever. And the characters are still as perfectly-acted and threedimensional as they were more than fifty years ago. Just about everyone knows the story, which takes place about a year after the Germans invaded France. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, Czech freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), wander into Rick's Cafe in Casablanca. The two are on the run from the Nazis, and have come to the American-owned nightspot to lie low. But the German-controlled local government, headed by Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), is on the move, and Laszlo has to act quickly to get the letters of transit he came for, then escape. Little does Ilsa know that the cafe is run by Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), the one true love of her life. When the two see each other, sparks fly, and memories of an enchanted time in Paris come flooding back. Bogart and Bergman. When anyone mentions Casablanca, these are the two names that come to mind. The actors are both so perfectly cast, and create such a palpable level of romantic tension, that it's impossible to envision anyone else in their parts (and inconceivable to consider that they possibly weren't the producer's first choices). Bogart is at his best here as the tough cynic who hides a broken heart beneath a fractured layer of sarcasm. Ilsa's arrival in Casablanca rips open the fissures in Rick's shield, revealing a complex personality that demands Bogart's full range of acting. As Ilsa, Bergman lights up the screen. What man in the audience wouldn't give up everything to run away with her? Less known is Paul Henreid, a romantic lead who was on loan to Warner Brothers for this project. Most viewers know Henreid as "the other guy" in the romantic triangle, and, while his performance isn't on the same level as that of his better-known costars, Henreid nevertheless does a respectable job. Casablanca features some other well-known faces. Conrad Veidt plays the Nazi commander on Laszlo's trail, Peter Lorre is the man who steals the letters of transit, and Sydney Greenstreet is the city's black market overlord. But the best performance in the film belongs to Claude Rains, who is magnificent. Bogart and Bergman are great, but Rains is better. This is the top role in an impressive career, and it's a shame that the actor didn't win the Best Supporting Oscar for which he was deservedly nominated. Rains is a standout in nearly his every scene, but, like the consummate professional, he constantly cedes the spotlight to the higher-profile star. Another curious thing about Casablanca is that hardly anyone ever talks about the director. It isn't as if Michael Curtiz is a journeyman hack who got lucky here. From the '20s to the '50s, Curtiz was one of the hardest working directors in Hollywood, helming over 100 films including White Christmas, Mildred Pierce, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. (Before that, he made nearly 50 movies in Europe, where he began his career in 1912.) Curtiz was a well-respected film maker and his work on Casablanca was first rate, but, for some reason, few non-cineastes associate his name with this picture. It's not much of a stretch to say that Hollywood doesn't make movies like this any more, because the bittersweet ending has gone the way of black-and-white cinematography. If Casablanca was made in today's climate, Rick and Ilsa would escape on the plane after avoiding a hail of gunfire (Rick would probably be doing the two-fisted gun thing that John Woo loves). There would be no beautiful friendship between Louis and Rick. Who knows what would have happened to Victor Laszlo, but he wouldn't have gotten the girl. One of the things that makes Casablanca unique is that it stays true to itself without giving in to
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commonly held perceptions of crowd-pleasing tactics. And because of this, not despite it, Casablanca has become known as one of the greatest movies ever made. Maybe the modern generation of screenwriters should consider this before they tack on the obligatory "happily ever after" ending. From time-to-time, someone tries to remake the film, but even the best re-tread has been less than a pale shadow of the original. The most recent serious attempt was Havana, Sydney Pollack's ill-advised misfire (incidentally, the word "serious" rules out Barb Wire). Despite a good cast (Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Raul Julia) and a change in venue, this is clearly an updated Casablanca, and Casablanca isn't Casablanca without Bogart and Bergman. So, although just about everyone involved with this legendary motion picture has departed this life, the film itself has withstood the test of more than a half-century to rise, like cream, to the top. One can only imagine that, in another fifty years, its position in the hierarchy of all-time greats will be even higher. 1998 James Berardinelli Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is a bitter, cynical American expatriate living in Casablanca. He owns and runs "Rick's Caf Amricain", an upscale nightclub and gambling den that attracts a mixed clientele: Vichy French, Italian, and Nazi officials; refugees desperately seeking to reach the United States, as yet uninvolved in the war; and those who prey on them. Although Rick professes to be neutral in all matters, it is later revealed that he had run guns to Ethiopia to combat the 1935 Italian invasion, and fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War against Francisco Franco's Nationalists. Ugarte (Peter Lorre), a petty criminal, arrives in Rick's club with "letters of transit" obtained through the murder of two German couriers. The papers allow the bearer to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and to neutral Portugal, and from there to America. The letters are almost priceless to any of the continual stream of refugees who end up stranded in Casablanca. Ugarte plans to make his fortune by selling them to the highest bidder, who is due to arrive at the club later that night. However, before the exchange can take place, Ugarte is arrested by the local police under the command of Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), a corrupt opportunist who later says of himself, "I have no convictions... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy." Unbeknownst to Renault and the Nazis, Ugarte had entrusted the letters to Rick because "... somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust." Ugarte dies in police custody without revealing the location of the letters. At this point, the reason for Rick's bitterness re-enters his life. His ex-lover, Norwegian Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) arrives with her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a fugitive Czech Resistance leader long sought by the Nazis. The couple need the letters to leave for America to continue his work. German Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) arrives to see to it that Laszlo does not succeed. When Laszlo speaks with Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet), a major figure in the criminal underworld and Rick's friendly business rival, Ferrari divulges his suspicion that Rick has the letters. Laszlo meets with Rick privately, but Rick refuses to part with the documents, telling Laszlo to ask his wife for the reason. They are interrupted when Strasser leads a group of officers in singing "Die Wacht am Rhein", a patriotic German song. In response, Laszlo orders the house band to play "La Marseillaise", the French national anthem. When the band looks to Rick for guidance, he nods his head. Laszlo starts singing, alone at first, then long-suppressed patriotic fervor grips the crowd and everyone joins in, drowning out the Germans. In retaliation, Strasser has Renault shut down the club. That night, Ilsa confronts Rick in the deserted cafe. When he refuses to give her the letters, she threatens him with a gun, but is unable to shoot, confessing that she still loves him. She explains that when she first met and fell in love with him in Paris, she believed that her husband had been killed trying to escape from a Nazi concentration camp. Later, with the German army on the verge of capturing the city, she learned that Laszlo was in fact alive and in hiding. She left Rick without explanation to tend to an ill Laszlo. With the revelation, Rick's bitterness dissolves and the lovers are reconciled. Rick agrees to help, leading her to believe that she will stay behind with him when Laszlo leaves. When Laszlo unexpectedly shows up, after having narrowly escaped a police raid on a Resistance meeting, Rick has waiter Carl (S. Z. Sakall) secretly take Ilsa back to the hotel while the two men talk. Laszlo reveals that he is aware of Rick's love for Ilsa and tries to get Rick to use the letters to at least take her to safety. However, the police arrive and arrest Laszlo on a minor, trumped-up charge. Rick convinces Renault to release Laszlo by promising to set him up for a much more serious crime: possession of the letters of transit. To allay Renault's suspicions about his motives, Rick explains that he and Ilsa will be leaving for America. However, when Renault tries to arrest Laszlo, Rick double crosses Renault, forcing him at gunpoint to assist in their escape. At the last moment, Rick makes Ilsa board the plane to Lisbon with her husband, telling her that she would regret it if she stayed, "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life." Major Strasser drives up by himself, having been tipped off by Renault, but Rick shoots him when he tries to intervene. When police reinforcements arrive, Renault pauses, then tells his men to "Round up the usual suspects." Once they are alone, Renault suggests to Rick that they leave Casablanca and join the Free French at Brazzaville. They walk off into the fog with one of the most memorable exit lines in movie history: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
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wears on, but Nicholson and the rest are standing defiantly at attention when the men return from the day's work. The officers are then placed in a punishment hut, while Nicholson is locked into a corrugated iron box by himself to suffer in the heat. Saito tries to negotiate, but Nicholson refuses to compromise at all. Saito discloses to Nicholson that should he fail to meet his deadline, he would be obliged to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Construction falls far behind schedule, due in part to "accidents" arranged by the prisoners. Finally, using the anniversary of Japan's great victory in the Russo-Japanese War as an excuse, Saito gives in. Nicholson and his officers triumphantly walk through a jubilant reception, while Saito privately breaks down in tears. Meanwhile, Shears and two others attempt to escape. The others are killed, but Shears falls into the river, is carried away, and presumed dead. After many days, Shears stumbles into a Siamese village, whose people help him to escape by a boat. He reaches the Mount Lavinia Hospital at Ceylon. Mount Lavinia Hotel was displayed as the Hospital by changing the name board for a short period. Nicholson conducts an inspection and is shocked by what he finds. Against the protests of some of his officers, he orders Captain Reeves (Peter Williams) and Major Hughes (John Boxer) to design and build a proper bridge, despite its military value to the Japanese, for the sake of his men's morale. The Japanese engineers had chosen a poor site, so the original construction is abandoned and a new bridge is begun 400 yards downstream. Shears is enjoying his recovery in Ceylon when Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) asks him to volunteer for a commando mission to destroy the bridge. Shears is horrified at the idea and reveals that he is not an officer at all, but an enlisted man who switched uniforms with the dead Commander Shears after the sinking of their ship. Despite his expectation, it did not get him any better treatment. However, Warden already knows. Shears has no choice but to join Warden's unit in return for not being charged with impersonating an officer. He is given the "simulated rank of Major". Untested Canadian Lieutenant Joyce (Geoffrey Horne) and Captain Chapman make up the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Nicholson drives his men to complete the bridge on time. He even volunteers his junior officers for physical labour, provided that their Japanese counterparts join in as well. The commandos parachute in, although Chapman is killed in a bad landing. The other three reach the river with the assistance of Siamese women porters and their village chief, Khun Yai. When they encounter a Japanese patrol, Joyce freezes and Warden is wounded in the foot as a result. Nonetheless, the trio get to the bridge, and under cover of darkness, Shears and Joyce plant explosives underwater. The next day, a Japanese train full of soldiers and important officials is scheduled to be the first to use the bridge; Warden waits to blow it up just as the train passes over. As dawn approaches, the trio are horrified to see that the wire to the explosives has been exposed in places by the receding river. Making a final inspection, Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. As the train is heard approaching, the two colonels hurry down to the riverbank, pulling up and following the wire towards Joyce, who is waiting by the detonator. When they get too close, Joyce breaks cover and stabs Saito to death, but Nicholson yells for help and tries to stop Joyce (who cannot bring himself to kill Nicholson) from getting to the detonator. A firefight erupts. When Joyce is hit, Shears swims across the river, but he too is shot, just before he reaches Nicholson. Recognising the dying Shears, Nicholson suddenly comes to his senses and exclaims, "What have I done?" Warden desperately fires his mortar, mortally wounding Nicholson. The colonel stumbles over to the detonator's plunger and falls on it as he dies, just in time to blow up the bridge and send the train hurtling into the river below. As he witnesses the carnage, Clipton can only shake his head incredulously and utter, "Madness! ... Madness!"
Caligula
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren Director: Tinto Brass Caligula, the young heir to throne of the syphilis-ridden, half-mad Emperor Tiberius, thinks he has received a bad omen after a blackbird flies into his room early one morning. Shortly afterward, Macro, the head of the Praetorian Guards, appears to tell the young man that his grandfather (Tiberius) demands that he report at once to the Isle of Capri, where he has been residing for a number of years with close friend Nerva, Claudius a dim-witted relative, and Caligula's younger stepbrother Gemellus, Tiberius' favourite. Fearing assassination, Caligula is afraid to leave, but his beloved sister Drusilla convinces him to go. At Capri, Caligula finds his grandfather has become depraved, showing signs of advanced venereal diseases, and embittered with Rome and politics. Tiberius enjoys watching degrading sexual shows, often including children and various freaks of nature. Caligula observes with a mixture of fascination and horror. Tensions rise when Tiberius jokingly tries to poison Caligula in front of Gemellus. After Nerva commits suicide on the prospect of Caligula's rule, Tiberius collapses from a stroke, leaving Macro and Caligula planning a way to hasten the latter's ascent to the throne. Late one night, Macro escorts all the spectators out of Tiberius' bedchamber to allow Caligula the opportunity to murder his grandfather, but when he fails, Macro finishes the deed himself by strangling Tiberius with a scarf. Caligula triumphantly
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removes the imperial signet from Tiberius' finger and suddenly realizes that Gemellus has witnessed the murder. Tiberius is buried with honours and Caligula is proclaimed the new Emperor, who in turn proclaims Drusilla his equal, to the apparent disgust of the senate. Afterward, Drusilla, fearful of Macro's influence, convinces Caligula to get rid of him. Caligula obliges by setting up a mock trial, in which Gemellus is intimidated into testifying that Macro alone murdered Tiberius. With the powerful Macro gone, Caligula pronounces the docile Senator Chaerea as the new head of the Praetorian Guard. Drusilla endeavors to find Caligula a wife amongst the priestesses of the goddess Isis, the mystery cult they secretly practice. Caligula only wants to marry Drusilla, but when she refuses, he spitefully marries Caesonia, a known courtesan, but only after she bears him an heir. Caligula proves to be a popular, yet eccentric ruler, cutting taxes and overturning all the oppressive laws that Tiberius enacted. The senate begins to dislike the young emperor for his eccentricities and various insults directed towards them. Darker aspects of his personality begin to emerge as well; he rapes a bride and groom on their wedding day due to a minor fit of jealousy and orders the execution of Gemellus merely to provoke a reaction from Drusilla. After he discovers Caesonia is pregnant, Caligula suffers severe fever, but Drusilla nurses him back to health. Right after he fully recovers, Caesonia bears Caligula a daughter, Julia Drusilla, and Caligula marries her on the spot. During the celebration, Drusilla collapses in Caligula's arms from the same fever he'd suffered. Soon afterward, Caligula receives another ill omen in the guise of a black bird. He rushes to Drusilla's side and watches her die. Caligula experiences a nervous breakdown, smashes a statue of Isis and drags Drusilla's body around the palace while screaming hysterically. Now in a deep depression, Caligula walks the Roman streets, disguised as a beggar. After a brief stay in a city jail, Caligula becomes determined to destroy the senatorial class, who he has come to loathe. His reign becomes a series of humiliations against the foundations of Rome; senators' wives are forced to work in the service of the state as prostitutes, estates are confiscated, the old religion is desecrated, and he initiates an absurd war on Britain to humiliate the army. It is obvious to the senators and the military that Caligula must be assassinated. Caligula wanders into his bedroom where a nervous Caesonia awaits him. The black bird makes a final appearance, but only Caesonia is frightened of it. The next morning, after rehearsing an Egyptian play, Caligula and his family are attacked as they leave the stadium in a blitz headed by Chearea. His wife and daughter are brutally murdered and Chaerea himself stabs Caligula in the stomach, to which he defiantly whimpers "I live!" As Caligula and his family's bodies are thrown down the marble steps and their blood is washed off the marble floor, Claudius is proclaimed the new Emperor.
CHINATOWN
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, John Hillerman Director: Roman Polanski Synopsis: Many films from the 1970s allow even the most gripping narratives to flow with the consequences of real life. CHINATOWN is a classic film whose intrigues and adventures culminate in life-changing moments for its protagonist, Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson). Director Roman Polanski's classic neo-noir detective story is set during a heat wave in 1930s Los Angeles, where residents suffer from a water shortage due to an ongoing drought. With stellar contributions from composer Jerry Goldsmith and screenwriter Robert Towne, whose script recalls the hard-boiled cynicism of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, CHINATOWN is a complex and superbly crafted period drama that has become Polanski's most critically acclaimed film. Private investigator Gittes runs a sleazy detective agency. When a client (Diane Ladd) hires him to spy on her "husband," who is rumored to be having an affair with a younger woman, Jake uncovers a plot against the man--but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Still to emerge are a sex scandal implicating the real wife (Faye Dunaway), with whom Jake is destined to become more closely acquainted, and a real estate swindle of tremendous proportions devised by her tycoon father (John Huston), backed up by a vast network of corrupt city officials and landowners who make life hell for the private eye. This story crystallizes the impact of a chance meeting with the romantic ideals of the early 1970s, when the American urban landscape and economic power structures were in flux. A woman hires private investigator J.J. "Jake" Gittes (Jack Nicholson) to perform surveillance on Hollis Mulwray, the chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The woman (Diane Ladd) claims to be Mulwray's wife Evelyn, who suspects him of adultery. Gittes tails Mulwray. In a public meeting about a proposed bond issue for new dam construction, Mr. Mulwray argues that the proposed dam will be physically unsound and opposes the bond issue, which eventually passes. Following Mulwray to several Water and Power-related sites, they discover the dumping of fresh water into the ocean in spite of the late summer drought. Gittes's associate photographs Mulwray arguing with an elderly man outside the Pig 'n Whistle eatery in Hollywood, and only overhears the words "apple core" over traffic noise (a corruption of the word "albacore"). Gittes's tail finally hits paydirt when he photographs Mulwray with his young mistress. When the photos hit the front page of the paper the next day, Gittes is confronted by the real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), who serves him with a lawsuit. Gittes realizes he had been duped by a phony Mrs. Mulwray, and to repair his reputation, he must figure out who was behind the hiring, and why. Gittes convinces Evelyn Mulwray that he was only unwittingly involved in her personal business and she agrees to dismiss her lawsuit. She nervously reveals that her maiden name was "Cross" and that Mulwray used to be her father's business partner. Visiting the Department of Water and Power, Gittes recognizes photographs of the same elderly man Mulwray was photographed quarreling with, and learns his name: Noah Cross (John Huston). Mulwray and Cross once privately owned the water department. Gittes looks for Mulwray at the Oak Pass reservoir but finds police detectives there instead, including Lt. Lou Escobar (Perry Lopez), with whom Gittes used to work as an officer in Chinatown. Escobar and his men are investigating Mulwray's death by
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drowning and are recovering the body. At headquarters, Evelyn falsely tells Escobar that she did hire Gittes at the outset to put an end to rumors about Mulwray's adultery, expecting nothing to come of it. Gittes tells Evelyn that he suspects that Mulwray was murdered. Evelyn hires Gittes to investigate Mulwray's death. Breaking into the reservoir's secured area that night, Gittes nearly drowns in water suddenly being dumped. Soaking wet, he is confronted by water department security chief Claude Mulvihill (a corrupt former county sheriff) with a short henchman (a cameo by director Roman Polanski) who sticks a knife blade up Gittes's nose and slashes through his nostril for being a "very nosy kitty cat." Back at his office, sporting a bandage, Gittes receives a call from Ida Sessions, identifying herself as the "working girl" who pretended to "hire" him as Mrs. Mulwray. She did not realize the seriousness of what she was involved in, she explains, but she is too afraid to identify her employer. Miss Sessions does provide a clue, though: that Gittes can find the name of one of "those people" in that day's obituary column. Gittes joins Noah Cross, a member of the Albacore Club, at his estate for lunch. Cross also offers to hire Gittes to find Katherine, Mulwray's young mistress, who has been missing since Mulwray died. Cross refuses to discuss his argument with Mulwray outside the Pig 'n Whistle in any detail, and deflects Gittes's questions by explaining that the mistress might know how Mulwray was killed. "Just find the girl," he admonishes. Gittes visits the hall of records, comparing recent land grantees with names of deceased persons in the obituary column. Then he drives to an orange grove in the northwest San Fernando Valley, and is shot at, caught, and beaten by the angry landowners. They explain that the water department has been demolishing their water tanks and poisoning wells, before they knock him out. When Gittes wakes up, Evelyn is there to pick him up. They leave and Gittes reviews the obituary column, noticing that a resident of the Mar Vista Inn, a retirement home, died two weeks ago, but "bought" acreage in the Valley only one week ago. "That's unusual," Gittes quips. Growers have been forced off their acreage by drought conditions and harassment by the water department, Gittes explains, depressing value. Unidentified persons are buying tens of thousands of acres "for peanuts" using the names of straw buyers. The public dam bond issue that Mulwray unsuccessfully opposed, Gittes explains, is a "con job" designed to irrigate the rural valley, not to conserve water for city taxpayers. Because he knew about this and other things, Gittes theorizes, Hollis Mulwray was murdered. Evelyn and Jake arrive at the Mar Vista Inn and confirm that its residents have no clue of their wealth; further, the Mar Vista Inn is affiliated with the Albacore Club as "sort of an unofficial charity." Mulvihill soon arrives to "escort" Jake out and they scuffle. With Mulvihill's henchman firing at them, Gittes and Evelyn escape the Mar Vista in her car. Returning to her house, they passionately kiss and wind up in her bed. In intimate conversation, Jake tells Evelyn about his time as a beat cop in L.A.'s Chinatown, where he was instructed to do "as little as possible." Nothing was ever as it seemed, he explains. Gittes's attempt to protect a woman only ensured that she was hurt. Evelyn's phone rings and she quickly hangs up and says that she has to leave. Evelyn asks Jake to wait for her there and to trust her. She adds that Noah Cross owns the Albacore Club. Gittes tails Evelyn to her butler's house; peering through a bedroom window he sees Evelyn comforting Katherine, Mulwray's distraught mistress. Evelyn, when Gittes presses, admits that Mulwray's mistress is her sister. Then Ida Sessions is found murdered in her house. Gittes receives a mysterious call from a homicide detective using Ms. Sessions's phone and arrives there. Escobar explains that the coroner found salt water in Mulwray's lungs, indicating that the body was moved, as it was recovered from a freshwater reservoir. Gittes returns to Evelyn's mansion, where he discovers a pair of men's eyeglasses in her salt water garden pond. Presuming that Evelyn killed Mulwray and that the glasses had been his, Gittes confronts Evelyn. She denies guilt and, under questioning, wavers about whether Katherine is her sister, or her daughter. In a climactic scene, Gittes repeatedly smacks Evelyn on one side of the face, and the other, until Evelyn cries out "She's my sister and my daughter!" whom she bore to Noah Cross when she was 15. Evelyn says that the found eyeglasses could not have been Mulwray's because they are bifocals. Gittes decides to help Evelyn and Katherine escape from Cross and Escobar, who now suspects Evelyn of Mulwray's murder, and accuses Gittes of extortion and of acting as an accessory. Gittes arranges for the two women to flee to Mexico, through a fisherman client of his, and instructs Evelyn to meet him at her butler's home in Chinatown. Evelyn leaves, and Lt. Escobar arrives. Escobar brings Jake along for his arrest of Evelyn. Jake gives the San Pedro address of the fisherman, which Jake pretends belongs to Evelyn's maid. Jake enters the house alone, slips out the back door, and asks his client to take Evelyn and Katherine to Mexico by boat. At Mulwray's home, Gittes arranges for Mr. Cross to meet him, claiming that he's found Mulwray's mistress. After Gittes confronts him, Cross admits he intends to incorporate the Northwest Valley into the City of Los Angeles, which will be irrigated and developed. Gittes then broaches the topic of Cross's incest with Evelyn, and accuses him of Mulwray's drowning. Cross says most people never have to acknowledge that, given the right circumstances, they are "capable of anything." Gittes produces Cross's bifocals, the only physical evidence linking him to Mulwray's murder. Mulvihill appears, holding a gun on Gittes, forcing him to surrender Cross's glasses and to take them to Katherine. When Gittes reaches the hiding place in Chinatown, the police are already there and arrest Gittes for withholding evidence and extortion. Gittes protests that Cross murdered Mulwray, but Escobar orders one of his men to handcuff Gittes to a car. Noah Cross approaches Katherine, explaining that he is her "grandfather." Evelyn backs him off with a small pistol, vowing to protect her daughter. Gittes scolds Evelyn to "Let the police handle this!" Evelyn fires back: "He owns the police!" Cross approaches Katherine again and Evelyn shoots him in the arm. As Evelyn speeds away with Katherine, the police open fire, killing Evelyn; her body falls onto the car horn, followed by Katherine's blood-curdling scream. Cross clutches Katherine and takes her away. After being uncuffed, Gittes mutters to Escobar, "...as little as possible," reminding Escobar of their frustrating years policing corrupt Chinatown. Escobar angrily releases Gittes, confiding that he is doing Gittes "a favor," and ordering Gittes's associates to "Get him out of here!" Gittes is urged, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."
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Apocalypse Now
Starring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest Director: Francis Ford Coppola Synopsis: Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic, loosely based on HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad, tells the story of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a special agent sent into Cambodia to assassinate an errant American colonel (Marlon Brando). Willard is assigned a navy patrol boat operated by Chief (Albert Hall) and three hapless soldiers (Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, and Larry Fishburne). They are escorted on part of their journey by an air cavalry unit led by Lt. Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a gung-ho commander with a love of Wagner, surfing, and napalm. After witnessing a surreal USO show featuring Playboy playmates and an anarchic battle with the Viet Cong at a bridge, Willard reaches Colonel Kurtz's compound. A crazed photo journalist and Kurtz groupie (Dennis Hopper) welcomes the crew, and Willard begins to question his orders to "terminate the colonel's command." The grueling production and Coppola's insistence on authenticity led to vast budget overruns and physical and emotional breakdowns. Considered to be one of the best war movies of all time, APOCALYPSE NOW features incredible performances and beautifully chaotic visuals that make it an absolute must-see. In August 2001, a new version of the film, title APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX, was released. The new version includes 49 minutes of never-before-seen footage, a Technicolor enhancement, and a six-channel soundtrack. PLOT: Act I The film opens, introducing Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen); a deeply troubled, seasoned special operations veteran. It is 1969. Willard has returned to Saigon from deployment in the field. He drinks excessively and appears to be having difficulty adjusting to life in the rear-area. Two intelligence officers, Lt. General Corman (G. D. Spradlin) and Colonel Lucas (Harrison Ford), and a government man (Jerry Ziesmer) approach him with an assignment: journey up the fictional Nung River into the remote Cambodian jungle to find Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a member of the US Army Special Forces feared to have gone rogue. They tell Willard that Kurtz, once considered a model officer and future general, has gone insane and is commanding a legion of his own Montagnard troops deep inside the forest in neutral Cambodia. Their claims are supported by very disturbing radio broadcasts and recordings made by Kurtz himself. Willard is ordered to undertake a mission to find Kurtz and terminate the Colonel's command "with extreme prejudice." Willard joins the crew of a Navy Patrol Boat, Riverine (PBR), with an eclectic crew composed of QMC George "Chief" Phillips (Albert Hall), the Navy PBR boat commander; GM3 Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms), GM3 Tyrone Miller (Laurence Fishburne), a.k.a. "Mr. Clean", and EN3 Jay "Chef" Hicks (Frederic Forrest). Willard and the PBR crew rendezvous with the 1/9 Air Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) for transport to the Nung River. He initially refuses their request for transport until Kilgore, a keen surfer, is told by one of his men that Lance Johnson, a professional surfer, is a member of the boat's crew. Kilgore befriends Johnson, and later learns from one of his men that the beach down the coast which marks the opening to the river is perfect for surfing. This changes Kilgore's mind about transporting Willard and the PBR to the river, but from the map there is a Viet Cong-held village at the mouth of the river and Kilgore decides to capture the village. His men advise him that it's "Charlie's point" and heavily fortified. Dismissing this concern with the explanation that "Charlie don't surf!," Kilgore orders his men to saddle up in the morning to capture the town and the beach. Riding high above the coast in a fleet of Hueys accompanied by OH-6As, Kilgore launches his attack on the beach. The scene, famous for its use of Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," ends with the soldiers surfing the barely-secured beach amidst skirmishes between infantry and VC. After helicopters swoop over the village and demolish all visible signs of resistance, a giant napalm strike in the nearby jungle dramatically marks the climax of the battle. Kilgore exults to Willard, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... The smell, you know that gasoline smell... Smells like, victory" as he recalls a battle in which a hill was bombarded with napalm for over twelve hours. The lighting and mood darken as the boat navigates upstream and Willard's silent obsession with Kurtz deepens. Incidents on the journey include a run-in with a tiger while Willard and Chef search for mangoes. The boat continues up river and watches a USO show featuring Playboy Bunnies and a centerfold that degenerates into chaos. Shortly after the Playmate performance, Phillips spots a sampan and orders an inspection over the objections of Willard. Initially reluctant to board the boat, Chef impatiently searches it; one of the civilians makes a sudden movement towards a barrel, prompting Clean to open fire and kill nearly everyone on the sampan. The civilian concerned about the barrel, a young woman, lies dying. Chef discovers that the barrel contained the woman's pet puppy. Phillips insists on taking the woman to receive medical attention; however, Willard ends the debate by shooting her, calmly stating "I told you not to stop," further alienating himself from the PBR's crew. Act II The boat moves up river to the American outpost at the Do Long bridge, the last U.S. Army outpost on the river, passing wreckage of a downed Huey helicopter and a B-52D Stratofortress. The boat arrives during a North Vietnamese attack on the bridge, which is under constant construction. Upon arrival, Willard receives the last piece of the dossier from a lieutenant named Carlson, along with mail for the boat crewmen. Willard goes ashore with Lance, who has taken LSD, and they make their way
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through the trenches where they encounter many panicked, leaderless soldiers. Realizing the situation has devolved into chaos, Willard and Lance return to the boat. The chief tries to convince Willard not to continue on with his mission. In response, Willard snaps at Phillips to continue upriver. As the boat departs, the NVA launch an artillery strike that destroys the bridge. The next day, Willard learns from the information he received at Do Lung that an Army Captain named Colby was sent to find Kurtz a few months prior to Willard's assignment and is now missing. While the crew is busy reading mail, Lance pops open a purple smoke grenade, catching the attention of an unseen enemy hiding in the trees by the river, and prompting an attack on the boat. Clean is killed as he listens to an audio tape from his mother. The chief, who had a close relationship with Clean, becomes increasingly hostile to Willard. Later, Montagnard villagers begin shooting arrows at the boat as it approaches the camp. The crew opens fire until the chief is hit by a spear. Willard attempts to assist the mortally wounded Phillips, who tries to kill Willard by pulling him onto the spear tip protruding from his chest. Willard grapples with Phillips until the man finally dies. Afterwards, Willard confides in Chef and Lance about his mission, and the two surviving crew of the boat reluctantly agree to continue their journey upriver as they are now in Cambodia. As they draw closer, they see the coastline is littered with dead bodies. After arriving at Kurtz' outpost, Willard leaves Chef behind with orders to call in an airstrike on the village if he does not return and takes Johnson with him to the village. They are met by a manic freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), who explains that Kurtz's greatness and philosophical skills inspire his people to follow him. As they go into the village, there are bodies that are ignored by the villagers, as well as severed heads scattered about the nearby Buddist temple which serves as Kurtz's living quarters. Willard also encounters the missing Captain Colby, who is in a nearly catatonic state. Willard is bound and brought before Kurtz in the darkened temple. Kurtz lectures him on his theories of war, humanity, and civilization. Kurtz explains his motives and philosophy in a haunting monologue in which he praises the ruthlessness of the Viet Cong which he witnessed firsthand after one of his own humanitarian missions. He recalls the incident as leaving him traumatised but also giving him a new and deeper understanding of the complexities of his enemy and the level to which the US would have to commit in order to prevail. The scene changes to Chef attempting to call in the airstrike on the village as ordered by Willard. Chef is attacked before the call is completed, and the scene cuts to Willard bound to a post outside in the pouring rain. Kurtz walks up to him and drops Chef's severed head into his lap. Sometime later, a villager releases Willard's bonds and gives him a machete. Willard enters Kurtz's chamber as Kurtz is making a recording, and attacks him with the machete. This entire sequence is set to "The End" by The Doors and juxtaposed with a ceremonial slaughtering of a water buffalo. Lying bloody and dying on the ground, Kurtz whispers "The horror... the horror..." before expiring. Willard descends the stairs from Kurtz' chamber and drops his weapon. The villagers do so as well. Willard walks through the now-silent crowd of natives and takes the last surviving crewperson, the near-catatonic Lance, by the hand. With his mission accomplished, Willard leads Johnson to the PBR, and the two of them sail away downriver as Kurtz's final words echo and the scene fades to black. In some but not all prints of the film, the closing credits play over footage of Kurtz' temple-base exploding; after the film's original general release Coppola replaced this footage with a plain black screen because some viewers interpreted it as an air strike called in by Willard, which Coppola did not intend.
At the party, Kat tells Joey to stay away from her sister. Joey brags that he cannot guarantee she'll stay away from him. Kat gets upset and begins drinking, leading her to dance drunkenly on a table. Meanwhile, Cameron discovers that Bianca was using him to find a date for Kat so that Bianca could date Joey. Cameron decides to stop trying to date Bianca, but Patrick convinces him to go for it. Bianca asks Cameron for a ride home after discovering Joeys true character. Cameron drops her off and tells her that he really likes her and was very disappointed in her. At that point Bianca kisses Cameron. Patrick brings Kat home, and she then tries kissing Patrick. He suggests they should do that some other time, hurting Kats feelings. The next day at school, Patrick publicly sings "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" (with the school's marching band providing backing music) to Kat in front of everyone asking her forgiveness, landing him in detention. Kat gets him out of detention by "flashing" the soccer coach. Kat and Patrick spend the day together, and they both realize that they truly do like each other. Patrick, motivated by Joey's bribe of $300, asks Kat to the prom. However, she is suspicious of his motives and they get into a fight. Bianca tries to convince her father to let her go to the prom, but he refuses, since Kat isnt going. Bianca confronts Kat. Kat then reveals that she dated Joey and they had sex, mostly because everyone else was doing it. However, when Kat told Joey that she wasn't ready for sex and did not want to do it again, he immediately broke up with her. Even though she forbade Joey to tell anyone of their one time together or else she would tell all the cheerleaders how "tiny" his private thing is, Kat still felt immense rejection, thus spurring her to not do anything ever again just because everyone else was doing it and distanced herself from her peers. Bianca and Kat end up going to the prom with Cameron and Patrick, respectively. Joey is furious to learn that Bianca has gone to the prom with Cameron, and confronts Patrick about the "arrangement" in front of Kat. Kat blows up at Patrick and leaves. Joey subsequently confronts Cameron about manipulating the 'deal' for himself, but after he punches Cameron, Bianca hits Joey three times herself (once for "making [her] date bleed", once for her sister, and once for her), leaving him curled up in pain on the floor with a broken nose and a black eye. The next morning, Bianca thanks Kat for going to prom and the sisters make up. Kat's father allows her to go to Sarah Lawrence. At school, Kat reads a poem which she wrote for English class, titled "10 Things I Hate About You" (although it contains 14 things she hates about Patrick). While reading the poem, she reveals (in front of the entire class) how hurt she was by what Patrick did and how much she really cares about him ("But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all"). Patrick is shown to be touched by her revelation. In the parking lot, Kat finds a guitar Patrick bought her with the money Joey paid him, and he admits that he messed up their deal by falling for her. Kat forgives Patrick and the two kiss and make up.
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TITANIC 1997
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates Director: James Cameron
In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his team explore the wreck of the RMS Titanic, searching for a necklace set with a valuable blue diamond called the Heart of the Ocean. They believe the diamond is in Caledon "Cal" Hockley's safe, which they recover. They do not find the diamond, but a sketch of a nude woman wearing the diamond. The drawing is dated April 14, 1912, the night the Titanic hit the iceberg. One-hundred-year-old Rose Dawson Calvert (Gloria Stuart) learns of the drawing and contacts Lovett, informing him that she is the woman in the drawing. She and her granddaughter Elizabeth "Lizzy" Calvert (Suzy Amis) visit Lovett and his team on his salvage ship. When asked if she knew the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose recalls her memories aboard the Titanic, revealing that she is Rose DeWitt Bukater, a passenger believed to have died in the sinking. In 1912, the upper class 17-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) boards the ship in Southampton, England with her 30something fianc Caledon "Cal" Hockley (Billy Zane), the son of a Pittsburgh steel tycoon, and her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater (Frances Fisher). Cal and Ruth stress the importance of Rose's engagement, since the marriage will mean the eradication of the Dewitt-Bukater debts; while they appear upper-class, Rose and her mother are experiencing severe financial troubles. Distraught and frustrated by her engagement to the controlling Cal and the pressure her mother is putting on her, Rose considers attempting suicide by jumping off the stern of the ship. Before she leaps, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) intervenes and persuades her not to. As he helps her up from the stern, her dress catches and she falls. Jack grabs Rose's arm and helps her to pull herself back onto the boat. Cal, his friends and the sailors, overhearing Rose's
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screams, believe Jack attempted to rape her. She explains that Jack saved her life, hiding her suicide attempt by claiming she slipped while trying to see the propellers. Jack supports Rose's story, though Hockley's manservant, former Pinkerton agent Spicer Lovejoy (David Warner), is unconvinced. Jack and Rose develop a tentative friendship. Their bond deepens when they leave a stuffy first-class formal dinner of the rapport-building wealthy for a much livelier gathering in third-class. Lovejoy informs Cal of Rose's partying, and during breakfast the following morning Cal and Ruth forbid her to see Jack again. After witnessing a woman encouraging her young daughter to behave like a "proper lady" at tea, Rose defies them and meets Jack at the bow of the ship. She has decided she would rather be with him than with Cal, and the two share a passionate kiss. They go to Rose's stateroom, where she asks Jack to sketch her wearing nothing but the Heart of the Ocean, an engagement present from Cal. Afterwards, the two run from Lovejoy, going into the ship's cargo hold. They enter William Carter's Renault and make love in the backseat before moving to the ship's forward well deck. After witnessing the ship's collision with an iceberg and overhearing the ship's lookouts discussing how serious it is, Rose tells Jack they should warn her mother and Cal. Cal has discovered Rose's drawing and her taunting note in his safe, so he frames Jack for stealing the Heart of the Ocean by having Lovejoy plant it in Jack's pocket. Jack is arrested, taken down to the Master-at-arms's office and handcuffed to a pipe. Rose runs away from Cal and her mother (who has boarded a lifeboat) to rescue Jack from imprisonment. She frees him with an axe. After much turmoil, Jack and Rose return to the boat deck. Cal and Jack want Rose safe, so they persuade her to board a lifeboat, Cal claiming that he has an arrangement that will allow him and Jack to get off safely. After Rose is out of earshot, Cal admits that there is an arrangement, but he will not use it to help Jack. Realizing that she cannot leave Jack, Rose jumps back on the ship and reunites with him at the ship's first-class staircase. Infuriated, Cal takes Lovejoy's pistol and chases Jack and Rose into the flooding first-class dining saloon. When Cal runs out of ammunition, he sarcastically wishes them well, then realizes he left the Heart of the Ocean in Rose's overcoat. Cal abandons Lovejoy and returns to the boat deck, where he boards a lifeboat by pretending to look after an abandoned child. Jack and Rose go through grueling struggles just to return to the top deck. By the time they do, people everywhere are falling to their deaths and the lifeboats have gone. The ship begins to quickly sink as the first class staircase is destroyed and the ship becomes more steep. Jack and Rose take refuge on the now-vertical stern, which washes them into the Atlantic Ocean. They grab hold of a door that only supports one person. Jack remains in the water, clinging to the door. As Rose accepts their fate, Jack assures her that she will live to have a long, happy life. He says that when she dies it will be in her own bed. As they await rescue, Jack dies from hypothermia. When a lifeboat finally returns to the site of the sinking, Rose is thinking of staying put and dying with Jack, but is then inspired by Jack's words and determined to live. She blows a whistle taken from a nearby frozen crew member, and is taken by the RMS Carpathia to New York, where she gives her name as Rose Dawson. She sees Cal for the last time on Carpathia's deck, looking for her. It is revealed that Cal commits suicide after losing his fortune in the Crash of 1929. Having completed her story, the elderly Rose goes alone to the stern of Lovett's ship. There, she pulls out the Heart of the Ocean, revealing that she had it all along, and drops it into the water. As she sleeps in her bed, around her are pictures of her doing everything she said she would do with Jack throughout her life. The final shot of the film is of young Rose being reunited with Jack at the Grand Staircase of the Titanic, surrounded and applauded by those who perished on the ship; it is deliberately unclear if this is a conscious dream, or if Rose has died in her sleep.[12] Synopsis: Featuring spectacular special effects set amidst the backdrop of one of the most tragic events of the 20th century, James Cameron's award-winning TITANIC stands as one of the greatest Hollywood... Featuring spectacular special effects set amidst the backdrop of one of the most tragic events of the 20th century, James Cameron's award-winning TITANIC stands as one of the greatest Hollywood spectaculars of all time. Beginning with an undersea expedition in the 1990s, in which scuba divers are searching the sunken ship for lost relics, a painting of young Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) is found. This triggers a flashback to the young woman's story as it happened on the doomed Titanic. Rose is a daughter of privilege on her way to be married to an arrogant but wealthy young man (Billy Zane). Despairing, Rose finds herself falling in love with Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a carefree and poor young artist who is also aboard. When the great ship strikes an iceberg and begins to sink, Rose and Jack have only each other as their world falls apart around them. Director James Cameron spared no expense in bringing his simple yet powerful love story to life, building a 90% scale model of the ship, fussing over the tiniest details, and ultimately spending some $200 million dollars. A worldwide smash, TITANIC received fourteen Academy Award nominations and 11 wins, including Best Picture. Despite all the lavish sets and special effects, the film would be nothing without the emotional core provided by stars Winslet and DiCaprio, who give star making performances as the tragic young lovers. [Less]
The film is set in the summer of 1965. It tells the story of Francesca (Meryl Streep), a lonely, insightful Italian housewife in Iowa. While her husband and children are away at the Illinois State Fair, she meets and falls in love with a photographer (Clint Eastwood) who has come to Madison County, Iowa to create a photographic essay for National Geographic on the covered bridges in the area. The four days they spend together are a turning point in her life and she writes of her experience in a diary which is discovered by her children after her death. The path of Francesca Johnson's future seems destined when an unexpected fork in the road causes her to question everything she had come to expect from life. While her husband and children are away at the Illinois state fair in the summer of 1965, Robert Kincaid happens turn into the Johnson farm and asks Francesca for directions to Roseman Bridge. Francesca later learns that he was in Iowa on assignment from National Geographic magazine. She is reluctant seeing that he's a complete stranger and then she agrees to show him to the bridges and gradually she talks about her life from being a war-bride from Italy which sets the pace for this bittersweet and all-too-brief romance of her life. Through the pain of separation from her secret love and the stark isolation she feels as the details of her life consume her, she writes her thoughts of the four-day love affair which took up three journals. The journals are found by her children after the lawyer was going over Francesca's will and all the contents which produces a key to her hope chest in the bedroom which contained some of hers and Robert's things. The message they take from the diaries is to what you what you have to do to be happy in life. After learning that Robert Kincaid's cremated remains were scattered off Roseman Bridge and that their mother requested that she too be cremated and her ashes to be scattered off Roseman Bridge, the children must decide whether to honor their mother's final wishes or bury her alongside their father as the family had planned. Adapted from the novel by Robert James Waller, this is the story of a special love that happens just once in a lifetime -- if you're lucky. Written by Mark Fleetwood <[email protected]> Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson, for four days in the 1960s. They fall in love, but she's married with children. Written by Rob Hartill
A leading American actress accidentally meets an attractive, but unassuming British travel book seller and love immediately blossoms. However, fame and her American actor boyfriend gets in the way. Written by John Sacksteder <[email protected]> William Thacker, a travel bookstore owner working and living in Notting Hill, is barely making ends meet. He needs to rent out part of his house, his lodger whom he considers the "stupidest git" in the world. His personal life is equally in shambles as although he has a small group of dear friends, who are on the most part as equally unsuccessful professionally as him, he is divorced - she left him - with no prospect of love on the horizon. His life changes when into his bookstore walks American Anna Scott, arguably the most famous and attractive movie actress in the world. Against the odds, Anna and William become friends with the possibility of romance between the two on the horizon. But the odds of moving their relationship to that final stage are still stacked against them as they live in two different worlds, Anna's under constant public scrutiny of the gossip hungry press, who, along with the public at large, know that Anna is already in a personal relationship with equally famous movie actor, Jeff King. Written by Huggo
The characters are falling in love, falling out of love, some are with right people, some are with the wrong people, some are looking to have an affair, some are in the period of mourning; a capsule summary of reality. Love begins and love ends. They flirt a lot. They are all flirting with love. At all ages and social levels, love is the theme. Romantic love and brotherly love is the hotchpotch through out the movie. Most of the movie is filmed in London, during Christmas and the characters all ended up at Heathrow airport a very uplifting note. Written by Rosemea D.S. MacPherson Christmas time in England, and unusual things going on round. Some people are falling in love, then breaking up or some people just desperately lonely and still looking for that someone special. This is a story about 8 people who follow their hearts and show love or anger. If you look carefully around 'Love Actually' is all around you... Written by Kritika Singh Love is all around us. And that's certainly true for all of these people. John and Just Judy have fallen in love with each other while on the set of an erotically charged film. David has just become the new Prime Minister. The second he steps into his office/home, he is smitten with Natalie, his catering manager who had already screwed up at the first minute. David's sister is Karen, who's married to Harry, who runs a local magazine. Harry is somewhat smitten by his secretary, Mia, who is constantly hitting on him. Harry's best editor is Sarah, who has a brother in the asylum and a not-so-hidden crush on Karl, who has a thing for her as well. Karen is friends with both Daniel, who has just lost his wife and has discovered that his stepson is in love with a
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young American girl, and Jamie, whose girlfriend has just left him for his younger and more attractive brother, forcing him to move to France to continue writing his novel while falling for Aurelia, a young Portuguese woman who can't speak a lick of English or French. Juliet has just married Peter, not realizing that his best friend Mark has loved her since they first met. Colin is desperate to have sex and believes that in order to do that, he should travel to Wisconsin because he thinks that American women will dig him for being British. And Billy Mack, an old rocker who is climbing back up the charts after battling his old heroin addiction, is on the radio and TV shows either bad-mouthing his new CD, insulting his manager, Joe, or a hot new boy band, or calling Britney Spears the worst sex he's ever had. Are you still following along? Written by Will Set almost entirely in London, England during five frantic weeks before Christmas follows a web-like pattern of inter-related, loosely related and unrelated stories of a dozen or more various individuals with their love lives, or lack of them. The central character is the new bachelor prime minister David who cannot express his growing feelings for his new personal assistant Natalie. The prime minister's older sister Karen slowly grows aware of her husband Harry's flirtation with an office worker named Mia. Karen's friend Daniel is a recently widowed writer whose 11-year-old son asks for love advice about a girl he has a crush on. Meanwhile, Jamie is another writer who leaves his girlfriend after catching her cheating on him and travels to France to write a novel where he pursues a possible romance with his non-English speaking Portuguese maid Aurelia. Also, Harry's American secretary Sarah questions a romance she pursues with the office hunk Karl, but her personal family problems get in the way. Other secondary characters involve a photographer who pursues his best friend's new wife Juliet; a pair of movie stand-ins, named John and Judy, who grow closer after their simulated love scenes; a libidinous chum who wants to travel to Wisconsin, USA to score with women; and a burned-out former rock star named Billy Mack who is the main connection between all stories involved. Written by Matt Patay
GHOST 1990
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles, Vincent Schiavelli Director: Jerry Zucker Synopsis: After renovating their expensive loft in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan, Molly (Demi Moore) and Sam (Patrick Swayze), a young successful yuppie couple, are walking home one evening when Sam is... After renovating their expensive loft in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan, Molly (Demi Moore) and Sam (Patrick Swayze), a young successful yuppie couple, are walking home one evening when Sam is tragically gunned down by a street mugger. Molly goes into a deep depression, but, unknown to her, Sam has come back as a ghost in order to protect her from danger--although he isn't yet aware who or what means her harm, and he has a lot of learning to do in order to make himself known to her. He teams up with an unwilling psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), and together they try to convince a very skeptical Molly that Sam was actually murdered and has returned spectrally to complete some unfinished business. Moore and Swayze and are excellent as the couple, and Goldberg won an Oscar for her portrayal of the wild and wacky psychic. GHOST is considered by many to be one of the most romantic films of the 1990s. [Less]
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Valentine's Day
Starring: Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba Director: Garry Marshall Synopsis: An all-star ensemble cast comes together in "Valentine's Day," which follows the intertwining storylines of a diverse group of Los Angelenos as they navigate their way through romance and heartbreak over the course of one Valentine's Day. Couples and singles experience the pinnacles and pitfalls of finding, keeping or ending relationships in a day in the life of love. Directed by veteran filmmaker Garry Marshall, the film stars Jessica Alba ("Fantastic Four"), Academy Award winner Kathy Bates ("Misery"), Jessica Biel ("I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry"), Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover"), Eric Dane (TV's "Grey's Anatomy"), Patrick Dempsey ("Enchanted"), Hector Elizondo (the "Princess Diaries" films), Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx ("Ray"), Jennifer Garner ("Juno"), Topher Grace ("Spider-Man 3"), Academy Award nominee Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Ashton Kutcher ("What Happens in Vegas"), Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago"), Taylor Lautner ("The Twilight Saga: New Moon"), George Lopez ("Beverly Hills Chihuahua"), Academy Award winner Shirley MacLaine ("Terms of Endearment"), Emma Roberts ("Hotel for Dogs"), Academy Award winner Julia Roberts ("Erin Brockovich") and award-winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in her feature film debut. Marshall directed "Valentine's Day" from a screenplay by Katherine Fugate, story by Fugate and Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein. The film is produced by Mike Karz and Wayne Rice, with Toby Emmerich, Samuel J. Brown, Michael Disco, Diana Pokorny and Josie Rosen serving as executive producers. The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Charles Minsky, production designer Albert Brenner, editor Bruce Green, costume designer Gary Jones and composer John Debney. New Line Cinema presents, a Wayne Rice/Karz Entertainment Production, a Garry Marshall Film, "Valentine's Day," to be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. -- Warner Bros [Less] #### On an airplane to Los Angeles, Kate Hazeltine (Julia Roberts), a captain in the U.S. Army on a one-day leave, meets newly single Holden Bristow (Bradley Cooper). On the flight Holden and Kate become good friends, playing a board game and making jokes. Later when Kate is unable to get a taxi to go to her house, Holden offers his limousine. She returns home to her son Edison. In Los Angeles, florist Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) eagerly proposes to his girlfriend Morley (Jessica Alba), much to the surprise of Reeds friends Alfonso (George Lopez) and Julia Fitzpatrick (Jennifer Garner). Morley changes her mind and leaves Reed later in the day. Julia, a primary school teacher, has recently fallen in love with Dr. Harrison Copeland (Patrick Dempsey), but does not know that he is married. Reed finds out when Harrison orders flowers for both his wife and for Julia. Reed warns Julia, and she refuses to believe it but does not get on the plane. Instead, she goes to the hospital at which he works, and inquires after him. The nurses at the counter reveal to her that he is married and tell her the name of the restaurant where he and his wife will be dining that evening. Dressed as a waitress, Julia makes a scene at the restaurant. Julia ends the scene with giving back the toy Harrison gave her that morning. Harrison's wife, Pamela, recognizes the toy. One of Julias students, Edison (Bryce Robinson), orders flowers from Reed, to be sent to his valentine. There is a delay in the delivery, but Edison insists that Reed delivers the flowers the same day. They are for Julia; however, Julia suggests to Edison to give the flowers to a girl in the class, which he does. Edison's babysitter Grace (Emma Roberts) is planning her first sexual encounter with boyfriend Alex (Carter Jenkins). The planned encounter goes awry when Grace's mom discovers a naked Alex in Grace's room. Meanwhile Edisons grandparents, Edgar (Hector Elizondo) and Estelle (Shirley MacLaine) are facing the troubles of a long marriage. Grace explains to them that she wants to have sex with Alex, and says, "It's not like I am going to sleep with one person for the rest of my life." This upsets Estelle and leads to her telling Edgar about an affair she had with one of his business partners while he was away a long time ago. Graces high-school friends, Willy (Taylor Lautner) and Felicia (Taylor Swift), are experiencing the freshness of new love, and have agreed to wait to have sex. Sean Jackson (Eric Dane), a closeted gay professional football player, is contemplating the end of his career together with his publicist Kara (Jessica Biel) and his agent Paula (Queen Latifah). Kara, a close friend of Julias, is organizing her annual I Hate Valentines Day party but is becoming interested in sports reporter Kelvin Moore (Jamie Foxx) who has been sent out by his producer Susan (Kathy Bates) to cover Valentines Day because of a lack of sports news, and shares the mutual feeling of dislike for Valentines Day. Paula has recently hired a new receptionist named Liz (Anne Hathaway) who has recently started dating mailroom clerk Jason (Topher Grace). Jason is first shocked when Liz turns out to also be a phone sex worker (operating her mobile phone at random places; surprising people around her), and not telling him, assumes she is cheating and leaves her, but eventually comes back to the relationship.
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In conclusion to Valentine's Day, Sean reveals he is gay to the public, and Holden (who is Sean's lover) goes back to him because he finally came out. Kate goes home to greet her son Edison, Willy drops Felicia off at home after a date and they kiss goodnight, Kelvin and Kara hang out at Kelvin's new station where they later kiss, Dr. Copeland's wife leaves him, Alfonso dines with his wife, Grace and Alex wait to have sex, Edgar and Estelle retell each other their marriage vows and kiss in the theater, Morely is shown walking her Border collie while trying to call Reed and the movie closes with Julia and Reed beginning a relationship and kissing romantically.
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The movie starts in a nursing home with Duke reading to an older woman, whose memory is slipping from her more and more everyday. Duke reads the story of two lovers who meet in the south at a carnival. Allie was 17. A city girl from money, and Noah was a country boy. The two spend the whole summer together but Allie is forced to move and go to college although she was willing to give it up for Noah. Noah writes Allie 365 letters and she never gets them. So he restores the house him and ALlie went to one night out of 'labor of love'. Seven years pass and Allie meets and falls in love with a wealthy soldier Lon. When seeing Noah's picture in the paper, Allie is drawn back to him. They spent a few days together and she doesn't want to leave. Allie has to chose between her fianc and Noah. Written by Stephanie An old man in a nursing home reads a story to an old woman each day. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun. They met one evening at a carnival many years ago. Allie's parents separate Noah and Allie. They disapprove of Noah's lack of wealth, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and becomes engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. In a local newspaper, Noah's picture catches Allie's eye. He is standing in front of a fully restored, 200 year old home. The article is filled with praise for his accomplishments. Allie's heart nearly bursts. The last time she saw this house it was a rotted decaying shamble. She stood enfolded in Noah's arms in the great entryway and listened to his plans to buy and restore this house. Just the way she wanted it. With her love for Noah still alive, the picture pulls at her heart. She has to go back, see if Noah is okay, and tell him about her marriage. They both think the echo deep in their hearts, the one that has lasted all these years, is not shared by the other. The cry they could not stifle. It wasn't over for me. Written by Dontee
lead actor, it seems that Romeo and Juliet must close before it even opens, until the owner of a competing theatre, the Curtain, offers his stage to Shakespeare. Shakespeare assumes the lead role of Romeo, with a boy actor playing Juliet. Viola learns the play will be performed on her wedding day. After the ceremony, Viola's loyal nurse (Imelda Staunton) helps her slip away to the theatre. In a final twist, shortly before the play begins, the boy playing Juliet starts experiencing the voice change of puberty. Viola takes the stage to replace him and plays Juliet to Shakespeare's Romeo. Their passionate portrayal of two lovers inspires the entire audience. Mr. Tilney, the Master of the Revels, arrives at the theatre with Wessex, who has deduced his new bride's whereabouts. Tilney invokes the Queen's name to arrest all there for indecency. Suddenly, Elizabeth I's voice rings out from the back of the theatre: "Mr. Tilney! Have a care with my name; you will wear it out." The Queen had decided to attend the play in disguise, and says that she will handle this matter herself. Although she recognizes Viola in her disguise as Thomas Kent, the Queen does not unmask Viola, instead declaring that the role of Juliet is being performed by the boy Thomas Kent. However, even a Queen is powerless to break a lawful marriage. Queen Elizabeth orders "Thomas Kent" to fetch Viola so that she may sail to America. She also states that Romeo and Juliet has accurately portrayed true love and so Wessex is forced to pay Shakespeare the fifty pounds, the exact amount Shakespeare requires to buy a share in the Chamberlain's Men. The Queen then directs "Kent" to tell Shakespeare to write something "a little more cheerful next time, for Twelfth Night". Viola and Shakespeare part, never to meet again: she must accompany Wessex to a colonial settlement in Virginia. Shakespeare immortalizes her by making the main character of his new play, Twelfth Night, Or What You Will, a strong young woman named Viola who disguises herself as a boy. The final image of the film has Viola walking away down a beach, with a voice over by Shakespeare discussing his plans to write Twelfth Night and musing of its main character, "For she will be my heroine for all time, and her name will be... Viola."
Wall E
Starring: Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Ben Burtt, Sigourney Weaver Director: Andrew Stanton Synopsis: Even for Pixar, this might be a first: an animated film that contains not only a fully realized world as photorealistic as it is teeming with wonder, but also the Gargantuan themes and visuals of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the kind of stripped-down sad-clown pathos reserved for classic Buster Keaton comedies, and one of the most moving love stories in a long time. Director Andrew Stanton kicked up the visual acuity of an already-stellar Pixar Studios in 2003 with his reflective, refractive, colorshimmery realization of FINDING NEMO's oceanic world, which genuinely felt as though it spanned the entire earth. Now, with WALL-E, Stanton replaces an estranged journeyer of an apprehensively fishy disposition with a curious and love-struck robotic one, allowing the quest for eternal love to extend from a desolate, dust-covered, palpably polluted future Earth and into an even more mysterious abyss: the far reaches of outer space. With virtually no dialogue, WALL-E's neatly contained, eerily vaudevillian first act introduces the tragic robot of the title. Whirring amid dilapidated skyscrapers and equally tall compacted trash heaps, he's the last living thing on Earth (aside from a little cockroach friend). WALL-E has developed a tender and inquisitive personality doing what he was built to do--allocate and dispose of human waste--day in and day out for the past 700 years simply because no one turned him off when the human race left the now-hostile planet. Soon though, the directive-oriented automaton Eve comes crashing into WALL-E's life from above, immediately becoming the object of his infatuation. At the drop of a hat, the little guy follows her back into the dangerous unknown, where the sight of two robots gliding through the cosmic ether, dancing via fire-extinguisher propulsion, joins the many memorable moments of a deceptively simple, expansively romantic story. [Less] #### In a distant, but not so unrealistic future, where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multi-national Buy N Large corporation, WALL-E, a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess. Mesmerized with trinkets of Earth's history and show tunes, WALL-E is alone on Earth except for a sprightly pet cockroach. One day, Eve, a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot, is sent to Earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALL-E falls in love with Eve. WALL-E rescues Eve from a dust storm and shows her a living plant he found amongst the rubble. Consistent with her "directive" Eve takes the plant and automatically enters a deactivated state except for a blinking green beacon. WALL-E, doesn't understand what has happened to his new friend, but true to his love, he protects her from wind, rain, and lightning, even as she is unresponsive. One day a massive ship comes to reclaim Eve, but WALL-E, out of love or loneliness hitches a ride on the outside of the ship to rescue Eve. The ship arrives back at a large space cruise ship, which is carrying all of the humans who evacuated Earth 700 years earlier. The people of Earth ride around this space resort on hovering chairs which give them a constant feed of TV and video chatting. They drink all of their meals through a straw out of laziness and/or bone loss, and are all so fat that they can barely move. When the auto-pilot computer, acting on hastily given instructions sent many centuries before, tries to prevent the people of Earth from returning, by stealing the plant, WALL-E, Eve, the portly captain, and a band of broken robots stage a mutiny. Written by Anonymous
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the aforementioned Misery and Stand By Me are both by Rob Reiner. Now Frank Darabont comes onto the scene and makes arguably the best King film ever. He seems to understand what King wants to say and he conveys that beautifully. What makes this film one of the best ever made is the message it conveys. It is one of eternal hope. Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, has been sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. But he never loses hope. He never gives up his quest to become a free man again. His years of tenacity, patience and wits keep him not only sane, but it gives his mind and a spirit a will to live. This film has a different feel to it. There has never been anything like it before and I don't know if there will again. I'm not going to say any more about this film, it has already been said, but just suffice to say that I am glad that Forrest Gump won best picture in 94. I would have been equally glad if Pulp Fiction or Shawshank would have won. It is that good of a movie and one that will be appreciated for years to come.
Synopsis: Director Frank Capra and his two stars, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, stole hearts and a quintet of Oscars with this sparkling, legendary romantic comedy. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT is based on the story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams, and it follows a news reporter and a runaway heiress who fall in love while traveling cross country on a bus. But as with any classic, the film is more than the sum of its parts, and special attention should be paid to the fizzy chemistry between the two leads and the witty script from Robert Riskin. This screwball comedy was the first to take home all five major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--Clark Gable, Best Actress--Claudette Colbert, and Best Adapted Screenplay. [Less]
The Graduate
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, Murray Hamilton Director: Mike Nichols Synopsis: Director Mike Nichols's THE GRADUATE is the satirical coming-of-age comedy that became an emotional touchstone for an entire generation. In the mid-1960s, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a confused college graduate, is pulled in myriad directions by family, friends, and associates just days after receiving his degree. Seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), an older friend of the family, Ben carries on an affair with the married woman even as he falls for her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). However, Ben and Elaine's attempts at romance are threatened by the spiteful rage of Mrs. Robinson, who proceeds to hastily arrange Elaine's marriage to someone else, leading up to one of the most memorable endings in cinema history. With its striking photography and clever editing, THE GRADUATE established Nichols as a major director. The film also made a star out of young Hoffman, who gives an understated portrayal of the perplexed Ben--the actor's first role in a Hollywood film, which he almost didn't get because he wasn't Waspy enough. Outstanding performances by the rest of the cast are highlighted by Bancroft's sexy, embittered turn as Mrs. Robinson and Ross's endearing presence as the gorgeous yet innocent Elaine. The film's impact on popular culture is immeasurable: "Plastics" will live on eternally as depressing but solid career advice, and older women will never eye younger men without fear of becoming a "Mrs. Robinson." Buck Henry (who appears briefly in the film) cowrote the influential screenplay, based on the novel by Charles Webb, and the soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel remains a movie classic. [Less] ###### The soon-to-be 21 Benjamin Braddock flies back to his parents house in Pasadena LA for his graduation party. At the party, all his parents' friends want to know about what he is going to do next, something Benjamin is clearly uncomfortable and anxious about. His parents ignore this and are only interested in talking up his academic and track successes and their plans for him to go to grad school. Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's business partner, asks him for a ride home from the party. She invites the nervous Benjamin in and attempts to seduce him, removing her clothing. Mr. Robinson arrives home but does not see or suspect
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anything. A few days later Benjamin contacts her and clumsily organizes a tryst at a hotel beginning their affair. A now confident and relaxed Benjamin spends the summer drifting around in the pool by day and seeing Mrs. Robinson at the hotel by night. Benjamin discovers that they have nothing to talk about but he does learn that Mrs. Robinson was forced to give up college and marry someone she didn't love when she became pregnant with Elaine. Mr. Robinson tells Benjamin he should relax and enjoy himself while he is young. Benjamin's parents however are keen for him to get on with his life. Both they and Mr. Robinson keep trying to set Benjamin up with Elaine, while Mrs. Robinson makes it clear that she wants him to stay away from Elaine. Benjamin eventually gives into the pressure from his parents and takes Elaine out but is intentionally mean to her. After making her cry he relents and explains he was mean only because his parents forced him to ask her out. He awkwardly kisses her to try and cheer her up and they go and get a burger at a drive-in. Benjamin discovers that Elaine is someone he is comfortable with and that he can talk to her about his worries. Mrs. Robinson threatens to reveal their affair to destroy any chance Benjamin has with Elaine so Benjamin rashly decides he has to tell Elaine first. Upset Elaine returns to Berkeley refusing to speak with Benjamin. Benjamin decides he is going to marry Elaine and goes to Berkeley and stalks her. He contrives a meeting on a bus while she is on her way to a date with her classmate Carl. An angry Elaine later demands to know what he is doing in Berkeley after he raped her mother by taking advantage of her while she was drunk. Benjamin tells her it was her mother who seduced him, something Elaine doesn't want to hear, so Benjamin says he will go somewhere else. Elaine tells Benjamin not to leave until he has a definite plan. The next day Elaine comes into Ben's apartment in the middle of the night and asks him to kiss her. The two hang out in Berkeley while Benjamin keeps pressing her to get blood tests so that they can get married. Elaine is unsure about this and says she had told Carl she might marry him. Mr. Robinson, who has found out everything about Benjamin and his wife's affair, goes to Ben's apartment in Berkeley where he threatens Benjamin and forces Elaine to drop out of school and takes her away to marry Carl. Benjamin is left with just a note from Elaine saying that she loves him but that her father is really angry and it can never work out. Benjamin races back to Pasadena looking for Elaine but finds Mrs. Robinson instead. She tells him he won't be able stop the wedding and calls the police. Benjamin heads back to Berkeley and finds out from Carl's friends that the shotgun wedding is in Santa Barbara and speeds off stopping at a gas station for directions to the church, but rushes off without refueling. Consequently Ben runs out of gas and must sprint the last few blocks. He arrives at the church just as the bride and groom are about to kiss. Thinking he is too late he bangs on the glass at the back of the church and screams out "Elaine!" repeatedly. Elaine turns around, hesitates, but then screams out "Ben!" and starts towards him. A brawl breaks out as everyone tries to stop her and Benjamin leaving. Elaine breaks free from her mother yelling, "It's not too late for me!" Benjamin holds everybody off by swinging a cross ripped from the wall and the pair escape. They run down the road and flag down a bus. The elated and smiling couple take the back seat. But Benjamin's smile gradually fades to an enigmatic, neutral expression as he gazes forward down the bus, not looking at Elaine. Elaine seems unsure, looks lovingly across at Ben but notices his expression and turns away with a similar expression as the bus drives away.
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Thornton finds it being swept out by Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara), a redheaded vision from whom he steals a not completely unwelcome kiss. After engaging in a subterfuge involving a horse race, some of the locals manage to get the disgruntled Red Will to allow his sister to be courted by the American. But the courtship ritual of the village is only the first of many local practices that the bewildered Thornton must endure if he is to have Mary Kate. Wayne gives a surprisingly nuanced performance as the fish out of water, and he is perfectly matched with the radiantly rambunctious O'Hara. The rest of the cast is splendid as well, and the lush color photography garnered an Academy Award for Winston Hoch. John Ford also won an Oscar for his directing, and it's impossible not to be charmed by the artistry with which he weaves his rollicking, robust tale. [Less]
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Cinematography
Plot: Chowdhury is an IPS officer with a heart - honest, upright, yet laidback. Having lost faith in the real relationships that he sees around him, Abhik seeks solace in the virtual world. While navigating through this virtual world, Abhik develops an online relationship with a young woman, without knowing anything about her. She is Brinda - a young, dynamic television journalist. She comes from a conventional middle-class home, and her parents live in Jamshedpur. For both Abhik and Brinda, who do not know each others' real names and whereabouts, this online communication soon becomes an increasingly intense relationship, more real than virtual. While this relationship blossoms within the confines of two computer screens, Abhik gets his six minutes of fame on national television, when he successfully masterminds a raid on a consignment of illegal arms. Brinda telephones him to ask for an on-camera interview, but Abhik declines, stating that did not want to sensationalize the event any further. Ironically the virtual lovers, Abhik and Brinda have an acrimonious first meeting in the real world. It happens at the launch of a controversial mega project of the big-time real estate entrepreneur, Vijay Ketan Mehra. Unaware that she knows Abhik so well on the Internet, Brinda, still smarting from Abhik's refusal, gets into a bitter exchange of words with him. The argument veers to issues like sensationalism and soon enough, it is clear that Brinda and Abhik's real-life interaction has started off on a sour note. Before leaving in a huff, Brinda overhears a piece of conversation between two men about Mehra's project. This gives her a lead to a potentially big scoop. Ranjan and Paromita, an estranged couple, become the bridge between Brinda and Abhik. Ranjan is Abhik's cousin, but he is more of a friend, philosopher and guide. Ranjan is now a stockmarket addict and leads a lonely life after having separated from Paromita a few years ago. Ranjan is as acutely sensitive and perceptive as he is bitter and cynical on the surface. Paromita (Paro to friends and colleagues), is a senior marketing executive with the channel where Brinda works. For Brinda and Abhik, things take a different turn from hostility to a grudging interest in each other when they bump into each other at Ranjan's birthday party, which is secretly organized as a surprise by Paro. At the party, Brinda and Abhik get to know each other a little better. The mood of the party turns romantic yet poignant with Paro singing Ranjan's favourite song at his insistence. She has never sung that song ever since she left Ranjan's home. In the virtual world of the Internet, Brinda and Abhik's online chatting continues unabated, even though their identities remain undisclosed. Abhik confides in Ranjan that he is probably falling in love, although he does not know with whom. Ranjan warns Abhik with his usual cynicism and reminds him of the perils and pains that often define love. Behind his sardonic comments Abhik gets a glimpse of Ranjan's sensitivity and loneliness. After hearing his cousin's advice, Abhik leaves feeling confused yet still not convinced enough to stop falling further in love.Paro gets a rather lucrative offer from Mumbai. But she is in two minds between upgrading her career and staying back for lost love. As the crisis deepens in her mind, she seeks Ranjan's advice. Although it is bound to intensify his loneliness, Ranjan encourages her to shift to Mumbai. Paro gets confused by Ranjan's pragmatic, wellmeaning advice, as she had hoped and expected him to want her to stay back in the city. Meanwhile, a series of upsetting events, including Paro's talk about moving to Mumbai and her final break up with her boyfriend, weigh Brinda down. She feels torn between opposite poles of love and friendship. The only thing she can find solace is with her virtual friend, who seems to be her only source of comfort. At work, Brinda hits a stumbling block while doing an investigative story on V.K Mehra's El Dorado project. At this point, she turns to Abhik for help. Brinda notices some uncanny similarities between Abhik and her anonymous chat friend, in the way they talk, and in their choice of phrase. Something about Abhik reminds her of her online friend. As she follows the leads given by Abhik, she manages to get an important interview lined up which can give her the proof she needs to wrap up her story. The night before her interview, a particular phone conversation with Abhik strikes her. She gets onto the net, and tells her chat friend that they should meet. But this is a meeting which is not destined to happen as things take an unexpected turn. During reaching office for night shift Brinda died in a massive car accident and the meeting never happens. That's the thing is 'Endless waiting for love'. Paro leaves for Mumbai. The film ends with the song 'Bhindesi Tara'. Release date(s) 23 January 2009 (2009-01-23) Running time 120 minutes Country This Movie won 4 National Awards this year!! India Language Bengali
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* Prasenjit Chatterjee as ... Kaushik Chatterjee * Chandrayee Ghosh as ... Mita Ray * Shankar Chakraborty as ... Mita Ray's husband * Pallavi Chatterjee as ... Brinda * Parambrata Chatterjee as ... Bobby * Saswata Chatterjee as Kaushik's younger brother * Tota Roy Chowdhury as Kaushik's colleague Distributed by Planman Motion Pictures Synopsis: Rituparno Ghosh's latest Bengali venture "Dosar" (The Companion)" is a poignant film that takes a different approach to the much-dealt with subject of infidelity. The film starts with the male protagonist Kaushik, played by Prosenjit Chatterjee, enjoying a weekend getaway with his colleague-cum-lady love. The sojourn ends with a car accident, leaving her dead and him in a critical condition while exposing their extra-marital affair. His wife Kaberi (beautifully portrayed by Konkana Sensharma) rushes to the hospital and is overcome with agony and anger combined with grief. The storyline seems simple but what sets it apart is the treatment and screenplay. The attempt to capture a 21st century setting in black and white film is definitely a bold step - a positive risk taken by both the director and the producer - Planman Motion Pictures. This textural treatment also enables the wonderful interplay of light and shade and highlights the grey shades of all human relations and emotions. While the wife in Kaberi wants to see Kaushik healthy again, the strong feminist in her hates the idea of nursing the man who has betrayed her. Ghosh looks at Kaberi's struggle both outside and inside herself. It is as though her whole world has fallen apart in front of her eyes. She often threatens divorce but ultimately is overpowered by the wife in her and cannot desist fulfilling her duties towards her husband at the time of crisis. On the other hand, Kaushik too is caught in his own predicament. The physical and mental trauma caused by the accident are portrayed with great skill and subtlety by Prosenjit. He has to not only come to terms with the loss of a loved one but is faced with the daunting task of winning back his wife's trust. The lilting background score and the extensive use of Bengali poetry enhances the depiction of the complex human emotions. What mars the sensitivity of the film are the unnecessary, almost-crass sex scenes. These could very well have been avoided. And finally, despite a fresh approach to the subject, the film fails to break socio-familial stereotypes. Release date(s) 14 April,2006
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He first meets the sultry Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) during a routine house call to renew an automobile insurance policy for her husband. A flirtation develops, at least until Neff hears Phyllis wonder how she could take out a policy on her husband's life without him knowing it. Neff realises she intends to murder her husband and wants no part of it. Phyllis pursues Neff to his own home, and persuades him that the two of them, together, should kill her husband. Neff knows all the tricks of his trade and comes up with a plan in which Phyllis's husband will die an unlikely death, in this case falling from a moving train. Pacific All-Risk will therefore be required, by the 'double indemnity' clause in the insurance policy, to pay the widow twice the normal amount. Keyes, a tenacious investigator, does not suspect foul play at first, but eventually concludes that the Dietrichson woman and an unknown accomplice must be behind the husband's death. He has no reason to be suspicious of Neff; someone he has worked with for quite some time and views with great affection. Neff is not only worried about Keyes. The victim's daughter, Lola (Jean Heather), comes to him convinced that her stepmother Phyllis is behind her father's death because Lola's mother also died under suspicious circumstances when Phyllis was her nurse. Neff begins to care about what might happen to Lola, both of whose parents have been murdered. Then he learns Phyllis is seeing Lola's boyfriend behind her back. Trying to save himself and no longer caring about the money, Neff believes the only way out is to make the police think Phyllis and Lola's boyfriend did the murder, which is what Keyes now believes anyway. When Neff and Phyllis meet, she tells him she has been seeing Lola's boyfriend only to provoke him into killing the suspicious Lola in a jealous rage. Neff, now wholly disgusted, is about to kill Phyllis when she shoots him first. Neff is badly wounded but still standing and walks towards her, telling her to shoot again. Phyllis does not shoot and he takes the gun from her. She says she never loved him "until a minute ago, when I couldn't fire that second shot" and had been using him all along. Neff coldly says he does not believe this new ploy. Phyllis hugs him tightly but then pulls away and looks pleadingly at him when she feels the gun pressed against her side. Neff says "Goodbye, baby," then shoots twice and kills her. Neff flees from the scene and hides in the bushes near Phyllis' house. As he watches, Lola's boyfriend approaches the house, ostensibly to visit his lover, Phyllis. Neff advises him to not enter the house, but to leave and contact "the woman who truly loves you" - Lola. The boyfriend agrees and never enters Phyllis' house, thus avoiding what would have been damning evidence against him if he'd entered the murder scene. Neff drives to his office where he dictates his full confession to Keyes, who arrives and hears enough of the confession to understand everything. Neff tells Keyes he is going to Mexico rather than face a death sentence but collapses to the floor before he can reach the elevator.
Abahoman
Abahoman ("The Eternal") (2010) , is a Bengali film by Rituparno Ghosh.[1] The film stars Deepankar De, Mamata Shankar, Jisshu Sengupta, Riya Sen and is produced by Big Pictures.. Aniket (Deepankar De) is one of the finest filmmakers of Bengal, Deepti (Mamata Shankar), an actress, with whom he had fallen in love while casting in one of his films, had sacrificed her career for love and marriage. Apratim (Jisshu Sengupta) is their only son. They had been a perfect family. The plot thickens when Aniket auditions a young actress, Shikha (Ananya Chatterjee), who bares an uncanny resemblance to his wife when she was younger. Deepti enthusiastically begins to coach Shikha for her husband's film - so much so that Shikha becomes even more like the girl Deepti used to be and as a result the aging Aniket falls in love with Shikha, a woman as young as his son, despite the sadness and trouble it brings to his family.
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Antarmahal
The story takes place towards the end of the 19th century in Bengal. Bhubaneswar Chowdhury (Jackie Shroff) is a rich and oppressive Zamindar(Landlord). He is planning to please the British so that they bestow on him the Raibahadur title. There are quite a few contenders and so something unique has to be done, so he decide's to put Queen Victoria's face on the body of the Goddess Durga who's murti is made every year for Durga Pooja On the other hand he also wants an heir and since he blames the failure on wife Mahamaya (Rupa Ganguly) he marries again, the much younger Jashomati (Soha Ali Khan). Both the wives compete against each other in an ego struggle. IN his pursuit for a son, Bhubaneswar tries everything from trying to force himself on Jashomati while a priest reads hymns for conception near the bed, to sending Mahamaya, in a drugged state, to fulfill the carnal desires of five sexually deprived brahmin priests, who's excuse to sleep with her is a distorted version of the rites of the Ashwamedha yagna. The Younger wife Jashomati in her traumatised and lonely state gets physically drawn towards young sculptor played by (Abhishek Bachchan) . It's in this centre of all this that the sculpor makes his masterpeice, his tribute, and seals Jashmoati's ultimate fate. [
Rashomon (1950)
In ancient Japan, a woman is raped and her husband killed. The film gives us four viewpoints of the incident - one for each defendant - each revealing a little more detail. Which version, if any, is the real truth about what happened ? Written by Colin Tinto <[email protected]> In 12th century Japan, a samurai and his wife are attacked by the notorious bandit Tajomaru, and the samurai ends up dead. Tajomaru is captured shortly afterward and is put on trial, but his story and the wife's are so completely different that a psychic is brought in to allow the murdered man to give his own testimony. He tells yet another completely different story. Finally, a woodcutter who found the body reveals that he saw the whole thing, and his version is again completely different from the others. Written by rmlohner Rashomon (1950) is a Japanese crime drama, that is produced with both philosophical and psychological overtones. An episode (rape and murder) in a forest is reported by four witnesses, each from their own point of view. - Who is telling the truth? What is truth? The film depicts the rape of a woman and the apparent murder of her husband through the widely differing accounts of four witnesses, including the rapist and, through a medium (Fumiko Honma), the dead man. The stories are mutually contradictory, leaving the viewer to determine which, if any, is the truth. The story unfolds in flashback as the four characters - the bandit Tajmaru (Toshir Mifune), the murdered samurai (Masayuki Mori), his wife (Machiko Ky), and the nameless woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) - recount the events of one afternoon in a grove. But it is also a flashback within a flashback, because the accounts of the witnesses are being retold by a woodcutter and a priest (Minoru Chiaki) to a ribald commoner (Kichijiro Ueda) as they wait out a rainstorm in a ruined gatehouse identified by a sign as Rashmon. The woodcutter Takashi Shimura as woodcutter is sitting, Kichijiro Ueda as commoner on the left and Minoru Chiaki as priest on the right. An unnamed Woodcutter ( Kikori) claims he found the body of the victim (the samurai) three days previously while looking for wood in the forest. Upon discovering the body the woodcutter flees in a panic to search for the authorities. The priest Minoru Chiaki as priest. A traveling Buddhist priest ( Tabi Hshi) claims that he saw the samurai and the woman the same day the murder happened. The bandit Toshir Mifune as bandit Tajmaru. Tajmaru (), a notorious brigand ( nusubito), claims that he tricked the samurai to step off the mountain trail with him and look at a cache of ancient swords he discovered. In the grove he tied the samurai to a tree, then returned to fetch the woman. He planned to rape the woman, who initially tried to defend herself. When caught, she submitted in view of her husband and was "seduced" by the bandit. The woman, filled with shame, then begged him to duel to the death with her husband, to save her from the guilt and shame of having two men know her dishonor. He honorably set the samurai free so they could duel. In Tajmaru's recollection they fought skillfully and fiercely, but in the end Tajmaru was the victor and the woman ran away. At the end of the story, he is asked about an expensive dagger owned by the samurai's wife: he says that, in the confusion, he forgot all about it, and that it was foolish of him to leave behind such a valuable object. The samurai's wife Machiko Ky as samurai's wife at the court. The samurai's wife claims that after she was raped by Tajmaru, who left her to weep, she begged her husband to forgive her; he simply looked at her coldly. She then freed him and begged him to kill her so that she would be at peace. He continued to stare at her with a look of loathing. His expression ripped at her soul and she begged him to kill her, to no avail, and then she fainted with dagger in hand. She awakened to find her husband dead with the dagger in his chest. She recalls attempting to kill herself, including attempting to drown herself some time later by a nearby lake, but failed in all her efforts. The samurai Masayuki Mori as samurai.
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Through a medium ( miko), the deceased samurai, claims that after he was captured by Tajmaru, and after the bandit raped his wife, Tajmaru asked her to travel with him. She accepted and asked Tajmaru to kill her husband so that she would not feel the guilt of belonging to two men. Tajmaru, shocked by this request, grabbed her, and gave the samurai a choice of letting the woman go or killing her. ("At this", the dead samurai recounted, "I almost forgave the bandit.") The woman fled, and Tajmaru, after attempting to recapture her, gave up and set the samurai free. The samurai then killed himself with his own dagger. The ghost then mentions that somebody removed the dagger from his chest; upon hearing this (or more precisely, in the frame sequence after this part of the trial flashback is recounted), the woodcutter is startled, and claims that the dead man must be lying, because he was killed by a sword. The woodcutter again The woodcutter then says his earlier view was a lie, claiming he did not want to get too involved. He confesses he did in fact witness the rape and murder. He says that Tajmaru raped the samurai's wife, and then begged the weeping woman to marry him. She instead said it was not for her to decide, freed her husband, then continued weeping. The samurai said that he was unwilling to die for a woman such as her, and that he would mourn the loss of his horse more than the loss of his wife. After hearing these words, Tajmaru lost interest in the samurai's wife and began as if to leave. The samurai's wife continued to weep, more forcefully now, which prompted her husband to demand that she stop crying. Tajmaru retorted that the samurai's remarks were "unmanly" of him since, according to Tajmaru, "women are weak" and cannot help crying. At this, the woman was provoked into an embittered rage about both her husband's reluctance to protect his wife and Tajmaru's half-heartedness, whose passionate affection had all too soon turned into mere pity. In a fit of mad fury she spurred the men to fight for her, which she seemed to regret as soon the men actually started a pitiful fight, apparently more for the sake of keeping their face in front of each other than because of any true affection for the woman. After a pathetic struggle, Tajmaru won the duel, more by luck than through skill, and killed the samurai as he was attempting to scamper away in the bushes. At the sight of her husband's death, the woman screamed in horror and ran from Tajmaru who tried to approach her. Tajmaru, unable to follow her, took the samurai's sword and left the scene limping. Climax At the temple, the woodcutter, priest, and commoner are interrupted from their discussion of the woodcutter's account by the sound of a crying baby. They find the baby abandoned, and the commoner takes the kimono as well as a ruby that is protection for the baby in the basket. The woodcutter reproaches the commoner for stealing from the abandoned baby, but the commoner questions him about the woman's dagger; the woodcutter does not reply and thus the commoner puts two and two together and figures out the truth: that the woodcutter, too, is a thief, having stolen the dagger used in the murder of the samurai. The commoner, smiling and snickering at his own purportedly trenchant observations, claims that all men are selfish, and all men are looking out for themselves in the end. These deceptions and lies shake the priest's faith in humanity. He is brought back to his senses when the woodcutter reaches for the baby in the priest's arms. After initially snapping at the woodcutter ("Are you trying to take all that he has left?") he relents when the woodcutter explains that he has six other children at home, and that the addition of one more (the baby) would not make life any more difficult. This simple revelation recasts the woodcutter's story and the subsequent theft of the dagger in a new light. The priest gives the baby to the woodcutter, saying that the woodcutter has given him reason to continue having hope in humanity. The film closes on the woodcutter, walking home with the baby. The rain has stopped and the clouds have opened revealing the sun in contrast to the beginning where it was downcast.
Raajneeti
The film begins with a flashback into the life of Bharti Rai (Nikhila Trikha), the daughter of Chief Minister Ramnath Rai (Darshan Jariwala). Influenced by leftist ideology, she rebels against her father and joins the rival party of leftist leader Bhaskar Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah). Bharti develops an illicit relationship with Bhaskar, who, guilt-ridden over taking advantage of the younger woman, leaves for parts unknown, having unwittingly gotten Bharti pregnant. Upon the child's birth, he is abandoned in a boat by Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), Bharti's brother. Bharti later marries Chandra Pratap (Chetan Pandit), the younger brother of Bhanu Pratap. Bhanu leads the Rashtrawadi political party. The government in the state collapses and Bhanu suffers a stroke. In the hospital, he hands over power to his younger brother Chandra and to Chandra's son, Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal) sidelining his own son, Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai). Veerendra, who believes power is his birthright, demands his uncle's position, and after being rebuffed, enlists support from a Dalit leader, Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) who, unknown to both, is Bharti's abandoned son. Veerendra has his uncle Chandra assassinated in Chandra's car while Chandra is returning from the airport after seeing off his younger son, Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor). In an ensuing drama, Prithvi is arrested by police under the influence of Veerendra and had been on trial for a case of seducing a woman party worker (Shruti Seth). Samar comes to the rescue and promises that if all charges upon his brother are dropped, he is ready to move with his family to the U.S. Veerendra agrees but the newly released Prithvi openly contests the election by splitting from the party under a new party with Brij Gopal as his mentor and Samar as the executive. Meanwhile Samar's American girlfriend Sarah (Sarah Thompson) arrives in India to see the situation. To raise funds for the new party, Samar shrewdly ensures Prithvi's marriage to their childhood friend Indu (Katrina Kaif), the daughter of a powerful businessman. The film gets murkier with both sides trying every trick to ensure their victory in coming elections. Allegations and counterallegations are made. Subsequently, Samar uncovers that the real murderer of his father is Sooraj and Veerendra, and decides
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to take revenge. On the other hand, Prithvi executes the former police officer, who had arrested him and the woman worker at a farmhouse. This infuriates Veerendra and he hatches a plot to assassinate Prithvi. A car bomb kills both Prithvi and Sarah, who was to be dropped at the airport in that car. Devastated by the loss of his brother and girlfriend, Samar decides to retaliate. He suggests Indu to take the reins of the party and arranges the election campaign single-handedly. Meanwhile, Sooraj is revealed to be the first child of Bharti, who implores him to join his younger brother Samar. Sooraj refuses to part ways with Veerendra and asks his mother to leave. Exit polls predict a victory for Indu's Party and on the counting day, Samar lures Veerendra and Sooraj to an unused factory by spreading a rumor about electronic voting machine being hacked. Veerendra and Sooraj fall in the trap and Veerendra gets shot by Samar and his men. Sooraj requests Samar to leave him and Veerendra till they reach the hospital, but Veerendra dies on the way. Brij Gopal prompts Samar to shoot Sooraj who questions the morality of the act. But Gopal convinces him to take the revenge. Samar shoots Sooraj and takes the revenge for the destruction of his family. Later the election results are declared, and Indu Pratap emerges with majority and is made Chief Minister. She is also revealed to be pregnant with Prithvi's child, while Samar leaves India to look after Sarah's mother.
Ran (1985)
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Hisashi Igawa, Masayuki Yui, Kazuo Kato, Takeshi Kat, Kenji Kodama, Norio Matsui, Takeshi Nomura, Daisuke Oka, Jun Tazaki, Hitoshi Ueki, Toshiya Ito Director: Akira Kurosawa
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A story of greed, a lust for power, and ultimate revenge. The Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji has decided to step aside to make room for the younger blood of his three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo, the Lord's only wish now being to live out his years as an honored guest in the castle of each of his sons in turn. While the older two sons flatter their father, the youngest son attempts to warn him of the folly of expecting the three sons to remain united; enraged at the younger son's attempt to point out the danger, the father banishes him. True to the younger son's warning, however, the oldest Son soon conspires with the second son to strip The Great Lord of everything, even his title.
Intimacy (2001)
Director: Patrice Chreau Synopsis: She comes to his bed-sit every Wednesday afternoon. They don't speak. They don't even know each other's name. But something passes between them as... She comes to his bed-sit every Wednesday afternoon. They don't speak. They don't even know each other's name. But something passes between them as their bodies converge and passion ignites in the dim, carpeted silence of his basement bedroom. He has left his wife and family. Her story: a mystery, a puzzle waiting to be penetrated and unraveled. Their union: rife with longing and desire, an impermanent compulsion coiled in a fundamental need to reach out and connect with another person, another body. Starring: Mark Rylance, Kerry Fox, Timothy Spall, Alistair Galbraith Starring: Mark Rylance, Kerry Fox, Timothy Spall, Alistair Galbraith, Marianne Faithfull, Susannah Harker, Rebecca R. Palmer, Alastair Galbraith, Phillipe Calvario, Fraser Ayres, Philippe Calvario
Director: Sam Raimi Evil Dead director Sam Raimi takes the helm for this "spook-a-blast" shocker about an ambitious L.A. loan officer who incurs the wrath of a malevolent gypsy by refusing to grant her an extension on her home loan. Determined to impress her boss and get a much-needed promotion at work, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) lays down the law when mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) literally comes begging for mercy at her feet. In retaliation for being publicly shamed, Mrs. Ganush places the dreaded curse of the Lamia on her unfortunate target, transforming Christine's life into a waking nightmare. Her skeptical boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long), casually brushing off her disturbing encounters as mere coincidence, Christine attempts to escape eternal damnation by seeking out the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao ). But Christine's time is fast running out, and unless she's able to break the curse, she'll be tormented by a demon for three days before literally being dragged to hell. ####### Christine Brown is a loans officer at a bank but is worried about her lot in life. She's in competition with a competent colleague for an assistant manager position and isn't too sure about her status with a boyfriend. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, who now faces foreclosure and the loss of her house. In retaliation, the old woman place a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time. With the help of a psychic, she tries to rid herself of the demon, but faces several hurdles in the attempt.
excitement. Everyone expects her to find a boyfriend and be settled while still a teenager. Agnes is in love with Elin and though Elin first mocks her devotion, soon the two become an item. But Elin's big sister pushes her to go out with, and ultimately to sleep with, the more suitable Johan. Agnes feels betrayed and lets out rumours of Elin's behaviour. Soon, Elin must choose between convention and a more daring life. Starring: Rebecka Liljeberg, Erica Carlson, Mathias Rust, Alexandra Dahlstrom, Ralph Carlsson, Rebecca Liljeberg, Stefan Hrberg Director: Lukas Moodysson
The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
The film opens with a London gangster, Albert Spica, arriving at his posh restaurant, La Hollandaise, with his entourage of thugs and a man who owes him money. While his thugs hold the man down, Albert smears dog excrement on the him and forces some into his mouth. He leaves the man behind and enters the restaurant's kitchen, where he berates and bullies some of the staff, much to the annoyance of the restaurant's manager and head chef, Richard. Albert has also brought his long-suffering wife, Georgina, with him, whom he also subjects to continual verbal abuse. Meanwhile, Albert's victim is brought into the restaurant and tended to by some of the staff. Albert comes to the restaurant each night and holds court with his entourage and Georgina, while criticizing Richard's menu choices. Georgina notices a quiet regular customer, Michael, who is always reading. The two being a clandestine affair with most encounters occurring in the restaurant itself. Georgina believes that if she engages in her affair in Albert's place of business, that it will be easier to keep hidden from her husband. One night, Albert becomes furious when Georgina doesn't return to dinner - she and Michael are having sex in a back room of the kitchen while Richard hides their tryst from Albert. Albert rushes into the kitchen looking for her and Richard hides them in the freezer. He returns for them a few minutes later, after Albert has left the kitchen and offers them a way to sneak out of the restaurant together; they're both hidden in the back of a truck full of rotting meat and driven to Michael's home. Once there, they are cleaned off by one of the restaurant staff and remain, hiding from Albert. However, back at the restaurant, Albert is correctly suspicious that Georgina is having an affair and, after ransacking the kitchen, vows to find the mystery lover and eat him. One of Albert's henchmen, Cory, catches sight of a young boy, Pup, leaving the restaurant with a basket full of food (it is for the hiding lovers). Cory reports to Albert, who orders his men to capture Pup. He tortures the young boy, hospitalizing him. Georgina rushes to the hospital to visit Pup, which was ruse to lure her away from Michael. Albert finds Michael at home and kills him by having pages of his books stuffed down his throat. Georgina discovers that Albert has murdered Michael. She goes to Richard and asks him to cook Richard and serve his body to Albert. Richard is initially reluctant but Georgina is able to convince him, considering Albert's deplorable treatment of everyone around him, including herself and Richard. Albert is invited to the restaurant, which announces a private party for him. When he arrives, Georgina greets him and a procession enters from the kitchen made up of everyone whom Albert has offended. The procession is carrying a long, covered tray, which is placed in front of Albert. Georgina removes the cover and Albert is horrified to see the roasted body of Michael on the tray. Albert's assistant, Mitchell, grabs a knife but is easily subdued by a few of the guests. Michael attempts to draw his pistol but is easily unarmed. The gun is passed around a few of the guests and is finally given to Georgina, who points it at Albert and orders him to eat from Michael's body. Very reluctantly and thoroughly sickened, Albert takes a forkful of flesh and eats. After a few moments, Georgina shoots and kills Albert who falls backwards. Her last word is "Cannibal."
Creation (2009)
Director: Jon Amiel Synopsis: What happens when a world-renowned scientist, crushed by the loss of his eldest daughter, conceives a book which will prove the non-existence of God.... What happens when a world-renowned scientist, crushed by the loss of his eldest daughter, conceives a book which will prove the non-existence of God. This is the story of Charles Darwin and his master-work "The Origin of Species". It tells of a global revolution played out the confines of a small English village; a passionate marriage torn apart by the most dangerous idea in history; and a theory saved from extinction by the logic of a child. [Less] Starring: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones Starring: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jim Carter, Bill Paterson, Martha West, Ian Kelly, Guy Henry, Anabolena Rodriguez, Paul Campbell VIII, Zak Davies, Teresa Churcher, Freya Parks, Christopher Dunkin, Gene Goodman, Harrison Sansostri, Ellie Haddington, Richard Ridings, Ian Mercer, Robert Glenister, Catherine Terris, Ken Drury, Nigel Bowden
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In.the.City.of.Sylvia.2007
Almost entirely devoid of dialogue, the film follows a young man credited only as 'El'[1] (English:'Him') as he scours suburban Strasbourg in search of Sylvia, a woman he asked for directions in a bar several years before. Plot Synopsis by Jason Buchanan A youthful foreigner sits sketching the diners of an outdoor caf in hopes of finding the women he met there years before in director Jos Luis Guern's languid, sun-soaked tale of longing. It was a long time ago that the artist met a mysterious beauty named Sylvia, and the memory of the girl has lingered in his mind ever since. Perhaps if he can capture the movements of the patrons in this quaint European caf he can recognize the woman he seeks. Then, at once, the artist believes he has found Sylvia. Setting out into the streets in pursuit of a fading memory, he vows that this time he won't let love slip through his fingers.
EROS
A three-part anthology film about love and sexuality: a menage-a-trois between a couple and a young woman on the coast of Tuscany; an advertising executive under enormous pressure at work, who, during visits to his psychiatrist, is pulled to delve into the possible reasons why his stress seems to manifest itself in a recurring erotic dream; and a story of unrequited love about a beautiful, 1960s high-end call girl in an impossible affair with her young tailor. In North America, critical response for Eros was very mixed. [1] American critics were almost unanimous in their praise of Wong Kar Wai's segment, and almost unanimous in their disapproval of the Michelangelo Antonioni piece. Steven Soderbergh's contribution drew mixed notices. Roger Ebert gave Wong's segment four stars (out of a possible four), Soderbergh's three stars, and Antonioni's a mere one star. [2] On the syndicated television show Ebert & Roeper, he gave the film a "thumbs up" rating. In his Chicago Sun-Times review, he wrote: "Are the three films in Eros intended to be (a) erotic, (b) about eroticism or (c) both? The directors respond in three different ways. Wong Kar-Wai chooses (c), Steven Soderbergh chooses (b) and Michelangelo Antonioni, alas, arrives at None of the Above...The Antonioni film is an embarrassment. Regina Nemni acts all of her scenes wearing a perfectly transparent blouse for no other reason, I am afraid, than so we can see her breasts. Luisa Ranieri acts mostly in the nude. The result is soft-core porn of the most banal variety, and when the second woman begins to gambol on the beach one yearns for Russ Meyer to come to the rescue. When you see a woman gamboling in the nude in a Meyer film, you stay gamboled with...I return to Wong Kar-Wai's The Hand. It stays with me. The characters expand in my memory and imagination. I feel empathy for both of them: Miss Hua, sadly accepting the fading of her beauty, the disappearance of her clients, the loss of her health, and Mr. Zhang, who will always be in her thrall. "I became a tailor because of you," he says. It is the greatest compliment it is within his power to give, and she knows it. Knows it, and is touched by it as none of the countless words of her countless clients have ever, could ever, touch her."[3]
OUT OF AFRICA
Follows the life of Karen Blixen, who establishes a plantation in Africa. Her life is Complicated by a husband of convenience (Bror Blixen), a true love (Denys), troubles on the plantation, schooling of the natives, war, and catching VD from her husband. Written by Tony Bridges <[email protected]>
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Karen Blixen, a Danish woman, marries a friend for the title of Baroness and they move to Africa and start a coffee plantation. Things unfold when her husband begins cheating on her and is away on business often, so she's at home alone, working on the farm and bonding with two men she met in her first day in Africa. She eventually falls in love with the one, Denys Finch-Hatton and goes on safari and whatnot with him. Later, she begins to want more from him than the simple friendship/relationship they have and pushes marriage, but Denys still wants his freedom. By the end, she's gained a much better understanding and respect for the African culture than when she came. Written by KKaliforniApril22 A study of the life of Danish noblewoman and storyteller Karen ('Isak') Dinesen Blixen, from her marriage and departure for Kenya in 1913 until her return to Denmark in 1931. As she struggles to maintain a coffee farm through various struggles and disasters, and strives to improve relations with the local natives, her marriage of convenience to a titled aristocrat gradually gives way to an enduring romance with the noted hunter and adventurer Denys Finch Hatton. Written by scgary66
Roger Dodger[2002]
Synopsis: After breaking up with his lover and boss, a smooth-talking man takes his teenaged nephew out on the town in search of sex. After breaking up with his lover and boss, a smooth-talking man takes his teenaged nephew out on the town in search of sex. Starring: Campbell Scott, Jesse Eisenberg, Isabella Rossellini, Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals, Ben Shenkman, Mina Badie, Chris Stack, Morena Baccarin, Colin Fickes, Gabriel Millman Director: Dylan Kidd Set against the bright lights of Manhattan, a tale which takes a comic, urbane look at the modern male ego at war in the singles scene trenches. Roger Swanson is a hopelessly cynical advertising copywriter with a razor-sharp wit who believes he has mastered the art of manipulating women. But Roger\\\'s seemingly foolproof world of smooth talk and casual sex begins to unravel when he is paid a surprise visit by his teenager nephew, Nick. Hoping to settle, once and for all, the issue of his virginity, Nick begs Roger to school him in the art of seducing women. Welcoming the challenge, Roger guides Nick through the city\\\'s wild nightlife for an all-night crash course, only to realize that he--the adult--still has something to learn about what women, and men, really want.
gave up of being an actress in her youth to dedicate to the family. Their needy son Paolo feels lost and rejected, trying to find who he is and flirting with a schoolmate. Their seventeen years old daughter Valentina is decided to work in a television show, and is fighting to have an audition. When Carlo meets his former sweetheart Alessia in a class reunion, they confess to each other that their marriages are in crisis and both feel passion arising again. Meanwhile Giulia is invited to an audition in a stage production and to participate of a play. Paolo tries to make friends using marijuana in his birthday party, and Valentina has sex with different guys trying to be a dancer of the famous TV show 'Ali Babbi'. Their relationships change when Carlo has an accident. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The story of a normal Italian family in which come out the dreams of those who have lost their possibilities and of those who want to realize them. Carlo and Giulia are a married couple who have each given up their aspirations in order to live an average life. Their 19-year-old son, Paolo, is having trouble finding an identity, while their 18-year-old daughter, Valentina, has already figured out how to use sex to her advantage. The family goes through a crisis when Carlo begins having an affair, Giulia attempt to seduce the director of a local stage production she is in, and Valentina does what she does best to land an audition for a TV show.
Malena
Directed By: Giuseppe Tornatore On the day in 1940 that Italy enters the war, two things happen to the 12-year-old Renato: he gets his first bike, and he gets his first look at Malna. She is a beautiful, silent outsider who's moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He promptly goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. During the next few years, as Renato grows toward manhood, he watches Malna suffer and prove her mettle. He sees her loneliness, then grief when Nico is reported dead, the effects of slander on her relationship with her father, her poverty and search for work, and final humiliations. Will Renato learn courage from Malna and stand up for her? Written by <[email protected]> The film is set in 1940 during World War II just as Italy enters the war. Malena's husband, Nino Scordia, leaves to serve in the military. Malena feels sad and tries to cope with her loss, as the town she has just moved to tries to deal with this beautiful woman who gets the attention and lustful stares of all the local men, including the 12-year-old Renato. However, in spite of the villagers' gossip, she continues to be faithful to her husband. Renato becomes obsessed with Malena and starts fantasizing about her while masturbating. The silent, distractingly beautiful outsider learns one day that her husband has been killed. Renato continues to watch as she suffers from loneliness and grief. Malena is shunned by the townspeople and the unattractive, jealous women of the Italian village, who begin to believe the worst about her, simply because of her beauty. She visits her father, an almost deaf professor of Latin, regularly and helps him with his household chores. When a slanderous letter about her sexual morals reaches his hands, their relationship suffers a catastrophic blow. In the meanwhile, the war worsens. The village is bombed and Malena's father is killed. She falls on hard times and eventually has no money. The wife of the local dentist takes her to court, but Malena is acquitted. The only man Malena does have an innocent romance with, an army officer, is sent away because of the trial. Malena's poverty finally forces her to succumb to the greed and malice of the town and she becomes a prostitute, making the wives' fantasies about her a reality. When the German army comes to town, Malena gives herself to Germans as well. Renato sees her in the company of two German officers and faints. His mother and the older ladies of the town think that he has been possessed by the devil and take him to church to exorcise the "demons." His father however understands that he is suffering from sexual hunger and takes him to a brothel; Renato has sex with one of the prostitutes while fantasizing that she is Malena. When the war ends, the women of the village gather and, out of jealousy and hatred, publicly beat and humiliate Malena, who shortly after leaves for Messina. A few days later, Nino Scordia returns to town, to the shock of all the residents. He finds his house occupied by people displaced by the war. Renato tells him through an anonymous letter about Malena's whereabouts. Nino goes to Messina to find her. A year later, they return. The villagers, especially the women, astonished at her courage, begin to talk to "Signora Scordia" with respect. Though still beautiful, they think of her as no threat claiming that she had wrinkles near her eyes and put on some weight. In the last scene near the beach, Renato helps her pick up some oranges that had dropped from her shopping bag. Afterwards he wishes her "Buona fortuna, Signora Malena" (good luck, Mrs. Malena) and rides off on his bicycle, looking back at her for a final time, as she walks away, with the retrospective thought that he has not forgotten her, even after a few years. He said, "Of all the girls who asked me if I remember them, the only one I remembered is the one who did not ask." The audience is left not knowing if Malena ever realizes Renato's feelings for her.
through children, and through the mighty grip of societal confines and the expectations of what it is to be a man. Written by JamaicaSugar Set against the sweeping vistas of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, this film tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Written by focus features
Dracula (1992)
Synopsis: Based on the Victorian horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897, about the vampire Dracula, who is on a quest to be eternally reunited with the one... Based on the Victorian horror novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897, about the vampire Dracula, who is on a quest to be eternally reunited with the one woman he ever loved. Dracula travels from Transylvania to London to find the young woman who is the double image of the love he lost centuries earlier. [Less] Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Bill Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci, Jay Robinson, Robert Buckingham, Robert Getz, I.M. Hobson, James Murray, Daniel Newman, Tatiana von Furstenberg, Maud Winchester, Laurie Frank, Don Lewis, Cully Fredricksen, Hubert Wells, Victoria Thomas, Jules Sylvester, Fred Spencer, Michaela Bercu, Florina Kendrick Director: Francis Ford Coppola It is the year 1462. Constantinople has fallen. Prince Dracula [Gary Oldman] must leave his bride Elizabeta [Winona Ryder] to do battle against the invading Turks. Elizabeta, believing her husband to be dead, flings herself into the river below. Because she committed suicide, the Bishop [Anthony Hopkins] proclaims her soul damned. Consequently, Dracula renounces God and the Church. March 1897, England. Law clerk Jonathan Harker [Keanu Reeves] must travel to Transylvania to close the sale of 10 London properties being purchased by Count Dracula. Upon his return, Jonathan and fiancee Mina Murray [Winona Ryder] intend to be married. In Jonathan's absence, Mina goes to stay with her rich friend Lucy Westenra [Sadie Frost], who has just recently received three marriage proposals -- from Texan Quincey Morris [Bill Campbell], Dr Jack Seward [Richard E Grant], and Lord Arthur Holmwood [Cary Elwes] -- and she has decided to marry Arthur. Meanwhile, Jonathan has arrived at Castle Dracula following a strange carriage ride past blue flames and wolves. Even stranger is the Count himself. He never eats, sleeps all day, lives alone in a large castle in which most of the doors are locked, and crawls down the castle walls like a reptile. Jonathan has begun to have strange dreams about three women who try to seduce him. To Jonathan's further unease, the Count seems to be fascinated with a picture of Mina and has forced Jonathan to write letters saying that he will be staying with the Count for another month. Meanwhile, the Count is preparing for his trip to England by filling large boxes with dirt. July, 1897. Jonathan has been gone for over three months, and Mina is sick with worry, while Lucy is involved with planning for her wedding. But Lucy is not without worries either. A particularly violent summer storm has recently washed a ship of dead sailors upon the beach, and shortly thereafter Lucy has begun her old habit of sleepwalking. Each time she sleepwalks, she returns bewildered and pale. Dr Seward, who has his hands full treating the flyeating lunatic R M Renfield [Tom Waits] , has taken on Lucy as his patient. She shows all the signs of anemia, but Dr Seward can find no cause for it. Consequently, he has decided to send for a metaphysician, philosopher, and specialist in rare blood disorders, his old mentor Professor Abraham Van Helsing [Anthony Hopkins]. Upon his arrival, Van Helsing immediately begins a blood transfusion on Lucy and places garlic near her bed. Meanwhile, Mina has begun occupying herself with a man she met near the cinematograph. He introduced himself as Prince Vlad of Szekely, and Mina is strangely drawn to him, as though she knows him. When she finally receives news that Jonathan has suffered a violent brain fever and is being cared for by the sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who bid her to come to Romania and be married to Jonathan, she realizes that she can no longer see her prince again. Mina says goodbye to Lucy, writes a note to Dracula, and sets sail for Romania. Dracula, heartbroken at losing Mina to Jonathan, takes Lucy as his bride instead. Lucy is dead, although Van Helsing knows that the correct term is 'undead,' for he can see the fangs in her mouth and knows that she is nosferatu. He explains to Arthur, Jack, and Quincey that, to give Lucy's soul peace, they must cut off her head and take out her heart. They are horrified and think that Van Helsing is just a sick old coot, until they spend a night in Lucy's tomb and find her returning with a child in her arms. When the deed is done, they band together to seek out the vampyre and destroy it. Mina and Jonathan have returned to London, only to hear that Lucy has died. One night, they have dinner with Van Helsing, and Jonathan realizes that he knows Count Dracula and that he sleeps in Carfax Abbey. After securing Mina at Dr Seward's sanitarium, the five of them -- Van Helsing, Jonathan, Quincey, Jack, and Arthur -- pay a visit
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to the abbey in order to sterilize Dracula's earthboxes. Meanwhile Dracula is paying a visit to Mina. When she learns that her prince is actually the vampyre who killed Lucy, she becomes extremely upset, but not enough to resist wanting to be with him, to live how he lives. Dracula drinks from Mina, then opens a vein in his chest and bids her drink. However, he stops short after she has taken but a bit. 'I love you too much to condemn you,' he explains. Suddenly, Van Helsing et al burst in the room. They attempt to destroy Dracula, but he changes into hundreds of rats and scurries away. Dracula knows that he cannot stay in England any longer and books passage back to Transylvania via Varna. Mina and the men follow close behind. As Dracula is in mind contact with Mina, Van Helsing knows Dracula's plans but Dracula also seems to know theirs. Instead of sailing into Varna, Dracula diverts the ship 200 miles north and lands at Galatz, causing a change in plans such that Van Helsing and Mina take a carriage directly from Varna to the Borgo Pass while Jonathan, Quincey, Arthur, and Jack continue by train to Galanz where they secure horses and ride for the Borgo Pass, hoping to cut off Dracula. They are unsuccessful. Dracula's gypsies picked up his earthbox at Galanz and are now speeding down the Borgo Pass road. It's going to be a close race. Mina and Van Helsing are almost to the castle but decide to stop for the night. Van Helsing casts a circle around Mina and protects her by burning her forehead with a blessed communion wafer. In the circle they stay through the night while Dracula's three brides tempt Mina to join them. The next morning, as Mina sleeps in the circle, Van Helsing visits the castle and beheads the vampiresses. It is near sundown. The gypsy wagon bearing Dracula in his earthbox approaches the castle. Jonathan, Arthur, Quincey, and Jack are riding hard to catch up. Mina and Van Helsing wait inside the castle courtyard. Mina calls up a blue flame to protect Dracula. As the gypsy wagon enters the courtyard, a gypsy stabs Quincey in the back. Jonathan attempts to open Dracula's earthbox, but the sun has set and Dracula rises. At that very moment, however, Jonathan slits Dracula's neck and Quincey stabs Dracula through the heart with a sword. Mina screams. As Arthur races forward to finish Dracula, Harker stops him. 'Let them go,' he says. 'Our work is finished here; hers is just begun.' As Quincey dies, Mina sits with Dracula on the chapel floor inside the castle. She kisses him, and he begs her to give him peace. Then, out of love, she pushes the sword the rest of the way through Dracula's heart. The burn on her forehead disappears, Dracula dies, and Mina releases him by cutting off his head. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
engagement announcement of Yuri and Tonya is interrupted by Lara shooting Komarovsky, Lara's sometime lover and companion. Komarovsky is only slightly wounded and Lara is escorted out of the party by her fianc, Pasha. World War I erupts and Yuri is posted to a field unit far to southwest near Ukraine. Lara is a volunteer nurse in the same area. Her husband (Pasha), disappears during a battle, and is presumed dead. As the summer of 1917 ends, the October Russian Revolution occurs, changing the entire political landscape. World War I for the Russians had begun to wind down the previous summer, ending in the winter. Yuri and Lara, having worked together in an old country estate converted to a hospital, are the last to leave the now empty facility. They are clearly in love with each other, but have managed to keep their passions suppressed. Yuri returns to his Moscow home to find his step-mother deceased, and his home (his step father's home) occupied by 13 additional families. The Bolsheviks are now in full control of the large cities, and collectivization has begun. But Moscow is in trouble; with virtually no food supplies or heating fuel (wood), the impending Russian winter will be deadly. One night, Yuri decides to steal some fence boards that can be burned. He is observed by Yevgraf (now a policeman and party official) and is followed home. Yevgraf knows this man is his half brother and rather than arrest Yuri, the two connect for the first time. But the works of Yuri Zhivago, the published poet, has fallen out of favor with the authorities putting the lives of Yuri, his wife Tonya, his son Shasha, and his step-father Alexander, in danger. Yevgraf arranges all the necessary travel papers and the family of 4 departs Moscow eastbound in a crowed boxcar. Their destination is Yuriatin, the small town near the family's country estate at Varykino. Enroute, the train stops due to civil war activity in the area. Yuri wanders away from his train, only to stumble into the military train of a communist general. The general turns out to be the husband of Lara, Pasha. But Pasha has taken on a new name, People's Commander Strelnikov. He has become a renegade, and uses his army to fight the remaining White Russians however he can. Strelnikov and Zhivago discover they have seen each other before, at the party where Komarovsky was shot. Suspicions that Yuri is an assassin or spy are determined to be groundless and Strelnikov uncharacteristically releases Yuri. Yuri and family reach their distant estate. It is early spring. The main house has been sealed by the local communist authorities, but the gardener's cottage remains available. The family gets the vegetable garden back in shape, and settles in for what is expected to be a multi-year stay. The family thrives, and remains in the cottage, living almost invisibly. That summer, the czar and his family are executed. The family remains in the cottage through the winter. Finally, the next summer, Yuri takes the short trip into Yuriatin. Lara has lived in Yuriatin for about a year, having returned there in search of her husband, Pasha (Strelnikov). Yuri and Lara meet in the local library, and an affair between the two begins. But Yuri cannot live with the conflict of the affair. His pregnant wife loves him deeply, and the so does Lara. Yuri rides into Yuriatin to break off the affair. On the way home, Yuri is kidnapped by a Red Partisan unit and is drafted to be their medical officer. A year and a half later, in the dead of winter, Yuri wanders away from the Red Guard Unit, deserting. Yuri makes his way back to Yuriatin, discovering that his family has left Varykino for Moscow. He goes to the only other place he knows, Lara's small apartment. Starving and nearly dead, Lara brings him back to health. Lara gives Yuri a letter from Tonya, addressed to him care of Lara. The letter is dated 6 months earlier. Tonya had known of Yuri's affair, and Tonya and Lara had met. Yuri's family has escaped back to Moscow, and is being deported from Russia. Shortly thereafter, Komarovsky unexpectedly appears at Lara's apartment. He brings news that Lara's husband Strelnikov is "gone", Yuri is considered a deserter, and their days are numbered. Komarovsky offers help by way of transportation to the far east of Russia, Vladavastok, from which they can go anywhere in the world. Lara and Yuri refuse the offer, but know Komarovsky is right, their days are numbered. Lara and Yuri move themselves to Varykino, and occupy a small portion of the main house. They stay there through most of the remaining winter. Again, Komarovsky finds them and tells them that Strelnikov has been arrested just 5 miles from Varykino. Lara and Yuri must now move quickly to survive. They accept Komarovsky's offer of protection and transportation to Manchuria, and leave Varykino immediately. But Yuri remains behind, ostensibly to bring his own sledge to the train station. Lara and Komarovsky wait for Yuri on the train at the Yuriatin train station, but Yuri does not arrive. The train leaves, and Lara announces to Komarovsky that she is pregnant with Yuri's child. Eight years pass. Yuri is found in Moscow by Yevgraf, in poor health, malnourished and jobless. Yevgraf arranges for Yuri to get his old job back at the hospital and sees him off at the street car stop on his first day. On the ride, Yuri thinks he sees Lara walking in the direction of the street car. He attempts to get off the car, succeeds and collapses in the street. He dies of a heart attack. At the memorial, huge numbers of people pay their respects, much to Yevgraf's amazement. One of those people is Lara, and Lara is searching for her daughter Tonya, lost somewhere near Mongolia during the far east civil war.
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Yevgraf and Lara search Moscow's orphanages, but Tonya is not found. Speaking of Lara, Yevgraf narrates: "One day she went away and didn't come back. She died or vanished somewhere in one of the labor camps; a nameless number on a list that was after-wards...mislaid. That was quite common in those days." The story his been told, and the scene returns to the project office. Although Tonya, now a young woman of about 18, wants to believe who were her parents, but only if the fact is true. Morning has come, and Yevgraf makes a final request, that Tonya think about establishing with Yevgraf a family relationship. Neither have any relatives, and Tonya promises to think about it. Tonya and Yevgraf part on what promises to be a beautiful day.
Twilight (2008/I)
Synopsis: A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire. A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Gigandet, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Sarah Clarke, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Michael Welch, Jose Zuniga, Gil Birmingham, Ned Bellamy, Matt Bushell, Gregory Tyree Boyce, Anna Kendrick, Taylor Lautner, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre Director: Catherine Hardwicke Seventeen-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has decided to leave sunny Phoenix, Arizona, to spend some time with her father Charlie Swan (Billy Burke), the chief of police in the perpetually cloudy and rainy city of Forks, Washington, on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula, so that her mother Rene (Sarah Clarke) and her minor league baseball-playing stepfather Phil Dwyer (Matt Bushell) can go on the road together for spring training and perhaps even move to Jacksonville, Florida. Bella's relationship with her father is cool, even though she hasn't seen him in several years. When she arrives in Forks, he surprises her with the gift of a red pickup truck he purchased from his best friend, Billy Black (Gil Birmingham). Bella remembers making mudpies with Billy's son Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and looks forward to having at least one friend at Forks High School, until Jacob reminds her that he is a Quileute Indian and goes to school on the Reservation. Not to worry. On her first day of school, Bella is befriended by Eric Yorkie (Justin Chon), the school's "eyes and ears", and he introduces her to some of the other students. Everything is looking cool so far. Cool, that is, until she meets Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Edward is one of five foster kids adopted by Dr Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli) and his wife Esme (Elizabeth Reaser). There's also Alice (Ashley Greene) and Emmett (Kellan Lutz) Cullen and the twins, Rosalie (Nikki Reed) and Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) Hale. From the moment Edward lays eyes on Bella, he can't stop scowling at her. When Bella is assigned as Edward's lab partner in Biology and he storms out the door when the bell rings, Bella is puzzled as to what she could have done to anger him. When she overhears him in the office attempting to transfer out of Biology, she decides to confront him and ask him what is his problem. However, she doesn't get the chance because Edward is absent for the next several days. When Edward does return to school, he seems changed. He introduces himself to Bella and asks her about herself, her family, and whether or not she likes the cold, rainy climate in Forks. Bella notices that his eyes seem a different color than previously, and he answers awkwardly before walking away. Later that day, as Bella is about to get into her truck, another car careens out of control in the school parking lot. Within seconds, Edward has crossed the lot, pulled Bella out of the way, and seemingly stopped the car with his bare hand, leaving Bella more puzzled than before. When she tries to ask Edward how he did it, he simply chalks it up to an "adrenalin rush" and refuses to talk about it. Further, he says that they probably shouldn't even be friends. That doesn't stop Bella from asking Edward to be her date when the kids decide to go surfing at La Push Beach on the Indian Reservation, but Edward doesn't show. When the kids are joined on the beach by Jacob Black and two of his friends from the Reservation and they learn that Edward Cullen was supposed to be Bella's date, one of Jacob's friends remarks, "The Cullens don't come here." Later, Bella asks Jacob what was meant by that remark, and Jacob tells her of a Quileute legend that says the Quileutes are descended from wolves whereas the Cullens are descended from an enemy clan. The legend also goes that the Quileutes and the Cullens made a pact that required the Cullens to stay off Quileute land in exchange for the Quileutes keeping it secret what the Cullens really were. Bella googles Quileute legends and notices that there is a bookstore in Port Angeles that sells several books on Quileute legends, so she goes along with her new friends, Jessica Stanley (Anna Kendrick) and Angela Weber (Christian Serratos), when they decide to go shopping in Port Angeles for their prom dresses.
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After purchasing her books, Bella heads to the restaurant where she planned to meet Jessica and Angela for dinner before heading back to Forks. Along the way, however, she is stopped by four guys with no good on their minds. Suddenly, Edward drives up, forces the guys to back off, and orders Bella to get into the car. When Edward and Bella finally join Jessica and Angela, the girls have already eaten. Edward offers to see that Bella gets some dinner and then to drive her back to Forks, so Jessica and Angela take off, giving Bella and Edward a chance to talk privately. Edward reveals that he was following Bella because he has developed very protective feelings towards her. He also lets it slip that he could read what was in the minds of those low-lifes and that he can read just about anyone's mind...except for hers. On the drive back to Forks, Bella accidentally touches Edward's hand and is amazed at how cold it is. As they pass the Forks Police Department, they see several police cars, including that of Bella's father, with their lights flashing. Dr Cullen's car is also there, so Bella and Edward stop to see what's happening. They learn from Carlisle that the body of Waylon Forge, a good friend of her father, was just found lying in a boat, dead from what looks like an animal attack, this being the second animal attack to happen near Forks. Later, after Bella has returned home with her father, she starts paging through the books she purchased and comes across a Quileute legend about "The Cold One." Googling it, she learns that "The Cold One", aka Apotamkin, is a fanged creature, described as undead, immortal, possessing incredible speed, strength, and cold skin. It is said to drink human blood and variously equated with other legends about vampires. The next day, Bella confronts Edward with her findings. He doesn't deny it. He takes her to the top of a mountain, out of the cloud bank, and shows her how a vampire's skin sparkles in the sunlight. He explains how the Cullen family has learned to live on animal blood and consider themselves "vegetarian vampires." Still, I am a killer, he says, and admits that he's never wanted a human's blood as much as he wants hers. I don't care, Bella replies. Edward goes on to explain that Carlisle turned him in 1918 when he was dying of Spanish influenza and that Waylon was killed by some other vampires...not the Cullens. The relationship between Bella and Edward progresses to the point where Edward decides to take Bella home to meet his family. All of the Cullens are superwelcoming to Bella...except for Rosalie, who is concerned that the relationship between Edward and Bella may end badly (i.e., Edward will end up harming Bella), implicating the entire family and forcing them to move again. However, Edward is super careful not to lose control when he's around Bella, and the relationship continues to grow. One rainy afternoon, Edward takes Bella out to play baseball with his family. In the middle of the game, three figures come walking out of the mist. Fearfully, the Cullens regroup, hiding Bella behind him. The intruders are the rogue vampires who have been feasting on humans, including Waylon Forge. They introduce themselves as Laurent (Edi Gathegi), Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), and James (Cam Gigandet) and ask whether they can join the Cullens for a game. Thinking quickly, Carlisle agrees, saying that some of the family were leaving, and Laurent and the others can take their places-- a cue for Edward to get Bella safely away before she is detected. Everyone moves back into the field to take their places. But suddenly, the wind shifts so that James catches Bella's scent and realizes that there is a human in their midst. "You brought a snack," he sneers and heads toward Bella. Edward jumps between them. Laurent backs off and agrees to leave, taking James and Victoria with him. "Get Bella out of here," Carlisle warns Edward. As they quickly drive away, Edward explains to Bella that James is a tracker. Now that he's got her scent, he won't give up until he has her. Bella's only salvation is, if they can get to James first, rip him apart, and burn the pieces. Edward's plan is to catch a ferry to Vancouver, B.C.; but Bella insists on going home first, against Edward's better judgement. They plan a ruse to get Bella quickly in and out of the house without her father knowing what's happening. When Bella gets home, she runs into the house and slams the front door, shouting, "It's over!" at Edward. She then informs her father that she's got to get away from here...now! She packs a nightbag and, against her father's protests, gets in the truck (where Edward is waiting), and they drive away. Unfortunately, James has already tracked Bella to Charlie's house and is on their trail. First, they stop at the Cullens' house, where Laurent has shown up to warn them about James and Victoria. The plan now is for Alice and Jasper to drive Bella south, while the others, including Rosalie and Esme dressed in Bella's clothes, attempt to create a false trail through the woods. It doesn't take long, however, for James to realize that he's been duped. When James changes his course, Alice senses the change and has a vision of James heading to a ballet studio in Phoenix where Bella once took lessons. While Jasper and Alice check them into a hotel in Phoenix, Bella gets a call on her cellphone from her mother, frantically worried about her. Suddenly, James comes on the line and informs Bella that he got her Phoenix address from Forks High School and arrived there just as her worried mother also got there. If Bella wants to save Rene's life, she must ditch Jasper and Alice and meet James in her old ballet studio. Bella takes a taxi to the studio; but, when she gets there, she finds that it was a trick. James got an old movie from her house, and it was only Rene's voice Bella was hearing. James then taunts her further by
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threatening to film their "time together" to break Edward's heart. As the camera rolls, James bats Bella around the room, then breaks her leg. Suddenly, Edward shows up, having gotten there faster than the others because of his greater speed. With their vampire strength, James and Edward toss each other around the room, breaking mirrors and windows with the impact of their bodies. At one point, James manages to swoop down in Bella and bite her arm. Just then, Carlisle, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper show up. Alice races to Bella's side, while Carlisle pulls Edward off James, telling him that Bella needs him more. Overpowered by the smell of Bella's blood, Alice asks Carlisle to take over for her. While Carlisle bends over Bella, Alice breaks James' neck; and she, Jasper, and Emmett start a fire to burn his body. Carlisle says that Bella's femoral artery is severed and she's losing a lot of blood...but even more important is the fact that she's been bitten, and the vampire venom has begun to affect her. Edward has a decision to make...either let the change happen or suck out the venom. Edward refuses to allow the change, so he decides to suck out the venom even though it means that he might not be able to stop. When Bella awakens, she is in the hospital, her mother at her side and Edward asleep in a chair. Bella claims not to remember anything that happened, so Rene tells her how Edward and his father came down from Forks to persuade her to return; and, when Bella went to see them at their hotel, she tripped, fell down two flights of stairs, broke her leg, went through a window, and lost a lot of blood. When Rene leaves to get Charlie, who's waiting in the hospital cafeteria, Edward "wakes up". He tells Bella that they took care of James and that Victoria ran off. Then he lowers the boom. He wants Bella to move to Jacksonville with her mother so that she can't be hurt anymore by her association with him. Bella refuses. Bella moves back to Forks with her dad. With her leg still in a cast, Bella attends the prom with Edward. When Edward goes off to park the car, Jacob sits down next to Bella. He tells her that his father wants her to break up with Edward and that he sent a warning: "We'll be watching you." Bella laughs. Later, as Bella and Edward dance in the gazebo, she asks him why he didn't let her turn. "If you just let the venom spread," she says, "I could be like you by now." She informs him that she's made the decision to be with him forever and offers him her neck. Edward bends over to bite her neck but ends up simply kissing it. "Is it not enough just to have a long and happy life with me?" he asks. "For now," Bella replies. From a window overlooking the gazebo, Victoria watches Bella and Edward kiss. She turns away, lets down her hair, and smiles to herself.
Remember Me (2010)
Synopsis: In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has had a strained relationship with his... In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has had a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler doesn't think anyone can possibly understand what he is going through, until the day he meets Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. Remember Me is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life. Starring: Robert Pattinson, Emilie De Ravin, Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin, Tate Ellington, Ruby Jerins, Gregory Jbara, Meghan Markle, Chris McKinney, Kate Burton, Caitlyn Paige Rund, Chris Clawson, Kevin P. McCarthy, Moises Acevedo, Noel Rodriguez, Athena Currey, Angela Pietropinto, Lee Brock, Emily Wickersham, Kelli Barrett, Jon Trotsky, Drew Leary, Bob Coletti, Scott Burik, William Cote Kruschwitz, Douglas Crosby, Scott Nicholson, Tricia Paoluccio, Peyton Roi List, Morgan Turner, Olga Merediz, Ebrahim Abe Jaffer, David Anzuelo, Sandor Tecsy, Justin Grace, Michael Hobbs, David Wilson Barnes, Emily Godshall, Jane Harnick, Andrea Navedo, Bill Burns, Leno Olin Director: Allen Coulter Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City, has a strained relationship with his father ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn't think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. Remember Me is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life.
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In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn't think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. Soon, hidden secrets are revealed, tragedy lingers in the air, as the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them apart. Set in the summer of 2001, Remember Me is a story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life.
Cynthia. Jason asks him if they have a better or worse chance of making it than other couples hes seen. He even pulls out his fingers in the shape of a gun and tries to get the therapist to give them a number from 1 to 10, but the therapist tells him to holster it. Dave and Ronnie go into their session feeling pretty good about themselves, but the therapist makes them think that maybe theyre just surviving instead of living and being happy together (a theme that goes on for the rest of the movie). Next is a visit with the sharks, where Jason spills the bucket of chum on Dave and Dave receives a minor scratch. Meanwhile, Trudy and Shane went on a bike ride, and Shane is struggling to keep up, which makes him start to realize his limitations in keeping up with her. Lucy and Joey go to get a couples massage, but they end up in different rooms, with masseurs of the opposite sex. Lucys masseuse is gay, and Joeys masseuse turns him on but tells him hes not getting a Happy Ending so he asks her to leave so he can calm himself. That night at dinner, Trudy is mad at Shane, saying he promised her a fun vacation and they havent partied or anything. He consoles her by saying theyre going to have sex in the room, and they leave. Ronnie wants to hike to a waterfall she heard about, a place thats supposed to be really romantic, but Dave is too busy being a baby about his shark attack and heads to bed alone. The next day starts with Yoga, with an instructor who is very touchy feely, and all about encouragement by patting on the rear (men and women). Lucy obviously finds him attractive, asking him to help her go into a deep stretch that involves a sexual looking position. Later at the spa, Ronnie ask Lucy what she thought she was doing, and how would she feel if Joey cheated on her. At Jason and Cynthias therapy session, we learn that Jason blames Cynthia for the fact that she cannot get pregnant. Jason talks to the guys about how sex is so routine and how it is frustrating. Marcel tells the group that they must gather at the beach before sunrise the next morning, and not to eat or drink anything too late. Back at the cabins, Shane discovers that Trudy is missing. They decide she must have gone to Eden East to have some fun. Joey, whos been trying to figure out a way to get to Eden East since they got here, decides theyll take the canoes to try and rescue Trudy. Jason is against the idea, since hes a very follow the rules kind of guy, but they remind him that Marcel said they must all be there, so without Trudy theyd be breaking the rules anyway. Jason goes along, and criticizes Cynthias rowing. A storm suddenly comes up and Jason and Cynthia capsize, which of course was Cynthias fault as well. Finally, Cynthia jumps out of their canoe and swims the rest of the way to shore. She tells Jason that she is sick of being blamed for everything, and that shes done. She runs off into the woods, and the other girls follow her, telling the boys theyll meet up at the giant party. They boys go off and start discussing one anothers problems. Jason is too controlling, and blames Cynthia for everything. Shane should never have tried to be with someone so young, he should have made his marriage work. Joey wants a wife who will listen to all his stories and problems but he doesnt want to listen to anything she says. They do a very funny bit about going to Applebees all by yourself and having no one to talk to. Daves wife loves him, and just wants him to be involved, and he cant seem to find the energy or the attention. Kids and work and the remodel have gotten in the way of their being happy with one another. Meanwhile, theyve stumbled upon what they think to be an empty cabin The girls talk about how at least Cynthia tries to make it work, while it seems like Lucy has just given up completely. They come to a clearing, where we see the waterfall Ronnie was talking about, and she laments that she cant be here with Dave. The Yoga instructor swims up from the other side of the island (naked) and offers them some island made sweet rum. Lucy and Cynthia want to cut loose and party, while Ronnie just wants to find Trudy and the boys and get back to the other side. The boys discover that the cabin is not abandoned; it is actually the staff quarters, where Sctanley is playing Guitar Hero while the other guys watch. Sctanley threatens to call Marcel on the boys, but Dave makes a bet if Sctanley can beat him at Guitar Hero, he can call Marcel or take Daves bribe. If Dave wins, he gets to keep his money and Sctanley will help them get to Eden East. Dave of course wins and Sctanley gives them directions. A few things happen at this party. Joey goes off with some young hot girls, saying that since he got married right after high school he never got to be young and have fun. Shane finds Trudy, and tells her that hes sorry, and she should go off and enjoy being 20. He is then found by his ex-wife, who says that she thought she wanted more out of life than just being with Shane. She tells him that she loves him, and wants to be with him again. Ronnie gets tired of the partying, and finds Dave, who takes her to the waterfall, and they talk about the fact that theyve stopped paying attention to each other. Cynthia and Jason reconcile, and Joey sees Lucy dancing with the yoga instructor and gets jealous, realizing he still loves her. He punches the yogi out (saying Encouragement) and tells his wife he cheated on her. She yells that she cheated on him, and they yell at each other about going to Applebees and kiss and make up. The couples return to Eden West, after sun-up, and Marcel is angry that they did not follow the rules. Dave tells
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Marcel that they worked out all their problems and they dont need him to give them anymore couples skill-building, and Marcel smiles and agrees. He gives them woodcarvings of their spirit animals (Rabbit, wolf, honeybee, and donkey) and they go jet skiing.
Nine (2009)
Synopsis: "Nine" is a vibrant and provocative musical that follows the life of world famous film director Guido Contini as he reaches a creative and personal... "Nine" is a vibrant and provocative musical that follows the life of world famous film director Guido Contini as he reaches a creative and personal crisis of epic proportion, while balancing the numerous women in his life including his wife, his mistress, his film star muse, his confidant and costume designer, an American fashion journalist, the whore from his youth and his mother. Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Fergie, Ricky Tognazzi, Giuseppe Cederna, Valerio Mastandrea, Elio Germano, Martina Stella, Roberto Nobile, Andrea Di Stefano, Roberto Citran, Roberta Mastromichele, Francesca Fanti, Enzo Cilenti, Marcello Magni, Anna-Maria Everett, Francesco De Vito, Remo Remotti, Michele Alhaique, Giuseppe Spitaleri, Damiano Bisozzi, Mario Vernazza, Vincent Riotta, Simone Cappotto, Alessia Piovan, Anna Safroncik, Giacomo Valdameri, Eleonora Scopelliti, Ilaria Cavola, Shannon Belcastro, Jean Martin, Joey Pizzi,
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Director: Rob Marshall Nine tells the story of Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a world famous film director as he confronts an epic midlife crisis with both creative and personal problems. He must balance the many women of his life, including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Fergie) and his mother (Sophia Loren). The original 1982 Broadway production of NINE, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. Rob Marshall's "Chicago" won 6 Academy Awards. This film is Rob's latest foray into the world of Hollywood and perhaps his best to date. Based on the Fellini film 8 1/2 (which describes the number of films Guido has directed to date... he co-directed one for the 1/2)... this version simply is magical as it transforms reality into fantasy. Marshall is incredibly gifted in his wonderful choreography and the musical numbers are magical. Marshall himself said the most difficult part of translating a show into a film is that you have to weave the singing and dancing in seamlessly. It is breathtaking to watch that achievement in this musical on the screen. Marshall's use of black and white versus color and back are well conceived and executed tastefully. You never ask yourself why they are now singing and dancing. You sit back and watch the dance numbers take shape in what is now bigger than life. The sand number in particular was spectacular and you wonder how the dancers ever could get through the number with the sand swirling around the set. This is simply a wonderfully conceived musical which will take you into the mind of the "maestro" director Guido and transport you into a wonderful state of mind for nearly two hours. To have Dame Judy Dench, Penelope Cruz, Fergie, Kate Hudson (yes, she can sing and dance), Nicole Kidman, the still beautiful Sophia Loren (so they used filters!), and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard, in one cast is a visual treat. Each and every one of the ladies adds to Guido's enigma... and how to put the pieces back together so he can direct yet another movie is what keeps this movie so enticing. Really brilliant job by Rob Marshall who shares the praise with the late Anthony Minghella, who Marshall said handed him the script just before Minghella entered the hospital. Marshall is effusive in his praise of Minghella's contribution to this movie.
Plot synopsis The conclusion of Michelangelo Antonioni?s informal trilogy on modern malaise, L?eclisse (The Eclipse) tells the story of a young woman (Monica Vitti) who leaves one lover (Francisco Rabal) only to drift into a relationship with another (Alain Delon). Using the architecture of Rome as a backdrop for the couple?s doomed affair, Antonioni reaches the apotheosis of his modernist style, returning to his favorite themes: alienation and the difficulty of finding connections in an increasingly mechanized world. In the suburb of Rome, the translator Vittoria breaks her engagement with her boyfriend, the writer Ricardo, after a troubled night. Vittoria goes to downtown to meet her mother, who is addicted in Stock Market, and she meets the broker Piero in a day of crash in the Stock Market. The materialist Piero and the absent Vittoria begins a monosyllabic relationship.
When the young woman Tristana's mother dies, she is entrusted to the guardianship of the well-respected though old Don Lope. Don Lope is well-liked and well-known because of his honorable nature, despite his socialistic views about business and religion. But Don Lope's one weakness is women, and he falls for the innocent girl in his charge, seduces her, makes her his lover, though all the while explaining to her that she is as free as he. But when she acts on this freedom, Don Lope must deal with the consequences of his world-view.
Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988)
Synopsis: A wickedly amusing look at modern love through the relationships of several neurotic women. A wickedly amusing look at modern love through the relationships of several neurotic women Starring: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Fernando Guilln Cuervo, Julieta Serrano, Mara Barranco, Rossy de Palma, Kiti Manver, Chus Lampreave, Yayo Calvo, Loles Leon, ngel de Andrs Lpez, Agustin Almodovar, Lupe Barrado, Jos Marco, Imanol Uribe, Guillermo Montesinos, Gabriel Latorre, Fernando Guillen Director: Pedro Almodvar A woman's lover leaves her, and she tries to contact him to find out why he's left. She confronts his wife and son, who are as clueless as she. Meanwhile her girlfriend is afraid the police are looking for her because of her boyfriend's criminal activities. They talk to a female lawyer, who turns out to be the lover's new lover, and everyone's path keeps crossing each other's in a very complicated and confusing manner.
guy from both sides. All that's left to do is run with the man she learned to love and find a way to prove her innocence by finding the real betrayer. Written by Marieke van Lith Set during the end of WWII, Black Book is the story of a Dutch Jewish girl who narrowly survives the war in Holland. She joins the resistance to find out who betrayed her family after all of them were killed in an attempt to reach the liberated south. Written by Clockwork Pictures In 1944, in the occupied Holland, the Jewish Rachel Stein is hiding from the Nazis in a house of a Christian family. When her hiding place is bombed, Rachel escapes by chance, but she is found by a stranger called Van Gein that invites her to join a group of Jews in a boat to escape to Belgium on the next night. He advises her to bring money and jewels for her survival and very few luggage. Rachel visits lawyer and friend of her family Wim Small that gives her a large amount for her travel. When she meets the refugees, she finds that her family is in the group. While crossing the swamp, a Nazi patrol boat arrives and kills the fugitives, but Rachel is the only one to survive. Later she joins a cell of resistance leaded by the Dutch Gerben Kuipers under the identity of Ellis de Vries; after meeting the Nazi Officer Ludwig Mntze in a train, Kuipers proposes Ellis to work as a spy seducing Mntze. During her assignment, Rachel recognizes Gnther Franken as the commander of the attack to the boat of refugees and later she discovers that the murders are part of a scheme with a traitor in the resistance team. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Abohoman
Aniket (Deepankar De) is one of the finest filmmakers of Bengal, Deepti (Mamata Shankar), an actress, with whom he had fallen in love while casting in one of his films, had sacrificed her career for love and marriage. Apratim (Jisshu Sengupta) is their only son. They had been a perfect family. The plot thickens when Aniket auditions a young actress, Shikha (Ananya Chatterjee), who bears an uncanny resemblance to his wife when she was younger. Deepti enthusiastically begins to coach Shikha for her husband's film - so much so that Shikha becomes even more like the girl Deepti used to be and as a result the aging Aniket falls in love with Shikha, a woman as young as his son, despite the sadness and trouble it brings to his family. Synopsis: Abohomaan (or eternal) is the story of Aniket (Dipankar Dey), a great film director, who, early in his career had found the woman to play the lead role in his magnum opus film on Nati Binodini. Instead of making the film, he married her. His wife Deepti (Mamata Shankar), decides to forego her career and instead devotes herself to Aniket and his son Apratim (Jishu Sengupta). Then late in his career, Aniket comes across Shikha (Ananya Chatterjee), a young woman from a deprived backgroud, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Deepti when she was young and starts thinking of making Binodini again. Deepti too is struck by the resemblance and throws herself uninhibitedly into grooming Shikha, even coining her screen name (Srimati). But Aniket finds himself increasingly drawn to Shikha/Srimati and their affair causes immense stress to the family and in interpersonal relations in which no one remains untouched... Comments: The synopsis does not even begin to to explain the underlying theme of the film. The film has a very complex structure. When we start the film, Aniket has passed away and a good part of the film is devoted to his last days. Another section deals with the time Aniket meets Shikha and the third when thrir relationship tears apart the fabric of Aniket's home. Rituparno tells his story through a series of flashbacks, in which scenes are interwoven, not in a timed sequence, but as raw emotions overtake the protagonists. It is a complex interweave, a bit like a patchwork quilt, and the lay viewer will find it difficult to cut through the individual scenes and concentrate on the big picture. At the same time, the film is a study of how each character copes with the circumstances that he faces. It is also Rituparno's interpretation of the life of Nati Binodini and her relations with her teacher and muse Girish Chandra Ghosh. Rituparno's Binodini is not the heroic woman who sacrifices herself for the sake of theater, but also a cruel scheming woman, who seeks to establish herself above everything else. I did
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say the film is complex didn't I? I thought the screenplay overreached itself at times. It is replete with unnatural reactions and at times the detail work falters. Take for example two scenes. In his dying moments Deepti goes to Aniket - he had asked for Srimati and everyone thought it was Shikha, but Deepti who knows him better than anyone else, understands that it is really her that Aniket is referring to. In a brilliant sequence of wordplay, Aniket, in his dying moments, tells Deepti that their life together has been "Apratim" or incomparable and she understands. Yet she is shown as the embittered wife just after his death. The two sequences are not quite in synch. The complexity of the screenplay creates such discordant notes more than once. At other times, the reactions of the protagonists are a bit unnatural. I was particularly struck by the unrestrained behaviour of Tiya, Apratim's wife (Riya Sen). People in those circumstances do not behave hysterically and threaten to walk out even while the body of the deceased has not been taken to the cremation ground. They might do it a day or so later, but not just then. Acting is brilliant. I have never seen such nuanced acting from Dipankar De. Mamata Shankar is also brilliant. It must be one of her greatest roles. For me the revelation was Jishu Sengupta. His quiet restrained acting brings out the complex father-son realtionship with amazing clarity. Editing by Arghyakamal is superb. Camraworkis very good, if a trifle predictable. The music is great, complimenting the screenplay. Overall a brilliantly crafted film, in which the structure of the film has become a little more important than the story it seeks to tell. I don't think this is Rituparno's best. I liked Dosar more, for example. Nevertheless a very watchable film and one which makes you think at every stage.
Wicker Park
Director: Paul McGuigan A love triangle has created and someone is going to feel the pain for sure. In the whole movie, you will go with suspense and excitement what will be the next. I would say: Best romantic suspense movie with lots of excitement.
A Walk To Remember:
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Director: Adam Shankman A love story about two North Carolina teens who are completely different but made the most beautiful romantic move in this movie. You must feel and enjoy each and every dialogue and line of this movie. Landon Carter was just like a normal teen who loves fun and care-free life until he met Jamie Sullivan. She completely changed his life and the last part of the movie when Landon started loving her and taking care of every single moment of Jamie is really an element to feel.
Serendipity:
Director: Peter Chelsom About a couple who met for the first time on a Christmas eve, fall in love and then separated. They believe that one day they will meet again and end up together and it happens. But many crazy moments in this movie about the crazy love and the fantasy make the movie more exciting. Jonathan Trager and Sara Thomas met while shopping for gloves in New York. Though buying for their respective lovers, the magic was right and a night of Christmas shopping turned into romance. Jon wanted to explore things further but Sara wasn't sure their love was meant to be. They decided to test fate by splitting up and seeing if destiny brought them back together... Many years later, having lost each other that night, both are engaged to be married. Still, neither can shake the need to give fate one last chance to reunite them. Jon enlists the help of his best man to track down the girl he can't forget starting at the store where they met. Sara asks her new age musician fiance for a break before the wedding and, with her best friend in tow, flies from California to New York hoping destiny will bring her soulmate back. Near-misses and classic Shakespearean confusion bring the two close to meeting a number of times but fate will have the final word on whether it was meant to be.
begins a year of wild adventures and a life journey that Gerry has planned for her, helping her to discover who she is without him and reminding her - p.s. I Love You. P.S. I Love You is based on the best-selling novel by Cecelia Ahern.
brutally competitive stockbroker-training program, where only one in twenty interns will make the cut. But without a salary, Chris and his son are evicted from their apartment and are forced to sleep on the street, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked doors of a metro station bathroom. With self- confidence and the love and trust of his son, Chris Gardner rises above his obstacles to become a Wall Street legend.
Saviour (1998)
Director: Predrag Antonijevic It all rotates around a hardened mercenary and a women he met and saved from his colleague. rest all is the outpour of human emotions, responsibilities and infatuation which let the story to an intertwined tragic end in the realistic aspiration. After producer Oliver Stone saw Serbian director Peter Antonijevic's political drama The Little One (1992), he sent him Robert Orr's screenplay, which Orr based on the true story of an American mercenary in Bosnia. Orr had been a photographer's assistant during the war. Thus, Antonijevic directed the first 100% American-funded film about the Yugoslav conflict, beginning with a Paris prologue: Former U.S. military official Joshua (Dennis Quaid) entered the Foreign Legion after his wife (Nastassja Kinski) was killed in Paris by Muslim fundamentalists. Six years later, in Bosnia during 1993, Joshua and his pal Peter (Stellan Skarsgard), fight together on the Serbian side. After Peter dies from a grenade tossed by a young girl, Joshua shoots another youth on the side of the enemy. In a prisoner exchange, psycho Serb Goran (Sergej Trifunovic), a Muslim-hater, and Joshua wind up with pregnant Vera (Natasa Ninkovic), victim of a Muslim rape. When Goran threatens to shoot her baby, Joshua kills Goran. After Vera rejects the child, her family turns against her, and Joshua drives mother and child to a refugee center. Eventually, Joshua attempts to get Vera and her baby out of the country, but they encounter death-dealing Croatian marauders. Filmed in Montenegro, Savior was shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and the 1998 Sochi Film Festival.
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1993, Bosnia. Having seen his wife and son murdered by Muslim terrorists, Guy has become bitter and hard and is fighting as a mercenary for the Serbs. When a prisoner exchange sees his partner take a girl he knows and try to kill her and her unborn mixed child, Guy is forced to kill him to protect them. However he then finds himself in a bitter war with a woman and child that no one wants. I have seen this movie twice now and can find little to dislike about it, but also realise that it is not for a fun evening in with friends. The film is unrelentingly bleak and depressing as it is a look at the bitter and cruel war fought in Bosnia. The subject matter is framed around Guy, as a man who has been turned hard by the horror he has seen and it works well for this reason. We see it through the eyes of a man who has seen it all and has no more hurt left to feel. The film doesn't simply act out atrocities for us to watch but frames them within this story however we know that nothing is made up or exaggerated in terms of the bigger picture. The film lacks any sort of traditional American cop-out (it's no spoiler to say that Guys wife and child don't turn out to be alive after all!), only the opening `this is why he's like this' 10 minutes are a little too neat and could have been dispensed with I didn't need it to explain why he was dead inside, only that he had become it due to war which was partly true. However this doesn't really take away from the film, only slightly weaken the character. The cast are pretty good but the film is 99% Quaid's. He gives a great performance which is subtle and very downbeat. His eyes are where most of the acting occurs and he does it very well his character is very unsympathetic and has only a marginal redemption to look forward to but yet Quaid mixes it very well. Kinski is out of the film before her name has even appeared on screen, while Ninkovic does a good job, again despite a unsympathetic character. The rest of the cast are OK but hard to judge as much of the dialogue is in SerboCroatian and their performances are hard to judge. Faces such as Skarsgrd add interest, but I did wonder why he had bothered for such a short time on screen. Overall this is not a fun film to rent on Friday night but a bleak anti-war film that will leave you in no doubt that the conflict in Bosnia (and perhaps everywhere else) is of no value when compared to the enormous cost in terms of human life and suffering.
Soon after their wedding, John and Jenny Grogan escape the brutal Michigan winters and relocate to a cottage in southern Florida, where they are hired as reporters for competing newspapers. At The Palm Beach Post, Jenny immediately receives prominent front-page assignments, while at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, John finds himself writing obituaries and two-paragraph articles about mundane news like a fire at the local garbage dump. When John senses Jenny is contemplating motherhood, his friend and co-worker Sebastian Tunney suggests the couple adopt a dog to see if they're ready to raise a family. From a litter of newborn yellow labrador retrievers they select Marley (named after reggae singer Bob Marley), who immediately proves to be incorrigible. They bring him to Ms. Kornblut (Kathleen Turner), who firmly believes any dog can be trained, but when Marley refuses to obey commands, she expels him from her class. Editor Arnie Klein offers John a twice-weekly column in which he can discuss the fun and foibles of everyday living. At first stumped for material, John realizes the misadventures of Marley might be the perfect topic for his first piece. Arnie agrees, and John settles into his new position. Marley continues to wreak havoc on the household, providing John with a wealth of material for his column, which becomes a hit with readers and helps increase the newspaper's circulation. Jenny becomes pregnant, but loses the baby early in her first trimester. She and John travel to Ireland for a belated honeymoon, leaving the rambunctious dog in the care of a young woman who finds him impossible to control, especially during the frequent thunderstorms that plague the area. Soon after returning from their vacation, Jenny discovers she is pregnant again, and this time she delivers a healthy boy, Patrick. When she has a second son, Connor, she opts to give up her job and become a stay-at-home mom, and the couple decides to move to a larger house in the safer neighborhood of Boca Raton, where Marley delights in swimming in the backyard pool. John and Jenny welcome a daughter, Colleen, to their family. Although she denies she is experiencing postpartum depression, Jenny exhibits all the symptoms, including a growing impatience with Marley and John, who asks Sebastian to care for the dog when Jenny insists they give him away. She quickly comes to realize he has become an indispensable part of the family and agrees he can stay. John celebrates his 40th birthday. Increasingly disenchanted with his job, he decides to accept a position as a reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer with Jenny's blessing, and the family moves to a farm in rural Pennsylvania. Life is idyllic until the aging Marley begins to show signs of arthritis and deafness. An attack of gastric dilatation volvulus almost kills him, but he recovers. When a second attack occurs, it becomes clear surgery will not help him, and Marley is euthanised with John at his side. The family pay their last respects to their beloved pet as they bury him beneath a tree in their front yard.
I am Sam
Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He works at a Starbucks and is obsessed with the Beatles. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she abandons them as soon as they leave the hospital. He names his daughter Lucy Diamond (after the Beatles song), and raises her. But as she reaches age 7 herself, Sam's limitations start to become a problem at school; she's intentionally holding back to avoid looking smarter than him. The authorities take her away, and Sam shames high-priced lawyer Rita Harrison into taking his case pro bono. In the process, he teaches her a great deal about love, and whether it's really all you need. Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally challenged man with a mind of a child, is living in Los Angeles and is singlehandedly raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning), whom he fathered from a homeless woman who wanted nothing to do with Lucy and left him the day of her birth. Although Sam provides a loving and caring environment for the 7-year-old Lucy, she soon surpasses her father's mental capacity. Questions arise about Sams ability to care for Lucy and a custody case is brought to court. Sam is a man with a mental age of 7 who is well adjusted and has a great support system consisting of four similarly developmentally disabled men. His neighbor Annie (Dianne Wiest), a piano-player and agoraphobe, befriends Sam and takes care of Lucy when Sam can't. Sam works at Starbucks bussing tables. Sam is popular with the customers, whom he addresses by name and favorite coffee. His job gets difficult when Lucy starts grabbing objects, making a woman spill iced coffee down her shirt. In a humorous, but innocent exchange, Sam tries to remove an ice cube from the startled woman's cleavage. Sam then brings Lucy to his neighbor and baby Lucy croons, "Annie!" Sam says, "Her first word was Annie." Flustered but flattered, she retorts, "And people worry you aren't smart," and agrees to function as Lucy's babysitter.
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Lucy is as precocious as Sam is backwards. Sam loves reading Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss to her, but when she starts reading "real hard" books like Stellaluna, she balks at reading the word "different" because she doesn't want to be smarter than her dad. She knows he's different, "not like other dads", but that's all right with her because he is loving, taking her to the park and to International House of Pancakes (every Wednesday, because "Wednesday is IHOP night"). When they decide to go to Big Boy for a change, Sam causes a disturbance because he cannot get the kind of French pancakes he is accustomed to. At the school Halloween party, he dresses as Paul McCartney but embarrasses his daughter by drawing undue attention. Other kids tease her, calling her dad a "retard". She tells one boy that she is adopted. This causes a crisis at her birthday party, which results in an unexpected visit from a social worker who takes Lucy away. A judge allows him only two supervised, 2-hour visits per week. Sam's friends recommend that he hire Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer), a lawyer. He shows up at her office and starts spelling out his situation while she juggles coffee orders to her assistant, Patricia. Socially, Sam is rather highfunctioningmore together in many ways than his high-class, respected lawyer whose marriage is falling apart and whose son hates her. Sam surprises Rita at a party. Stunned, she announces that she's taking his case pro bono, because others see her as cold and heartless. Rita begrudgingly works with Sam to help him keep his parental rights, but chaos arises when Lucy convinces Sam to help her run away from the foster home she is being kept in during the trial. Over the course of the trial, Sam gets a new job at Pizza Hut and Annie leaves her apartment for the first time in years. Sam also helps Rita with her family problems, and helps her to realize how much her son really means to her. Sam also convinces her to leave her husband, because Rita told him that he cheated on her. During the trial, however, Sam breaks down, after being convinced that he is not capable of taking care of Lucy. Meanwhile, Lucy is placed with a foster family who plan to adopt her. Lucy often runs away from her foster parents in the middle of the night to go see Sam, who moved into a larger apartment closer to her. In the end, the foster family who planned on adopting Lucy lets Sam have custody of her. Sam says that Lucy still needs a mother and asks if the foster mother would like to help raise Lucy. The movie ends with Lucy's soccer game where Sam is the referee. In attendance are Lucy's former foster family, the newly divorced Rita and her son with whom Rita has renewed her relationship, along with Annie and Sam's other friends.
An elderly Jewish man named Pavel (David Hayman) is a servant in the family home; he is treated rudely by Ralf's adjutant, Obersturmfhrer Kotler (Rupert Friend). Formerly a doctor, Pavel mends Bruno's cuts when he falls off his homemade tire swing. Ralf hires Herr Liszt (Jim Norton) to tutor Gretel and Bruno, although in reality he is brainwashing them with antiSemitic Nazi propaganda. Gretel is very responsive to this and becomes an even more fanatical Nazi than she already was, also because she likes Kotler. However, Bruno is bored and also confused, since Shmuel and Pavel are friendly. In the meantime, Elsa notices a strange smell that she keeps noticing outside their house just as Lieutenant Kotler walks past. Kotler, thinking Elsa knows what really goes on in the camp, says to her "They smell even worse when they burn," Elsa, who thought that the camp was a labour camp and not a death camp, is shocked and quarrels with Ralf about it, and ultimately breaks down. Kotler is blamed by Ralf and Ralf's visiting father (who is also a firm Nazi) that he failed to report that his father emigrated to Switzerland some time ago, as opposed to contributing to the "national revival". Frustrated, Kotler responds to a small accident by Pavel of spilling some wine by beating him up severely; Pavel is not seen in the house any more. Later in the film, Maria, the maid, is shown cleaning up blood from where Pavel was beaten up. Shmuel appears in the house as a new servant and, in his joy, Bruno gives him a cake to eat. However, Kotler starts yelling at Shmuel for speaking with Bruno and stealing food. Shmuel tells the officer that Bruno is his friend and that he gave him the cake. Frightened, Bruno denies, adding that he does not know Shmuel. The soldier tells Shmuel that they will later have "a little chat about what happens with rats who steal". Shmuel is not seen in the house anymore, and at first not at the fence either. Finally, Shmuel is at the fence again, with an injured right eye. Bruno apologizes. Shmuel soon forgives Bruno and they become friends again. Kotler is later sent to the front for not advising his superiors of his father's opposition to the Nazi regime. Elsa decides to move away with the children; Ralf agrees, and tells Bruno that Elsa does not feel that the area is a good place for children to grow up. Bruno does not want to leave anymore, because of his friend Shmuel. Shmuel tells Bruno that his father is missing. Bruno gives him the bad news that he will be moving away for good the next day after lunch. Wanting to make up for letting Shmuel down and unaware that his father has likely been murdered, Bruno agrees to help Shmuel to find his father, and returns the next day with a shovel to dig a hole under the fence to get into the camp, while Shmuel will bring an extra set of camp clothing; Shmuel's suggestion that he could leave the camp through the hole is rejected by Bruno, who focuses on the target of finding the father. Bruno changes his clothes and wiggles under the fence, and is now in the camp with Shmuel. Bruno comes to realize that the camp is completely the opposite of what he saw in the propaganda film and wants to return, but Shmuel encourages him to continue helping to find his father. While they look in Shmuel's hut a group of guards and Kapos arrive and march all those inside (including Bruno and Shmuel) to a low concrete building. The men and boys are made to undress, supposedly for a shower, packed together into a gas chamber, and killed. In the meantime, Elsa warns Ralf (who is in a meeting about increasing the capacity of the crematorium) that Bruno is missing. With Gretel, they run to the camp and try to find him. They find Bruno's clothes next to the hole under the fence. Ralf runs throughout the camp and discovers an empty hut, and, reaching the gas chamber, concludes that Bruno has been brought to the gas chamber with a group of Jews. Pavel is also seen undressing near the boys and he looks at them and then turns away. When Ralf arrives, the boys are already dead and he is devastated. Upon hearing Ralf's cry of "Bruno!" Elsa and Gretel realise what has happened and are equally devastated. A last shot showing the undressing room with many camp uniforms reminds the viewer that the tragedy is not just Bruno, Shmuel and Pavel's deaths, but that of many other Jewish people during the holocaust of World War II.
Grease (1978)
Director: Randal Kleiser A musical about teens in love in the 50's! It's California, 1959 and greaser Danny Zuko and Australian Sandy Olsson are in love. They spend time at the beach, but when they go back to school, what either of them don't know is that they both now attend Rydell High. Danny's the leader of the T-Birds, a group of black-jacket greasers while Sandy hangs with the Pink Ladies, a group of pink-wearing girls led by Rizzo. When they clash at Rydell's first pep rally, Danny isn't the same Danny at the beach. They try to be like each other so they can be together.
Up In The Air
Ryan Bingham works for Omaha based Career Transition Counseling whose contracts are in corporate downsizing. In other words, they fire people. Ryan is flying around the US over 320 days of the year, which he feels is the best part of his job. He does whatever he can to rack up frequent flyer miles, the goal not to use them but just to accumulate them to a specific number he has in his mind. A secondary job he has is to give motivational speeches on relieving one's life of excess physical and emotional baggage. He truly does believe what he espouses as he lives out of his carry-on suitcase (his apartment in Omaha is really in name only), he is not close to his siblings (although he does do a favor for his sister while on his travels), nor does he have or want a significant person in his life. Ryan's life may change when the company hires Natalie Keener, a young overachieving woman who recommends that the company change the nature of the work by conducting the "firings" via remote computer access. Ryan believes that Natalie does not fully understand the nature of the business, and as such, their boss, Craig Gregory, suggests that she accompany Ryan on a business trip. Ryan is also trying to protect his way of life, which now includes meeting up with a woman named Alex Goran whenever their flight schedules mesh. Like Ryan, Alex, who he met in an airport hotel bar, is constantly traveling for work, and is as equally turned on the by the concepts of "elite status" or "preferred member" as Ryan is. \\
Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1968)
Director: Sergio LeoneWriters: Dario Argento (story) &Bernardo Bertolucci Synopsis: A woman returns to her ranch out west to find her husband has been killed by a band of outlaws who want the railroad-valuable land. A brooding, young... A woman returns to her ranch out west to find her husband has been killed by a band of outlaws who want the railroad-valuable land. A brooding, young cowboy steps in to stop them. (story)Sourced from the Special Collector's Edition DVD Henry Fonda Claudia Cardinale Jason Robards Charles BronsonGabriele Ferzetti Paolo Stoppa Woody Strode Jack ElamKeenan Wynn Frank Wolff Lionel StanderEpic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful
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widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.Video: 528 x 224 25fps 538Kbps Xvid 1.1.2 0.182 Bits/pixel*frameAudio: V5 Mp3 Monophonic lame 3.97bRuntime: 2:38:34 701Mb (burns to a CD no probs)Subs included:Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English CC, French,German, Greek, Norwegian, Portugese, Serbian, Slovenian,Spanish, Swedish, Turkish.Maybe Henry Fonda's best role ever, and I believe his only one as abad guy.
Utsab
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This movie is a very good family drama which is portrayed on a background of Durgapuja, Bangali's biggest "Utsab" (Festival). The story is about a cultured bengali family, different members of which have gathered in native house on the occasion of Durgapuja. This movie remained instrumental in showing different common and complex problems being faced by a middle-class family. Utsab' starts off on a slow and quiet note. In a away it reminded me of 'Gosford Park' in how the characters were introduced. But soon after introduction, the story builds as the quality of the relationship between the characters, their intentions and the secrets of the mansion gradually unveil on screen. Here there's hardly a background score. What the viewer gets to hear are raw sounds within the mansion and surrounding neighborhood. It adds to creating tension within the mansion (where the entire film is set). Rituparno Ghosh doesn't shy away from mentioning the influences of greats like Aparna Sen and Satyajit Ray. 'Utsab' does have a very Ray-like feel to it especially in its subtlety. At the same time it's very poetic and the Ranbindra Sangeets (poems by the late Rabindranath Tagore) add to the depth of the story. The cultural depiction, such as family interaction and religious ceremonies are well displayed. The performances are solid. Madhabi Mukherjee is wonderfully restrained. Pradip Mukherjee, Bodhisattva Mazumdar, Alaknanda Roy, Anuradha Roy, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Ratul Shankar Ghosh are very good in their respective roles. However, the scene stealers are Mamata Shankar and Rituparna Sengupta. Both actresses deliver very subtle and nuanced performances and seem to have no problem owning every one of their scenes. 'Utsab' works on multiple levels. It is atmospheric, it can be viewed as a study of characters or a study of a culture. It may not be everybody's kind of cinema but it is among Ghosh's most underrated films.
given the choice, he'd marry her instead of never seeing her again. The film ends the next day at the train station, where the two hastily agree to meet together at the same place in six months as the train is about to leave.
reading of his new book. As they have only a few hours until his plane leaves, they stroll through Paris, talking about their experiences, views and whether they still love each other, although Jesse is already married with a kid.
Wild Strawberries
Professor of medicine Isak Borg travels to Lund University in order to receive his anniversary title. Along the road he meets strangers and relatives, and in his dreams he is confronted with his own past as well as fear of insufficiency. Written by Anders Andersson <[email protected]> Explores the disillusionment of an elderly physician, Professor Isak Borg, as he reflects upon his life and begins to perceive his mortality. As he travels to Lund to receive an honorary award after 50 years of medical practice, he finds himself repeatedly affected by intrusive dreams and hallucinations that expose his darkest fears. He slowly comes to realize that the choices he made in the past have created a cold and empty life, devoid of real meaning or value. Finally, he achieves redemption and reintegration through forgiveness and the love of his family. The movie opens when 78-year-old Isak Borg, played by Victor Sjstrm, is in bed at home. He dreams about being on a city street with no other people present. A clock hanging above the street has no hands. Isak checks his pocket watch; it too has no hands. A figure appears with its back turned. Isak walks up to the figure and touches it. It has no face. The figure collapses onto the pavement. Blood streams out of the figure. Next a hearse drawn by a team of horses turns a corner and enters the street on which the dream-Isak is standing. It approaches Isak and then passes him but its rear wheel gets caught on a lamppost. Although no one is driving the hearse, the horses continue forward. The left rear wheel breaks off at the lamppost. The horses and hearse drive away but the coffin comes loose, and slides out and onto the street. A hand appears on the outside of the coffin. Isak looks at the hand. His hand and the hand outstretched from the coffin touch, with the hand coming out of the coffin holding Isak. The body in the coffin is also Isak. He awakes. The viewer senses the loneliness in Isak. And that Isak's time is running out. These are themes that come up again and again through the day. He leaves his bedroom to waken his maid Agda, played by Jullan Kindahl. Isak asks her to pack his suitcase and prepare breakfast for him. He has decided to drive to Lund, where he will later today receive an honorary doctorate as an award for his contributions to medicine. They squabble because they had previously planned to fly from Stockholm to Lund. While eating breakfast, Marianne, Isak's daughter-in-law, enters the breakfast room. She is played by Ingrid Thulin. Marianne has been staying at Isak's house, and asks if she can accompany Isak on the 300-mile drive from Stockholm to Lund. He agrees. They depart. Marianne tries to smoke but Isak objects. There is some tension in the car almost from the beginning of the trip. They manage to converse. Isak mentions that his son, Evald, owes his father money, and on principle is going to pay it back, a principle both father and son endorse. Marianne talks about her relationship with Evald, who, like his father, is a physician. A good deal is revealed, especially in a flashback that summarizes the conversation in the car. Her marriage to Evald (Gunnar Bjrnstrand) is tense and unhappy. Evald is as rigid as Isak but Evald dislikes his father. Evald and Marianne quarreled sharply when she revealed to him that she was pregnant. He objected, and said he did not want children. Isak's marriage was also an unhappy one. At this particular juncture, the viewer develops a sense of the film's power of truth-telling. Isak decides to make a detour, and drives to the house where, during his youth, he spent many summers. One could find in the summer house his mother and father and 10 brothers and sisters as well as visiting cousins, uncles, and aunts. Marianne goes off to swim in the lake, leaving Isak alone. He walks up to a patch of wild strawberries (the Swedish title of the film better translates to "wild strawberry patch"). Isak begins remembering his youthful days at the house and the land nearby. Flashbacks with Isak still in the scene show some of what life was like there long ago. His cousin Sara is picking wild strawberries to give to her deaf uncle as a birthday present when Sigfrid (Per Sjstrand), Isak's brother, arrives. Sigfrid helps her pick strawberries and flirts with her. They kiss. She is at first willing but then breaks away. She is too committed to the young Isak to continue the dalliance. Isak at that moment is away with his father fishing in the lake. At the lunch table, Isak's twin sisters, who are loud and naive, report on the interlude between Sara and Sigfrid, embarrassing Sara. One of the twins is played by director Ingmar Bergman's daughter. The older Isak looks in on the scene. Sara, upset, leaves the table, and is consoled by her aunt, with Isak looking on. Sara describes how she thinks Isak is too good for her. He is too upright. Sigfrid is more playful. The viewer learns that Isak was in love with Sara but ultimately she married his brother Sigfrid. Isak is the last of the 10 Borg children alive. Sara, Sigfrid's widow, is still alive and in her 70s. Near the house, a teenage girl and two boys come into the scene. One is her boyfriend and the other is a kind of
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chaperone. They are hitchhiking. Their ultimate destination is Italy. The girl, whose name is also Sara, is played by Bibi Andersson (Bibi Andersson and Ingrid Thulin have long been part of Bergman's company of players). Andersson also plays the Sara who was Isak's long-ago love. Of course, the present-Sara reminds Isak of his longago, and lost, Sara. The boys, Anders (Folke Sundquist) and Viktor (Bjrn Bjelfvenstam), argue about the existence of God and other matters, and Sara tries to keep their arguments civil. Although one boy is closer to Sara than the other, the viewer gets the sense that both are interested in her, much the way Sigfrid and Isak were interested in the Sara of long ago but only one will succeed with her. Back on the road, a Volkswagon beetle comes hurtling around a bend, and nearly crashes into Isak's big old Packard. Isak's black car is reminiscent of hearse. The VW turns over but the passengers are unhurt, physically that is. The man (Gunnar Sjberg) and woman (Gunnel Brostrm) in the car are a married couple almost out of Strindberg. The accident, the husband admits, was the result of driving while quarreling. Isak agrees to put the two in the car, and drive on toward Lund. The husband and wife are settled into jumper seats but continue to bicker. The husband needles the wife incessantly. She smacks him several times. Marianne, who is driving, stops the car, and orders the two to exit the car for the sake of the young people riding in the back. The car, now reduced to five travelers, stops at a service station that is run by a husband (Max von Sydow) and wife (Ann-Marie Wiman). Here we learn about another side of Isak. The couple is very happy to see Isak. Apparently long ago he worked some wonderful medicine to help the family. They admire him greatly, and absolutely refuse to let him pay for the gas or any of the work they did on the car. She is pregnant, and plans to name her child, if it is a son, Isak, after the doctor. Isak asks them to notify him when the child is born. He would like to be the child's godfather. They soon stop at a restaurant. The group has a delightful lunch at an outdoor terrace overlooking the beautiful Lake Vttern. Isak enjoys the company of the young people. The young people learn about Isak's award. There is another stop on the journey. At Isak's request, Marianne drives to the house of his ancient mother. Her house is en route. Marianne accompanies Isak into the house, and the young people remain in the car. Isak's mother is in her mid-90s and complains that she is always cold and that none of her grandchildren visit her. Mrs. Borg shows them some old artifacts from an earlier era, old toys and a pocket watch with no hands, the same pocket watch that appeared in Isak's dream at the beginning of the film. Later in the car, Marianne tells Isak how she is impressed by the mother's coldness. Marianne senses how that coldness runs through the family down to Evald. Isak falls asleep in the car while Marianne drives. He dreams that he is being given an examination by a professor of medicine. The professor is none other than the man Marianne asked to leave the car earlier that day. The cadaver he is to check is the man's wife but she isn't dead. Isak fails the examination. Perhaps it was not a medical school examination at all but an examination of how a lonely and aloof man lived his life. He awakes. The car has stopped. The young people have gone into a forest glen to gather flowers to make a bouquet for Isak. He is flattered by their attention. They reach Lund. Evald is in his home to greet them. Agda is there too although she was so angry in the morning that there was a chance she would not come. The three young people come. Isak, Marianne, and Evald dress for the ceremony which is an hour away. The young people plant themselves along the route of the processional to cheer Isak. The ceremony expresses great dignity and achievement, with many words uttered in Latin. Afterwards Isak is in Evald and Marianne's house although the viewer has the feeling that it is not going to be Marianne's house much longer. Isak tries to induce Agda to call him by his first name; after all they have known each other for 40 years. She declines. Isak is in bed in a second-floor bedroom. The young people serenade Isak from the garden below. He wishes them well as they got a lift to Hamburg and are closer yet to their goal of reaching Italy. Evald comes in. Isak wants Evald to forget about the debt. Isak also wants Evald and Marianne to reconcile. Marianne enters the room, and she and Isak have an affectionate exchange. The she heads off to party with Evald. The viewer gets a sense that Isak has to some extent broken through his loneliness and reconciled with the important people in his life.
Broken Embraces
Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity. In Madrid, Harry Caine is a blind screenwriter, assisted by Judit and her son Diego. The past comes rushing in when Harry learns of the death of Ernesto Martel, a wealthy businessman, and Ernesto's son pays Harry a visit. In a series of flashbacks to the 1990s, we see Harry, who was then Mateo Blanco, a director; he falls in love with Ernesto's mistress, Lena, and casts her in a film, which Ernesto finances. Ernesto is jealous and obsessive, sending his son to film the making of the movie, to follow Lena and Mateo, and to give him the daily footage. Judit doesn't like Lena. It's a collision course. Synopsis: A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he not... A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he not only lost his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life. This man uses two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signs the film he directs. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduces himself to his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can't direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena. In the present day, Harry Caine lives thanks to the scripts he writes and to the help he gets from his faithful former production manager, Judit Garca, and from Diego, her son, his secretary, typist and guide. Since he decided to live and tell stories, Harry is an active, attractive blind man who has developed all his other senses in order to enjoy life, on a basis of irony and self-induced amnesia. He has erased from his biography any trace of his first identity, Mateo Blanco.One night Diego has an accident and Harry takes care of him (his mother, Judit, is out of Madrid and they decide not to tell her anything so as not to alarm her). During the first nights of his convalescence, Diego asks him about the time when he answered to the name of Mateo Blanco, after a moment of astonishment Harry can't refuse and he tells Diego what happened fourteen years before with the idea of entertaining him, just as a father tells his little child a story so that he'll fall asleep. The story of Mateo, Lena, Judit and Ernesto Martel is a story of "amour fou", dominated by fatality, jealously, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex. A moving and terrible story, the most expressive image of which is the photo of two lovers embracing, torn into a thousand pieces.
Casanova[2005]
Synopsis: Heath Ledger plays the fabled romantic as a man who, after failing to win the affection of a particular Venetian woman, strives to discover the real... Heath Ledger plays the fabled romantic as a man who, after failing to win the affection of a particular Venetian woman, strives to discover the real meaning of love.
woman, the relationship unravels, yet through it all, a deep, underlying love keeps the couple from breaking off all ties. This is the miniseries version of the film. [Less]
she fakes evidence to implicate him in the murder. He is arrested, but is released because the evidence is inconclusive. She marries the ex-officer and takes on a housewife role similar to that of Madame Monteil
Volver 2006
Synopsis: Set in Spain, this is a generational story of three women: a good mother who is desperately in love with a man who is far from being a saint; a young... Set in Spain, this is a generational story of three women: a good mother who is desperately in love with a man who is far from being a saint; a young mother carrying a hard life upon her shoulders; and an illegal hairdresser whose shop is the meeting point for all the neighborhood gossips. Directed By: Pedro Almodvar Volver ("To Return") occurs in Spain in 2006. Raimunda (Penlope Cruz), her sister Sole (Lola Dueas) and Raimunda's 14-year-old daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) visit their home village of Alcanfor de las Infantas to clean the tombstones of their dead parents, who died in a fire four years earlier. They also visit the home of their aunt, Ta Paula (Chus Lampreave). The aunt is living in the past and knows only Raimunda. They stop by to visit a neighbor, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who looks after Ta Paula and whose own mother disappeared the day Raimunda's parents died. The women return to Madrid, where they live. Raimunda's husband, Paco (Antonio de la Torre) attempts to molest Paula, who kills him with a knife. He claimed she was not his daughter. Raimunda later confesses this is true and that Paula's real father is dead. Raimunda must hide the crime and dispose of the body. Opportunity knocks; a neighbor is leaving town and asks Raimunda to look after a nearby empty restaurant. Ta Paula dies and Raimunda cannot go to Alcanfor de las Infantas because she must hide the body of Paco in a freezer in the restaurant. A film crew is looking for meals and Raimunda opens the restaurant and runs the place with help of her neighbors. Sole goes to Alcanfor de las Infantas for Ta Paula's funeral. Neighbors claim to have seen the ghost of Irene (Carmen Maura), Raimunda and Sole's mother. Sole finds Irene hidden in the trunk of her car and is unsure if she is a ghost. Irene stays with Sole in Madrid, helping to run a hair salon business inside her apartment. Paula also knows the secret; her grandmother has returned from the dead. The secret is kept from Raimunda, since she hated her mother. Irene hides every time Raimunda visits her sister. Agustina has cancer and is dying, shows up in Madrid and visits with Raimunda. Agustina asks Raimunda to find out from Irene if she knows if Agustina's missing mother is alive. Raimunda thinks Agustina is crazy. Raimunda literally buries her past, the freezer containing Paco, by a river near Alcanfor de las Infantas. Raimunda finally is told about her mother's return, but refuses to talk to her. Paula convinces Raimunda to reconcile with Irene. Irene confesses that Ta Paula told her that Raimunda's father molested Raimunda and Paula is both the daughter and sister of Raimunda. When Irene found out the truth she went to confront her husband and found him in bed, asleep, with Agustina's mother. Irene burned down the hut, killing the pair, and went into hiding. Irene asks for Raimunda's forgiveness for not realizing she was being molested. Raimunda, Irene, Sole and Paula return to Alcanfor de las Infantas, a family once again. Irene is not a ghost, since ghosts can't cry. She will stay to take care of Agustina in her final days, the least she can do for killing Agustina's mother.
In the case of Teena Brandon a young man `trapped' in a woman's body - the anomaly happens to be a more pronounced and certainly less socially acceptable one than most of us are forced to endure in our lives. And she paid the ultimate price society demands from those it fears and does not understand: she was murdered in Nebraska in 1993, simply for being `different.' The film builds a convincing case for compassionate understanding without converting Brandon into a saint-like figure. Not only do we witness the petty criminality of her life, but we see her propensity for duplicity and deception, a personality trait that actually leads in part to many of the troubles she encounters, playing a crucial role to a large extent even in her death itself. Yet, given society's out-of-hand rejection of transgendered people, what real options but a life of dishonesty is Brandon really given? Similarly, Lana, the young woman with whom Brandon falls in love and the one person who has ever accepted Brandon unconditionally for what she is, suffers from a number of her own demons. Credit writer/director Kimberly Pierce and co-writer Andy Bienen for not taking the easy commercial path of reducing the moral complexities of the personalities involved to a black-and-white world where good and evil are displayed in neatly arranged patterns for our easy consumption. There are many times in this film when literally none of the people we are involved with are the slightest bit appealing. The filmmakers, in their faith in our maturity, ask us to go along on a pretty harrowing journey at times, but it is one that leads us to a very rewarding destination. The scenes in which Brandon's companions expose her secret is riveting and terrifying in its dramatic intensity and human sadness. The utter humiliation Brandon is forced to endure at the hands of the hooligans who are tormenting her broadens to become a symbolic representation of every person who has suffered such an injustice at the hands of unreasoning ignorance for whatever reason. It is a chilling reminder of the danger of the mob mentality unrestrained by empathy and enlightenment. Like so many of the best off-Hollywood independent productions, `Boys Don't Cry' finds its truth in two crucial elements: the canny depiction of the bleak sterility and stifling provincialism of its Midwest setting and the uniformly first-rate performances by a largely unknown set of actors. Hilary Swank, in her Oscar-winning turn as Brandon, and Chloe Sevigny as Lana achieve a naturalism in their portrayals that neutralizes any theatricality that might have robbed the film of its indispensable quality of immediacy and believability. They convert what might, in less capable hands, have become little more than a sensationalized freak show into a powerful and understandable drama about real, thoroughly recognizable human beings. For that alone, `Boys Don't Cry' becomes a cinematic experience impossible to forget
The performers in the staged productions were discovered to be white slavery female kidnap victims, who were held in cages below stage in the basement. Scenes of horror included human dart boards (a woman's backend was painted with a bullseye), flagellation, dismemberment, cannibalism, and the drilling of a hole in a woman's shaved skull to suck out her brains with a straw by a depraved doctor (Ernie Pysher). Synopsis: The story of Dr. Sardu who turns out to be hiding a prison of horrors in his basement. With the help of his creepy assistant he plans to kidnap a... The story of Dr. Sardu who turns out to be hiding a prison of horrors in his basement. With the help of his creepy assistant he plans to kidnap a prima ballerina in preparation for his greatest Theatre of the Macabre experience. Directed By: Joel M. Reed
one will be happy? Tita, however, has ample opportunity to vent her frustration, since she has acquired the magical capacity to impart her emotions to the food that she prepares for the entire family. Hold onto your intestinal tracts, folks! Awesome movie and the book is just a tad better. Thanks for the RARE upload.
Edmond Rostand's classic drama of inner and outer beauty is given a lavish treatment in this acclaimed French production. Grard Depardieu portrays the title character, a brilliant, charismatic swordsman with a generous spirit and a genius for poetry. It would seem that such a man would have no trouble attracting women, but Cyrano considers himself doomed to loneliness by an unattractive face featuring an oversized nose. His feelings of inadequacy are emphasized when Roxane, the beautiful woman he adores, attracts the attention of Christian, a young cadet in Cyrano's service. Christian lacks the poetic gift, however, and he ironically turns to Cyrano for help in winning Roxane's love. What follows is a tale of deception, with Roxane falling in love with the ineloquent Christian thanks to Cyrano's words of love. The underlying narrative has become quite familiar to modern audiences through retellings and variations from the 1950 adaptation starring Jos Ferrer to Steve Martin's Roxanne. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau's interpretation stresses the tragic majesty of the original, setting a vigorous performance by Depardieu against a beautifully designed reproduction of the period and an emphasis on the sound and poetry of Rostand's original language; the subtitles for the film's English release were penned by renowned British author Anthony Burgess. This attention to detail creates a particularly faithful cinematic rendering of the original work that met with positive critical responses. Synopsis: Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau and cowriter Jean-Claude Carriere had the brilliant idea of casting France's most lovably vulnerable hunk, the massive... Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau and cowriter Jean-Claude Carriere had the brilliant idea of casting France's most lovably vulnerable hunk, the massive Gerard Depardieu, in one of French literature's meatiest roles: the sword-wielding poet Cyrano. Equipped with a massive nose and a heart to match, Depardieu soars as the heart-broken soldier who must lend his words of love to another man to woo the woman he yearns for. Rappeneau spared no expense in taking this Edmond Rostand play into realistic locations for the battle scenes in the second act, making the film as exciting as it is romantic and funny. Depardieu attacks the role in great gulps, consuming all the oxygen in any room he enters. Macho but sensitive, he creates a larger-than-life Cyrano, whose wrenching sadness at the lack of interest from his lady love will have you reaching for the tissues. --Marshall Fine
seen for years -- feels she must be there for Norman's birthday. She and her fiance are on their way to Europe the next day but will be back in a couple of weeks to pick up the fiance's son. When she returns Chelsea is married and her stepson has the relationship with her father that she always wanted. Will father and daughter be able to communicate at last?
A man and a woman meet by accident on a Sunday evening at their childrens' boarding school. Slowly they reveal themselves to each other, finding that each is a widow/widower. Each is slow to reveal anything personal so that each revelation is hidden by a misperception. They become friends, then close friends, and then she reveals that she can't have a lover because, for her, her husband's memory is still too strong. Much of the film is told wordlessly in action, or through hearing one of their thoughts as they go about their day.
8 (1963)
Director: Federico Fellini Pure cinematic joy. Fellinis masterpiece on the impossibility of making a film is, no matter how many times I see it, pure fun, yet also, important, deep, real, profound, and full of life. This is a film that really captures how memory, fantasy, work, desire, play, boredom, and ambition intertwine in the bittersweet cacophony of voices, images, personae, roles, embraces, joys, failures, and excesses which define us. Filmically gorgeous, simply classic. Synopsis: Guido is a film director, trying to relax after his last big hit. He can't get a moments peace, however, with the people who have worked with him in the past constantly looking for more work. He wrestles with his conscience, but is unable to come up with a new idea. While thinking, he starts to recall major happenings in his life, and all the women he has loved and left. An autobiographical film of Fellini, about the trials and tribulations of film making.
Jean-Dominique Bauby, a successful and charismatic editor-in-chief of FrenchElle, who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state. While the physical challenges of Bauby's fate leave him with little hope for the future, he begins to discover how his life's passions, his rich memories and his newfound imagination can help him achieve a life without boundaries.
Brief Encounter
Director:David Lean Meeting a stranger in a railway station, a woman is tempted to cheat on her husband. Celia Johnson Trevor Howard Stanley Holloway Joyce Carey Cyril Raymond Everley Gregg Synopsis: In this film based on a Noel Coward play, director David Lean explores the thrill and pain of an illicit romance in 1945 Britain. From a chance... In this film based on a Noel Coward play, director David Lean explores the thrill and pain of an illicit romance in 1945 Britain. From a chance meeting on a train platform, a middle-aged doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) enter into a quiet yet passionate love affair, knowing there's no possibility for a lasting relationship. The two meet every Thursday at a small caf at the station to play out their doomed romance.
Synopsis: Hannah regularly meets with her sisters Holly and Lee to discuss the weeks' events. It's what they don't always tell each other that forms the film's... Hannah regularly meets with her sisters Holly and Lee to discuss the weeks' events. It's what they don't always tell each other that forms the film's various subplots. Hannah is married to rock-star manager Elliot, who carries a torch for Lee, who in turn lives with pompous Soho artist Frederick. Meanwhile, Holly, a neurotic actress and eternal loser in love, dates TV producer Mickey, who used to be married to Hannah and spends most of the film convinced that he's about to die. That Chekhovian title may have promised Woody Allen at his most pretentious, but this 1986 roundelay grossed $40m and became his biggest ever box-office hit. The film shuffles interconnecting storylines concerning three Manhattan sisters: the warm, well-meaning Hannah (Mia Farrow) is married to the bumbling Elliot (Michael Caine), who is in turn attracted to her sister, Lee (Barbara Hershey). As an affair begins between the two, Lee's own relationship with the tormented artist Frederick (Max von Sydow) comes under strain, and light is brought to an otherwise dark canvas by Hannah's ex-husband, fussbudget TV producer Mickey (Allen), who becomes involved with Hannah's other sister, the jittery Holly (Dianne Wiest). So what was it about Hannah that made it so successful? The balance of comedy and drama is deftly maintained, and there's a palatable, soapy aspect to Elliot and Lee's affair. The film, with its chapter headings, aspires to a novelistic structure, each part favouring a different character or storyline. And the performances are uniformly subtle, especially from Caine (who won the Oscar for best supporting actor) and the underrated Farrow, who was then an Allen regular as well as his off-screen partner. Indeed, Farrow brings genuine mystery to a nurturing figure who may not be as saintly as she seems. "Hannah was a character neither Mia nor I understood, at the start, and at the finish," Allen admitted. "We could never figure out whether Hannah was the bulwark of the family and the spine who held everyone together, or whether Hannah was not so nice Mia looked to me for guidance and I could never give it to her." Typically, the perfectionist director was far from pleased with the movie. "Hannah and Her Sisters is a film I feel I screwed up very badly," he said later. It was the relatively happy ending that was to blame: "That was the part that killed me." But after all the characters have been through in pursuit of love and contentment, you couldn't say they hadn't earned it.
An Affair to Remember
Directed By: Leo McCarey Synopsis: Two people meet on a luxury liner and fall in love, but because they have other lovers waiting for them, they cannot consummate their passion. They... Two people meet on a luxury liner and fall in love, but because they have other lovers waiting for them, they cannot consummate their passion. They vow to find each other again, and if the feelings are mutual, they will be together. But, when a tragedy strikes, it could affect their love. [ For those of us who like to immerse ourselves in sense-assaulting love stories, this 1957 Leo McCarey classic is as good as it gets. A relentlessly heart-tugging tale of two soulmates whose love even great tragedy cannot tear asunder, An Affair to Remember tosses and turns the emotions but never descends into schmaltz; it stays compelling partly down to its smart, surprisingly sassy script, which often holds back when it could go for the cheap weep, but also because it is brought to us by two of the classiest acts in Hollywood history: Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Grant in particular is in devastating form as the charismatic womaniser who is struck down by lovesickness for a woman he believes has rejected him. (It's hard to believe George Clooney didn't spend the 90s watching reruns of this.) Even for those who have never seen it, An Affair holds a unique place in the collective memory of American film-goers, comparable perhaps to the place Brief Encounter has in British hearts and minds. But the film that reduced Meg Ryan to a snotty, gibbering wreck in Sleepless in Seattle is no iconic fossil that final scene retains its powers to enthral and discombobulate to this day.
Roman Holiday
Directed By: William Wyler Synopsis: A princess plays hooky from her royal duties for 24 hours with a reporter. This is one of Hollywood's most sweetly romantic films -- a frothy, modern... A princess plays hooky from her royal duties for 24 hours with a reporter. This is one of Hollywood's most sweetly romantic films -- a frothy, modern telling of the Cinderella story, in reverse. This was the film that debuted the aristo-chic charms of an unknown actress called Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn sparkles tomboyish, mischievous and queenly as the runaway princess Ann who, on a dreary state visit to Rome and bored stiff of crusty old majors, slips incognito into the city. Gregory Peck is the spectacularly ungallant hack who shows her the sights while secretly cooking up the scoop of the century. Of course they fall in love, with
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a fizzy, light-touch wit that is a pure delight to watch. And Hepburn slums it so sweetly: "Is this the elevator?" she enquires, stepping into his apartment. Hepburn became an overnight star and she won her first Oscar, one of four the film picked up. If there existed a category for near-perfect love story endings, it would have got that too: lonely princess ending her affair during a packed press conference with a few tender and coded words to Peck, before returning to her gilded cage. Neither sex kittenish nor a 50s bombshell, Billy Wilder probably described the new Hepburn look best: "This girl, singlehanded, may make bosoms a thing of the past.
Le Boucher
Directed By: Claude Chabrol Synopsis: An independent young schoolteacher forms a relationship with the friendly local butcher, whom she slowly begins to suspect is the sadistic... An independent young schoolteacher forms a relationship with the friendly local butcher, whom she slowly begins to suspect is the sadistic serial-killer terrorizing their rural French province. A first rate psychological thriller from Claude Chabrol about the evolving relationship of a beautiful schoolteacher and a serial murderer. "In Chabrol's films, the relationships are plotted with a mathematical precision that does not rule out surprising developments" (Roy Armes). With Stephane Audran, Antonio Passallia, Mario Beccaria and Pasquale Ferone. French with English subtitles. France/Italy, 1969, 90 mins. Sexual frustration is the focus of this Hitchcockian thriller from French director Claude Chabrol. Schoolteacher Hlne (Stphane Audran) comes to a small Prigord village to begin a new job. She is soon romanced by the local butcher, Popaul (Jean Yanne), but is distracted by her job and memories of a previous ill-fated relationship. A series of brutal murders of young women and a dropped cigarette-lighter raise Hlne's suspicions about her suitor, whose pitiable, depraved compulsions lead to a gruesome conclusion. Audran, who was Chabrol's wife at the time, makes an engaging heroine, and Yanne is simultaneously scary and pathetic as the obsessive butcher.
Contempt
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Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard Synopsis: Paul Javal, a writer, is hired to work out a script for the new movie about Ulisses, directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Prokosch. Because he let... Paul Javal, a writer, is hired to work out a script for the new movie about Ulisses, directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Prokosch. Because he let his wife Camille drive with Prokosch, and he is late, she belives, that he uses her as a sort of "present" for Prokosch to get get a better payment. So the relation breaks up. Contempt is the story of the end of a marriage. Camille (Brigitte Bardot) falls out of love with her husband Paul (Michel Piccoli) while he is rewriting the screenplay Odyssey by American producer Jeremiah Prokosch (Jack Palance). Just as the director of Prokosch's film, Fritz Lang, says that The Odyssey is the story of individuals confronting their situations in a real world, Le Mpris itself is an examination of the position of the filmmaker in the commercial cinema. Godard himself was facing this situation in the production of Le Mpris. Italian producer Carlo Ponti had given him the biggest budget of his career, and he found himself working with a star of Bardot's magnitude for the first time. One of the best "movie movies" ever made, Contempt stars Michel Piccoli as a screenwriter called in to doctor the script of a film version of The Odyssey as his marriage to his stunningly sexy wife (Brigitte Bardot) falls apart. The legendary Fritz Lang plays himself as the movie's director and Jack Palance is hilariously arrogant as the American producer. References to the Homer tale and contemporary movie culture abound in this endlessly fascinating movie shot in Cinemascope and Technicolor. Colin MacCabe went so far as to call it "the greatest work of art produced in post-war Europe," in Sight and Sound. French with English subtitles. The DVD is a Criterion Collection edition. This letterboxed, 2-disc set includes audio commentary by film scholar Robert Stam; The Dinosaur and the Baby, an hour-long conversation between Godard and Fritz Lang from 1967; theatrical trailer; interview with cinematographer Raoul Coutard; and two short 1964 documentaries by Jacques Rozier: Contempt: Bardot et Godard and Paparazzi. France/Italy, 1963, 103 mins.
Cesar's attention to the beautiful Sofia is less than innocent. He takes her home; they are mutually attracted, although they do not sleep together. When he leaves the next morning, Nuria is waiting in her car to tempt him. He wavers momentarily, then accepts her invitation. He declines the pills she offers. She downs them, floors the accelerator and sends the speeding car hurtling off the road, down an incline and into a stone wall. Cesar awakes horribly disfigured, behind a mask, under interrogation by a psychiatrist inside a cell where he is imprisoned on a murder charge. From then on "Open Your Eyes" plays games with the minds of Cesar and its audience. Having taken away his looks and Sofia, the woman he might actually have loved, the film, like a fairy tale, brings her back into his life and then, miraculously, restores his ruined face. The film also restores the dead Nuria and turns its attention intermittently to the mysterious Serge Duvernois (Gerard Barray), who appears on television talking about cryogenics and the possibility of life after death. But as the psychiatrist, Antonio (Chete Lera), tries to find out what caused Cesar to commit a murder, there is Cesar speaking behind the mask that conceals his still-ravaged face. The film's framing device is a talking alarm clock that starts Cesar's day with the message "Open Your Eyes."
Gregory's Girl
Directed By: Bill Forsyth Synopsis: The sophomore film of Scottish director Bill Forsyth was his first international hit, a typically quirky comedy set amongst colorful Scottish... The sophomore film of Scottish director Bill Forsyth was his first international hit, a typically quirky comedy set amongst colorful Scottish teenagers. Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) is a normal, gangly, hormonally-challenged student who, like his pals, has begun to discover the charms of the opposite sex, particularly those of Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), the new girl in school and a talented soccer player. Dorothy joins the team, and Gregory, who's the goalie, instantly becomes smitten with her. Gregory's affections are
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given in spite of the fact that Dorothy is a better player than most of the boys on the hapless team, and her presence inspires a great deal of angst and embarrassment. Despite the humiliating lengths to which Gregory is prepared to go in order to win Dorothy's attention (and the fact that she eventually takes his place as goalie), Dorothy's not interested, and she tries to pass Gregory off to a classmate, Susan (Clare Grogan). The winner of a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, Gregory's Girl was followed 18 years later by a sequel, Gregory's Two Girls (1999).
The end of the 19th century. A boat filled with Swedish emigrants comes to the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who move to Denmark to find work. They find employment at a large farm, but are treated as the lowest form of life. Pelle starts to speak Danish but is still harassed as a foreigner. But none of them wants to give up their dream of finding a better life than the life they left in Sweden. Pelle The Conqueror (1987) ranks among the most critically acclaimed non-English language films of the past twenty-five years. It won the prestigious Grand Prix at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival as well as the 1988 Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category. It is also the most commercially successful Danish film ever made. Small wonder! It is an intelligently made art work featuring magnificent photography and quietly restrained storytelling. There is also a wonderful bit of irony in the casting of this film. The title character, Pelle, is played by Pelle Hvenegaard. While this is certainly not the first time that an actor or actress has had the same given name as the character they play, whats special in this instance is that Pelle Hvenegaard was named after the character Pelle in the novel on which this film was later based. Thus, Pelle Hvenegaard plays his namesake in this movie. Pelle The Conqueror was adapted from the first volume of a four part novel by Martin Andersen Nexo set between 1906 and 1910. Volume one was entitled, simply, Childhood. Later volumes get into social and political issues, but volume one is a basic coming-of-age story, though the maturation occurs in distinctly harsh conditions. The director, Billie August has produced a sprawling epic. Known more as a craftsman than an auteur, August takes few chances but delivers a well-structured and visually sumptuous film. Augusts best known previous work was Twist and Shout (1984), a more traditional coming-of-age story, and his best known subsequent work was, perhaps, Les Miserables (1998). The Story: The story is set in the early years of the 20th century. The film opens with a magnificent shot of the fogladen sea. Soon the outline of a schooner silently emerges from a low dense cloud of vapor. It is packed with impoverished Swedish laborers who are looking for work and a better life in Denmark. One of these is Lasse Karlsson (Max von Sydow), a sixty-ish farmhand from Sweden. His wife has recently passed away and he hopes to find a place where he can spend his old age in relative comfort. At this stage of his life, his dreams have been reduced to a desire to be able to drink his coffee in bed on Sunday mornings and to eat roast pork with raisins for dinner on Sunday evening. Lasse cradles in his broad arms his 10 year-old son, Pelle (Pelle Hvenegaard). Lasse optimistically assures Pelle that jobs are plentiful where they are headed. Everyone has enough to eat and children can play all day rather than work beside their parents in the fields. When the boat docks, Danish farmers examine the workers like so many cattle, picking the healthiest and heartiest. Lasse and Pelle are last to be chosen because, as they are told, Lasse is too old and the boys too young. They climb aboard a cart belonging to Mr. Kongstrup (Axel Strobye) for the trip to Stone Farm, to assume a life of indentured servitude. In exchange for food and lodging, they must work from dawn to dust. After some unspecified number of years, Lasse will be entitled to a payment and status as a free man. On Stone Farm, Lasse and Pelle are treated only a bit worse than the farm animals, with which they also share living quarters. They live in a partitioned-off section of the barn next to the chickens and cattle. The harsh existence on the farm is driven by the flow of the seasons. The work is hard and the farm hands are oppressed and cruelly treated by the manager (Erik Paaske) and his trainee. Through the seasons of several years, Pelle slowly matures and observes the lives of the folk in this remote countryside. Their stories become the various threads in the fabric of Pelles maturing perspective. The colorful cast of subsidiary characters are introduced and interwoven smoothly and it is never difficult to keep track of who is who. Pelle remains the center of the story throughout and all of the subplots are seen from his vantage point and related to his coming-of-age. Mr. Kongstrup, the owner of the farm, is a blatant philanderer, not even taking the trouble to disguise his activities from his wife. He regularly takes up with young wenches but takes no interest when one bears his child, despite the woman periodically visiting the farm to hurl invectives at Kongstrup from the farmyard or the gate, however far she gets before being intercepted. Mrs. Kongstrup (Astrid Villaume) mostly drinks brandy all day long but howls her pain relating to her husbands infidelities into the wind at night. These property owners may be more prosperous than their workers but appear no more happy. Another subplot concerns a somewhat proud and rebellious worker named Erik (Bjorn Granath). From time to time, he challenges the authority of the manager. His independent streak serves as a source of inspiration for Pelle. Another subplot relates to a beautiful young local girl involved in a doomed romance with a merchants son who is above her station in life. Another touching thread is Lasses winter of romance with the wife of a long-missing sailor. Pelle is the first to meet her. She lives in a rustic cabin near the sea. Pelle plays matchmaker
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and introduces his father to the woman. There is a delicately balanced development of this relationship that nicely illustrates how practicality is as important to the elderly as romance. They decide that it would be sensible to live together.
Inland Empire
Director: David Lynch A blonde actress is preparing for her biggest role yet, but when she finds herself falling for her co-star, she realizes that her life is beginning to mimic the fictional film that they're shooting. Adding to her confusion is the revelation that the current film is a remake of a doomed Polish production, 47, which was never finished due to an unspeakable tragedy. Written by Ted After taking the lead in a new movie Hollywood star Nikki Grace learns the script is based on an old polish film, which was abandoned after the two lead roles of the film were murdered, Thinking the film is cursed Nikki's imagination runs riot. Written by ted The actress Nikki Grace is invited to perform the role of Susan Blue as the lead actress of the movie "On High In Blue Tomorrows", directed by Kingsley Stewart. Nikki's husband is a jealous guy and the co-star is the wolf Devon Berk that will perform Billy Side, the husband of Susan. In the rehearsal, Kingsley tells that the movie is a remake of an unfinished and damned Polish production where the two lead stars had been murdered. While shooting the movie, Nikki has daydreams, mixing her real life with the fictional Susan. The film begins with an image of an old vinyl playing "the longest-running radio play in history". Indistinguishable filtered voices can be heard in the recording. Eventually the scene fades into what appears to be a dimly lit hotel hall, where a man and a woman, both of whose faces are blurred beyond any recognition, stumble into a hotel room. Speaking Polish, the man asks the woman to undress, which she does reluctantly. As she does this, the man asks her if she knows what whores do, to which she replies "they f**k". Presumably the woman is herself a prostitute. Next, in another hotel room, a raven-haired woman, known only as the Lost Girl (Karolina Gruszka) sits crying while watching a television. On the television is an eerie sitcom about a family of rabbit-people in a small room who speak in terse, seemingly meaningless sentences, that are occasionally followed by a non-sequitur laugh-track. The female rabbit talks about a "secret" that apparently the male rabbit knows about. A knock at the door transpires. All three rabbits are captivated by it, and the male rabbit goes to answer it, but the knocker is not revealed. He walks out through the door and it closes behind him. The Male Rabbit enters a dimly lit room, which then fades into a lavish golden room where a bald man sits on a couch. Another gruffly-looking Polish man stands talking to him. The seated man talks about seeking an opening, and the standing man juggles variations of the phrase "do you understand"? Hollywood, California. An old woman with bulging eyes (Grace Zabriskie), walks down a suburban neighborhood, looking dizzy. She steps onto the porch of a high-class home and a butler answers. The home is that of Nikki Grace (Laura Dern), a well-known actress, and the old woman is let in, claiming she is a new neighbor and wishes to greet Nikki. She says she heard Nikki got a new part for a film called "On High in Blue Tomorrows". Nikki tells her it isn't for certain since the audition was very recent, but the woman insists she has gotten it. She then talks about a boy who opened a door and saw the end of the world, thus causing evil to be born. She then goes on to talk about a girl who got lost in an alley behind a marketplace, and then remembered something. Nikki is unsure what the woman is talking about. The woman then asks if there's a murder in the movie for which Nikki auditioned. Nikki says no. She continues by talking about the mixing up of time, yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows. She remarks that it may be 9:45 when it is in fact after midnight. She then points to the couch across from them and says that, if it were tomorrow, Nikki would be over there. We then pan to where the woman is pointing, and see Nikki receive her part via phone. A week or two after she hears that she has gotten the part for the film, Nikki is seen with her co-star, Devon Berk (Justin Theroux) on "The Marilyn Levins Show", a program akin to "The View" and other celebrity programs. Marilyn asks both actors whether or not they will have an on-set affair, to which both Nikki and Devin respond negatively. Afterwards, Devin is told by his entourage that Nikki is "hands-off", since Nikki's husband is an extremely influential and powerful figure. Afterwards at a studio, while reading through the script through with Devin, their director, Kingsley (Jeremy Irons) and his assistant Freddie Howard (Harold Dean Stanton) arrive where they tell Nikki and Devin that the film they are making is in fact a remake of an older unfinished Polish film called '47', which was abandoned since it was rumored that it was cursed. However, Kingsley assures them both that nothing will come of it. Later, while they are rehearsing a scene, there is a disturbance somewhere in the set. Devin goes to investigate the noise, but nothing is ever found. They continue running through their lines.
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At this point, the film takes a drastic stylistic turn. Nikki's world begins to blend with that of the film they are making, putting into question whether or not the alleged "curse" is in fact real. A woman with severe stomach wounds (who also plays the wife of Billy Side, a character in Nikki's film) tells a cop she is going to kill someone with a screwdriver. Polish prostitutes confront various pimps while murder permeates their Polish city. A mafia-like organization discusses one of their captives, remarking that the man claimed he was from "Inland Empire". One day off the set, Nikki is shopping for groceries when she sees a door labeled "Axx o Nn", with an arrow pointing to a door. She passes through the door and enters a movie studio. She hears voices and begins running. She looks back: She sees herself seated with Kingsley, watching Devin chase her. She then realizes that SHE was in fact the intruder, and that she had watched herself sneak into the studio. Nikki evades exposure by hiding in a house found on the set, where she stays for most of the movie. When she enters the set house, it miraculously metamorphoses into an actual house somewhere in the suburbs. Nikki sees it is filled with prostitutes who are having a surreal party, and dancing to 60's music. She listens to their stories, smoking and donning their suggestive garb, eventually becoming one herself. It slowly turns out that Nikki is in fact Susan Blue, the character that she portrays in the movie, who lives in a suburban home with her husband Smitty. Nikki (now called Susan) is at a backyard party with her husband where she asks friends to look at me, and tell me if you've seen me before. Susan wanders into a backyard dressed in a business suit and finds a man with a light bulb in his mouth. Frightened, she brandishes a screwdriver at him, and runs away. Susan runs down Sunset Boulevard, attempting to flee a woman with a screwdriver (the same woman from earlier) who is attempting to kill her. Wandering the streets bloody and lost, while attempting to escape the treacherous woman, Susan hides in a nightclub, where she meets in a back room with a fat man with glasses known only as Mr. K (Erik Crary). She begins an epic and foul-mouthed monologue in which she unloads all her childhood scars, including being molested as a girl, where she gouged out the eye of her rapist. Susan leaves the nightclub and runs down the street where the woman stabs her with the screwdriver and leaves her for dead. Susan wonders over to a closed down store where she collapses to the ground, coughing up blood and seeing three homeless people, a black man, a Hispanic woman, and a young Japanese woman starring at her. The Japanese woman, speaking with a very thick, almost inaudible accent, rambles onto Susan and her street friends about her friend Cassie who lives in a house in the Palisades and dealing with her problems. Susan then dies, and.... Kingsley yells "Cut!" The entire event is revealed to be the movie's final scene shot, and the street people are really actors who walk off the set. Susan, now turned back to Nikki, leaves the set and wonders down the Hollywood street to an old hotel where down a dark corridor, she finally confronts the standing man from earlier in the film, known now as "The Phantom". She shoots him, which causes his face to become hideously disfigured, at first becoming a disturbing copy of Nikki's own face, but eventually morphing into something closely resembling a fetus. We next go to the rabbits again, who are once more faced with the opened door. Nikki then goes to the hotel room where the Lost Girl is being held, opens the door and with a bright light and kiss form Nikki, the Lost Girl is freed from her prison and disappears, as does Nikki. The Lost Girl returns to her home in the suburban San Fernando Valley where she is the real Susan Blue and she is reunited with her husband Smitty and her young son whom are happy to be back together at last. The film ends with the group of prostitutes in a hotel lobby dancing to Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" with a beat from two lumbermen sawing a tree.
Starring: James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo, Kristen Stewart Genre: Drama Summary: "Welcome to the Rileys" is a powerful drama about finding hope in the most unusual of places. Once a happily married and loving couple, Doug and Lois Riley (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo) have grown apart since losing their teenage daughter eight years prior. Leaving his agoraphobic wife behind to go on a business trip to New Orleans, Doug meets a 17-year-old runaway (Kristen Stewart) and the two form a platonic bond. For Lois and Doug, what initially appears to be the final straw that will derail their relationship, turns out to be the inspiration they need to renew their marriage.
Les Choses de la vie (The Little Things in Life) (These Things Happen) (1970)
Directed By: Claude Sautet Synopsis: A sensitive businessman, injured in an automobile accident, reflects on his wife and his mistress, both of whom he dearly loves. A sensitive businessman, injured in an automobile accident, reflects on his wife and his mistress, both of whom he dearly loves.
After laboring in obscurity for several years, French filmmaker Claude Sautet finally struck a responsive chord with moviegoers in Les Choses de la Vie. The plot isn't much: the hero, businessman Michel Piccoli, must choose between his wife and his mistress, two women whom he loves with equal fervor. It is what Sautet does with the material that lifts the film above the ordinary. The director puts the central character's plight in context with his ongoing concerns over his job, his income, and his relationship with his family. In Choses de la Vie Sautet has nothing but the warmest feelings for his characters, which results in more three-dimensionality that might normally be expected in so banal a plotline
Les choristes
Directed By: Christophe Barratier Synopsis: Set in 1948, a professor of music, Clement Mathieu, becomes the supervisor at a boarding school for the rehabilitation for minors. What he discovers... Set in 1948, a professor of music, Clement Mathieu, becomes the supervisor at a boarding school for the rehabilitation for minors. What he discovers disconcerts him -- the current situation is repressive. Through the power of song, Clement tries to transform the students. Fond de l'Etang is a boarding school for troubled boys located in the French countryside. In the mid-twentieth century, it is run by the principal M. Rachin, an egotistical disciplinarian whose official unofficial mantra for the school is "action - reaction", meaning that there will be severe consequences for any boy out of line. This approach
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does not seem to be working as the boys as a collective are an unruly bunch. In turn, the teachers don't teach, but are always watching out for the next subversive act from the boys. January 15, 1949 marks the arrival to the school of the new supervisor, M. Clment Mathieu, a middle-aged man who is grasping at finding his place in life after a series of failed endeavors. Although he does find the boys an unruly lot, Mathieu does not believe in the "action reaction" policy, and as such, butts heads with Rachin while secretly undermining the policy... Written by Huggo
Citizen Kane
Director: Orson Welles It's 1941, and newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles, who also directed and co-wrote the script) is dead. The opening shots show Xanadu, Kane's vast, elaborate, now unkempt estate in Florida. Interspersed with segments of his newsreel obituary are scenes from his life and death. Most puzzling are his last moments: clutching a snowglobe, he mutters "rosebud." Kane, whose life was news and whose newspapers not only reported but formed public opinion, was central to his time, a larger-than-life figure. The newsreel editor feels that until they know who or what Rosebud is they won't have the whole story on Kane. He assigns a reporter called Thompson (William Alland) to find Rosebud.
Dangerous Liaisons
Director: Stephen Frears Writers (WGA): Christopher Hampton (play) Choderlos de Laclos (novel) Genre: Drama / Romance Plot Outline: Set in France around 1760-1770. The Marquise de Merteuil needs a favour from her ex-lover, Vicomte de Valmont. One Marquise de Merteuil's ex-lover, Gercourt, is planning on marrying a young, virtuos, woman called Cecile de Volanges. The Marquise would like Valmont to seduce Cecile before her wedding day. Meanwhile Valmont has a conquest of his own in mind, Madame de Tourvel, a beautiful, married, and God fearing woman. The Marquise doesn't think that Valmont can do it, she tells him that if he can provide written proof of a sexual encounter with Madame de Tourvel, that she will offer him a reward, one last night with her. But Valmont will find himself falling in love with Mrs. de Tourvel, embrasing the deadly jealousy of the marquise de Merteuil.
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Cinderella Man
Directed By: Ron Howard Synopsis: Based on the true story of fighter Jim Braddock, who in Depression-era New York enters the boxing ring out of desperation to feed his family. He... Based on the true story of fighter Jim Braddock, who in Depression-era New York enters the boxing ring out of desperation to feed his family. He becomes a common folk hero as he battles his way up the ranks, vaulting from broken-down ex-boxer to living legend with a string of amazing upsets to his credit. As word of the scrappy underdog spreads, entire families stay glued to their radios, cheering, praying and experiencing his victories as their own. Their devotion reaches fever pitch when Braddock faces heavyweight champ Max Baer. That night, Braddock's dignity, courage and determination gives hope to a nation and earns him the nickname of Cinderella Man. During the Great Depression, a common-man hero, James J. Braddock--a.k.a. the Cinderella Man--was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. By the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace who had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, the only thing that mattered to him-his family--was in danger, and he was even forced to go on Public Relief. But deep inside, Jim Braddock never relinquished his determination. Driven by love, honor and an incredible dose of grit, he willed an impossible dream to come true. In a last-chance bid to help his family, Braddock returned to the ring. No one thought he had a shot. However Braddock, fueled by something beyond mere competition, kept winning. Suddenly, the ordinary working man became the mythic athlete...
higher suicide rates in Hungary), the latter promising to oversee the case personally. Soon after, Hempf meets the artists at a party in their honor, and in a rather unsubtle way lets Christina-Maria know of his feelings toward her. Wiesler stalks Dreyman, noting his comings and goings, and while the playwright is temporarily away, has Dreymans apartment systematically bugged. Wiesler sets up his surveillance headquarters in the attic, just above the apartment. Soon Wieslers observations indicate that, contrary to his prejudices toward artists as free-thinkers, Dreyman's attitude toward the DDR and its SED is not particularly scornful. In the meantime, Christa-Maria has been "convinced" by Minister Hempf to be receptive to his advances, and when Wiesler finds out about this development, it dawns on him that maybe Operation Lazlo has more to do with the libido of the Minister than with the DDR's security. Dreyman is provoked to take some action, any action, by the awareness of his lover's unwanted sexual relationship with the Minister and the death of his close friend, theater director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert) who had been driven to suicide after many years of being blacklisted by the government. Dreyman resolves to help reveal the true face of the DDR Government to the outside world. With the help of well-positioned West Germans, he plans to publish an anonymous expos in one of the leading West German weeklies, "Der Spiegel," concerning the DDR Government cover-up of the high suicide rate in East Germany. Wiesler, who has been monitoring Dreymans activities all along, has finally trapped his victim and will provide another victory to the DDR by foiling Dreymans plot. However, Wiesler is starting to waver in his determination to bring Operation Lazlo to its conclusion. In the process of snooping in his victims' everyday life, including their lovelives, he has unconsciously been drawn into their world, which in turn has put his own in question. When Dreyman's article is finally published in the West, it is a public disaster for the DDR, and the playwright becomes one of the prime suspects. Grubitz is incredulous that in spite of his expertise, Wiesler could have been duped by Dreyman. Minister Hempf, discovering Christa-Maria's drug addiction, threatens to terminate her acting career unless she collaborates with the authorities and denounces her lover as the author of the embarrassing article, which she does. "Stasi" searches Dreyman's apartment, but comes up empty-handed. Now Wiesler, who had withheld the evidence concerning the source of the article, must now decide where his allegiances lay: to the DDR and to his brilliant career as a top "Stasi" officer or to Dreyman whose honest lifestyle he has come to appreciate. I will not reveal the remaining twists and turns of the story that lead to a dramatic resolution of the Lazlo operation, because you should discover it for yourself. Following this resolution, we are projected seven years forward in time. The Berlin wall fell two years earlier, as Dreyman runs into ex-Minister Hempf (who has survived the political upheaval very well, thank you), who tells him about Operation Lazlo. Dreyman, using the "Stasi" archives which have now been made public, discovers the reality of his past and its cruel truths. Plot : The horrifying, sometimes unintentionally funny system of observation in the former East Germany. In the early 1980s, the successful dramatist Georg Dreyman and his longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland, a popular actress, are big intellectual stars in the socialist state, although they secretly don't always think loyal to the party line. One day, the Minister of Culture becomes interested in Christa, so the secret service agent Wiesler is instructed to observe and sound out the couple, but their life fascinates him more and more...
Gate of Hell
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa In 1159, during an attempted coup, one of the court's ladies in waiting disguises herself as the lord's wife, and a loyal samurai conveys her from the city. This diversion allows the royal family to escape. After the coup fails, the samurai asks his lord to let him marry the woman as his reward. The lord grants the request and then discovers she is already married to one of the ruling family's lieges. The samurai clings to his desire, importuning her to leave her husband, then challenging the husband to release her. Although the husband stays calm and she stays faithful, the samurai remains intemperate and stubborn, with tragic consequences.
Babettes Feast
Director: Gabriel Axel. Despite the absence of sex or nudity, this film is highly sensual and satisfying. Food provides the medium for examining the conflict and/or relationship between sensuality and austere spirituality. The cinematography is magnificent and complemented by great performances. Babette, a French exile, is living as a servant in a remote religious community on the rough coastline of Denmark. The community reluctantly agrees to permit Babette to organize an elaborate feast in accordance with French standards, but the hedonistic delights thus afforded conflict with the communitys beliefs in the importance of self-denial. In 19th century Denmark, two adult sisters live in an isolated village with their father, who is the honored pastor of a small Protestant church that is almost a sect unto itself. Although they each are presented with a real opportunity to leave the village, the sisters choose to stay with their father, to serve to him and their church. After some years, a French woman refugee, Babette, arrives at their door, begs them to take her in, and commits herself to work for them as maid/housekeeper/cook. Sometime after their father dies, the sisters decide to hold a dinner to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth. Babette experiences unexpected good fortune and implores the sisters to allow her to take charge of the preparation of the meal. Although they are secretly concerned about what Babette, a Catholic and a foreigner, might do, the sisters allow her to go ahead. Babette then prepares...
mother or declared he's hungry, resulting in the loss of the "game", in other words, death. Giosu later refuses to take a shower, and unknowingly escapes being gased, so Guido hides him with the help of other Italian prisoners, since there are no other children. Playing messages over the tannoy for Dora, kept prisoner on the other side of the camp, the family build up hope, only to be diminuished by the SS. With the help of Guido's former German friend, Herr Lessing, Guido can hide Giosu amongst the German children, while waiting the German Officer's meals. With the days becoming steadily worse, Guido realises that time is short and that he must make certain sacrifices if his son is ever to see the tanks roll over the hills, and be reunited with his mother. Giosu is pessimistic, and doesn't believe that there are any real tanks or games. Hiding Giosu in a junction box for the last time, telling him that everyone is looking for him, Guido jeapordises his own survival to prevent the Germans discovering Giosu, while he attempts to free Dora, giving his own life away at the same time. The Americans break into the seemingly deserted camp the following morning. Giosu immerges just as a tank pulls around the corner. Hitching a lift out, Giosu soon spots his mother and the film closes.
Matty's rich husband Edmund. A plot hatches to kill him but will they pull it off? Written by Col Needham <[email protected]> A heat wave has settled over the Florida coast. The heat doesn't affect the overactive sex drive of womanizing Ned Racine, a somewhat inept Miranda Beach lawyer who has his own small law firm. Although he spies several women as possible conquests, the one he really has his sights set on is the beautiful Matty Walker, who he can tell comes from money by her appearance. She flirts with him despite his less than subtle come-ons and she thinking him simple minded. Ultimately she tells him that nothing will happen between them since she's married, her wealthy businessman husband, Edmund Walker, who comes to their home in upscale Pinehaven only on the weekends if that at all. Despite Matty playing hard to get, which turns Ned on more, the two begin a passionate affair. She stipulates he can't tell anyone of their affair, which is against the general behavior of telling his friends, public attorney Peter Lowenstein and police detective Oscar Grace. As their affair escalates into a declaration of love, it also turns to one of greed, wanting both each other and Edmund's money. Since Matty signed a prenuptial agreement that would provide her nothing upon a divorce, they decide instead to murder Edmund. As they proceed with the plot, they encounter some unforeseen obstacles, including some the result of last minute changes to the plan by Matty without her notifying Ned beforehand. But after he is unable to heed the advice of Peter and Oscar, Ned comes to some realizations about what he's gotten himself into. By that time, it may be too late both for himself and for Matty. Written by Huggo In a small Florida town, the weather is hot. And for Ned Racine, a seedy lawyer with an overactive sex drive, things are about to get hotter. He makes a play for the intoxicating blonde he spots at an outdoor concert. He seems to be making progress, but she disappears; yet not before he learns enough about her to find her again. He finds her in a bar. She invites him to her place to look at her wind chimes. He sees them; she sends him away. But he knows she really wants him, and he's right. He looks inside. She's waiting for him. There's only one thing left for a selfrespecting lecher to do: throw a chair through the window. Their torrid affair has begun, and everything seems to be his idea: even when the idea is to murder her husband. Written by J. Spurlin In the hot Pinehaven, Florida, the smalltime wolf lawyer Ned Racine flirts with the sexy but married Matty Walker and they begin a torrid love affair. After a short period together, she convinces him that her husband and mobster, Edmund Walker, is an obstacle for their passion and they have a prenuptial agreement; therefore he should be eliminated. Ned carefully plots a perfect scheme for killing Edmund. However things go wrong when successive evidences are disclosed conspiring against him. Mary Ann Simpson (Kathleen Turner) and Matty Tyler (Kim Zimmer) graduate together from Wheaton High School in Illinois. According to the yearbook, Mary Ann's goal is to be rich and live in an exotic land. She pursues her goal in a calculated, manipulative, and ruthless manner that includes a switch of identities. The following synopsis describes events in chronological order, but the viewer learns many of the events only at the end of the movie. Mary Ann Simpson gets involved in bad things after high school, but then sets her sights on wealthy Edmund Walker (Richard Crenna). She knows Walker will not marry her if he finds out about her past. She decides to adopt the identity of her high school classmate Matty Tyler. As Matty Tyler, she arranges to meet Edmund Walker. They get married and move to a waterfront estate in Pine Haven, Florida. Edmund travels frequently and is involved in many business dealings, including an investment in an abandoned beachfront hotel nearby. Edmund's will leaves much of his estate to his niece. Matty Tyler Walker (the real Mary Ann) knows that if his will is invalidated for any reason, she would inherit all his estate as the surviving spouse. Matty devises a plan to murder Edmund and get all of his estate. To carry out the plan, she must find an attorney to commit the murder and forge a new, invalid will. She will then implicate the attorney as the murderer and kill him in what looks like an accident to end any further investigation. Ned Racine (William Hurt) is a slightly disreputable attorney. One of the wills he drafted was invalidated and he was sued for legal malpractice. His best friends are prosecutor Peter Lowenstein (Ted Danson) and detective Oscar Grace (J.A. Preston). At a party, Matty Tyler Walker meets an attorney who tells her about the legal malpractice case against Ned. Matty decides that Ned is the perfect target for her scheme. Matty arranges to meet Ned and they begin a hot affair. She eventually talks Ned into murdering Edmund. Ned gets advice on arson devices from his client Teddy Lewis (Mickey Rourke). Matty asks Ned to change Edmund's will and forge his signature. He refuses because he thinks it will attract attention. As the murder plans develop, Ned makes a surprise visit to see Matty and finds another woman meeting with Matty. Matty introduces her as "Mary Ann Simpson," but unknown to Ned (or to the viewer) she is actually the real Matty Tyler. The real Matty Tyler has learned about Matty Tyler Walker's deception and is blackmailing her. Matty Tyler
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Walker must now alter her plans to also get rid of the real Matty. On the night Edmund is to be killed, Ned goes to Miami and checks into a motel to give himself an alibi. He then drives back to Edmund and Matty's house and murders Edmund. He takes Edmund's body to the abandoned beachfront hotel and sets it on fire, hoping to make it look like Edmund tried to commit arson and was accidentally killed in the process. While Ned is gone setting the fire, Matty telephones the front desk of Ned's motel repeatedly and asks to speak with Ned. Matty knows that Ned is not there and that this will destroy Ned's alibi. After the murder and the fire, Ned is shocked to learn that Matty changed the will and made it appear that Ned was involved. The redrafted will is invalid and, as a result, all of Edmund's estate passes to Matty. When Edmund's estate is eventually settled, Matty sends all the money to a secret bank account overseas. Oscar Grace and Peter Lowenstein investigate Edmund's death. They learn that Edmund's body was discovered without his glasses. If his glasses are found elsewhere, it would suggest he was murdered elsewhere and his body then taken to the hotel. They also discover the motel telephone records that suggest Ned did not stay in his Miami motel room the night of the death. They reluctantly begin to suspect their friend Ned. Meanwhile, Matty Tyler Walker has developed a revised plan that will get rid of both Ned and the real Matty. The first part involves a made-up story that her former housekeeper has Edmund's missing glasses and is threatening to turn them over to the police unless she is paid off. If the glasses are kept from the police, there would still be a chance that Edmund's death would be ruled an accident rather than a homicide. The second part of the plan is to murder the real Matty and place her body in the boat house at her estate. The third part is to send Ned to the boat house on the pretext of recovering the glasses. The boat house will be rigged to explode a few seconds after the door is opened. Before Matty can fully execute her plan, Ned happens to meet the attorney who originally told Matty about him. Ned suspects he has been set up. Then Teddy Lewis tells Ned that Matty had asked him questions about rigging a delayed explosion. Matty Tyler Walker murders the real Matty Tyler and puts her body in the boat house. She then calls Ned and tells him the housekeeper has been paid off and has left the glasses in the boat house. Matty asks Ned to go to the boat house and pick them up. Ned goes to the the boat house, carefully inspects it, and sees the trip wire on the door. Matty arrives, expecting to find the boat house destroyed with the bodies of Ned and the real Matty inside. She is startled to see Ned alive and the boat house intact. Ned tells Matty that he has learned the truth. Matty denies it and swears that she really does love him. To prove his suspicions are unfounded, Matty says she will go down to the boat house by herself. Matty opens the boat house door and then, unknown to Ned, secretly dives into the water and swims away. The boat house explodes a few seconds later. The dental records confirm that the real Matty Tyler's body was in the boat house. The police believe that Matty Tyler Walker and Ned were responsible for Edmund's death and that Matty Tyler Walker was killed in the boat house fire. Ned is charged with Edmund's murder and convicted. The fake Matty retrieves the money from the overseas account and moves to an exotic land. While in prison, Ned obtains a copy of the Wheaton High School yearbook and his suspicions about the switched identities are confirmed when he sees the photos of Mary Ann and Matty. He knows that Mary Ann Simpson/Matty Tyler Walker has succeeded in achieving her high school goal.
more clear, Schindler's motivations switch from profit to human sympathy and he is able to save over 1100 Jews from death in the gas chambers. Written by Anthony Hughes <[email protected]> The relocation of Polish Jews from surrounding areas to Krakow in late 1939, shortly after the beginning of World War II. Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a successful businessman, arrives from Czechoslovakia in hopes of using the abundant cheap labour force of Jews to manufacture goods for the German military. Schindler, an opportunistic member of the Nazi party, lavishes bribes upon the army and SS officials in charge of procurement. Sponsored by the military, Schindler acquires a factory for the production of army mess kits. Not knowing much about how to properly run such an enterprise, he gains a contact in Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), a functionary in the local Judenrat (Jewish Council) who has contacts with the now underground Jewish business community in the ghetto. They loan him the money for the factory in return for a small share of products produced (for trade on the black market). Opening the factory, Schindler pleases the Nazis and enjoys his new-found wealth and status as "Herr Direktor," while Stern handles all administration. Stern suggests Schindler hire Jews instead of Poles because they cost less (the Jews themselves get nothing; the wages are paid to the Reich). Workers in Schindler's factory are allowed outside the ghetto, and Stern falsifies documents to ensure that as many people as possible are deemed "essential" by the Nazi bureaucracy, which saves them from being transported to concentration camps, or even being killed. Amon Gth (Ralph Fiennes) arrives in Krakow to initiate construction of a labor camp nearby, Paszw. The SS soon clears the Krakow ghetto, sending in hundreds of troops to empty the cramped rooms and shoot anyone who protests, is uncooperative, elderly, or infirm, or for no reason at all. Schindler watches the massacre from the hills overlooking the area, and is profoundly affected. He nevertheless is careful to befriend Gth and, through Stern's attention to bribery, he continues to enjoy the SS's support and protection. The camp is built outside the city at Paszw. During this time, Schindler bribes Gth into allowing him to build a sub-camp for his workers, with the motive of keeping them safe from the depredations of the guards. Eventually, an order arrives from Berlin commanding Gth to exhume and destroy all bodies of those killed in the Krakow ghetto, dismantle Paszw, and to ship the remaining Jews to Auschwitz. Schindler prevails upon Gth to let him keep "his" workers so that he can move them to a factory in his old home of Zwittau-Brinnlitz, in Moravia -- away from the "final solution" now fully under way in occupied Poland. Gth acquiesces, charging a certain amount for each worker. Schindler and Stern assemble a list of workers that should keep them off the trains to Auschwitz. "Schindler's List" comprises these "skilled" inmates, and for many of those in Paszw camp, being included means the difference between life and death. Almost all of the people on Schindler's list arrive safely at the new site, with the exception to the train carrying the women and the children, which is accidentally redirected to Auschwitz. There, the women are directed to what they believe is a gas chamber; but they see only water falling from the showers. The day after, the women are shown waiting in line for work. In the meantime, Schindler had rushed immediately to Auschwitz to solve the problem and to get the women off from Auschwitz; to this end he bribes the camp commander, Rudolf H (Hans-Michael Rehberg), with a cache of diamonds so that he is able to spare all the women and the children. However, a last problem arises just when all the women are boarding the train because several SS officers attempt to hold some children back and prevent them from leaving. So Schindler, who is there to personally oversee the boarding, steps in and is successful in obtaining from the officers the release of the children. Once the Schindler women arrive in Zwittau-Brinnlitz, Schindler institutes firm controls on the Nazi guards assigned to the factory, permits the Jews to observe the Sabbath, and spends much of his fortune bribing Nazi officials. In his home town, he surprises his wife while she's in church during mass, and tells her that she is the only woman in his life (despite having been shown previously to be a womanizer). She goes with him to the factory to assist him. He runs out of money just as the German army surrenders, ending the war in Europe. As a German Nazi and self-described "profiteer of slave labor," Schindler must flee the oncoming Soviet Red Army. After dismissing the Nazi guards to return to their families, he packs a car in the night, and bids farewell to his workers. They give him a letter explaining he is not a criminal to them, together with a ring engraved with the Talmudic quotation, "He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire." Schindler is touched but deeply distraught, feeling he could've done more to save many more lives. He leaves with his wife during the night. The Schindler Jews, having slept outside the factory gates through the night, are awakened by sunlight the next morning. A Soviet dragoon arrives and announces to the Jews that they have been liberated by the Red Army. The Jews walk to a nearby town in search of food. As they walk abreast, the frame changes to another of the Schindler Jews in the present day at the grave of Oskar Schindler in Israel. The film ends by showing a procession of nowaged Jews who worked in Schindler's factory, each of whom reverently sets a stone on his grave. The actors portraying the major characters walk hand-in-hand with the people they portrayed, also placing stones on Schindler's grave as they pass. The audience learns that the survivors and descendants of the approximately 1,100 Jews sheltered by Schindler now number over 6,000. The Jewish population of Poland, once numbering in the millions, was at the time of the film's release approximately 4,000. In the final scene, a man (Neeson himself, though his face is not visible) places a pair of roses on the grave, and stands contemplatively over it.
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The film begins in 1939 with the German-initiated relocation of Polish Jews from surrounding areas to the Krakw Ghetto shortly after the beginning of World War II. Meanwhile, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), an ethnic German businessman from Moravia, arrives in the city in hopes of making his fortune as a war profiteer. Schindler, a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, lavishes bribes upon the Wehrmacht and SS officials in charge of procurement. Sponsored by the military, Schindler acquires a factory for the production of army mess kits. Not knowing much about how to properly run such an enterprise, he gains a close collaborator in Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), an official of Krakow's Judenrat (Jewish Council) who has contacts with the Jewish business community and the black marketers inside the Ghetto. The Jewish businessmen lend Schindler the money for the factory in return for a small share of products produced. Opening the factory, Schindler pleases the Nazis and enjoys his newfound wealth and status as "Herr Direktor", while Stern handles all the administration. Schindler hires Jewish Poles instead of Catholic Poles because they cost less (the workers themselves get nothing; the wages are paid to the SS). Workers in Schindler's factory are allowed outside the ghetto, and Stern falsifies documents to ensure that as many people as possible are deemed "essential" to the German war effort, which saves them from being transported to concentration camps, or being killed. SS Captain (Hauptsturmfhrer) Amon Gth (Ralph Fiennes) arrives in Krakw to initiate construction of the new Paszw concentration camp. He orders liquidation of part of the ghetto and Operation Reinhard in Krakw begins, with hundreds of troops emptying the cramped rooms and murdering anyone who protests or appears uncooperative, elderly or infirm. In all cases, the killings are shown to be arbitrary and Schindler, watching the massacre from the hills overlooking the area with his mistress, is profoundly affected. He nevertheless is careful to befriend Gth and, through Stern's attention to bribery, Schindler continues to enjoy SS support and protection. During this time, Schindler bribes Gth into allowing him to build a sub-camp for his workers. Originally, his intentions are to continue making money but, as time passes, he begins ordering Stern to save as many lives as possible. As the war shifts, an order arrives from Berlin commanding Gth to exhume and destroy the remains of every Jew murdered in the Krakw Ghetto, dismantle Paszw, and ship the remaining Jews to the Auschwitz concentration camp. At first, Schindler prepares to leave Krakw with his ill-gotten fortune. He finds himslf unable to do so, however, and prevails upon Gth to allow him to keep his workers so that he can move them to a factory in his old home of Zwittau-Brinnlitz, in Moravia away from the Final Solution, now fully underway in occupied Poland. Gth eventually acquiesces, but charges a massive bribe for each worker. Schindler and Stern assemble a list of workers who are to be kept off the trains to Auschwitz. "Schindler's List" comprises these "skilled" inmates, and for many of those in Paszw camp, being included means the difference between life and death. Almost all of the people on Schindler's list arrive safely at the new site. The train carrying the Jewish women is accidentally redirected to Auschwitz. The women are taken to what they believe to be the gas chambers; they then weep with joy and immense relief when water falls from the showers. The day after, the women are shown waiting in line for work. In the meantime, Schindler rushes immediately to Auschwitz. Intending to rescue all the women, he bribes the camp commander, Rudolf H, with a cache of diamonds in exchange for releasing the women to Brinnlitz. However, a last minute problem arises just when all the women are boarding the train. Several SS officers attempt to hold back the children and prevent them from leaving. Schindler, however, insists that he needs their hands to polish the narrow insides of artillery shells. As a result, the children are released. Once the women arrive in Zwittau-Brinnlitz, Schindler institutes firm controls on the SS guards assigned to the factory, forbidding them to shoot or torture anyone. He permits the Jews to observe the Sabbath. In order to keep his factory workers alive, he spends much of his fortune bribing Nazi officials. Later, he surprises his wife while she is in the village church during mass, and tells her that she will now be the only woman in his life, a concession he had refused to grant previously. She goes with him to the factory to assist him. He runs out of money just as the Wehrmacht surrenders, ending the war in Europe. As a Nazi Party member and a self-described "profiteer of slave labor", in 1945, Schindler must flee the advancing Red Army. Although the SS guards have been ordered to liquidate the Jews of Brinnlitz, Schindler persuades them to return to their families as men, not murderers. In the aftermath, he packs a car in the night and bids farewell to his workers. They give him a letter explaining he is not a criminal to them, together with a ring secretly made from a worker's gold dental bridge and engraved with a Talmudic quotation, "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." Schindler is touched but deeply ashamed, feeling he could have done more to save many more lives. Weeping, he considers how many more lives he could have saved as he leaves with his wife during the night. The Schindler Jews, having slept outside the factory gates through the night, are awakened by sunlight the next morning. A Soviet dragoon arrives and announces to the Jews that they have been liberated by the Red Army. The Jews walk to a nearby town in search of food. After a few scenes depicting post-war events and locations, such as the execution of Amon Gth for war crimes and a brief summary of what eventually happened to Schindler in his later years, the film returns to the Jews walking to the nearby town. As they walk abreast, the black and white frame changes to one in color of present-day Schindler Jews at Schindler's gravesite in Jerusalem (where he wanted to be interred).[2] The film ends by showing a procession of now-elderly Jews who worked in Schindler's factory, each of whom reverently sets a stone on his
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grave - a traditional Jewish custom denoting deep gratitude or thanks to the deceased. The actors portraying the major characters walk hand-in-hand with the people they portrayed, placing their stones as they pass. (Ben Kingsley is accompanied by the widow of Itzhak Stern, who died in 1969.) The audience learns that, at the time of the film's release, there were fewer than 4,000 Jews left alive in Poland, but more than 6,000 descendants of the Schindler Jews throughout the world. In the final scene, Liam Neeson (although his face is not visible) places a pair of roses on the grave and stands contemplatively over it. The film concludes with a statement, "In memory of the more than six million Jews murdered"; the closing credits begin with a view of a road paved with headstones culled from Jewish cemeteries during the war (as depicted in the film), before fading to black.
runs to the attic, where Martin and David observe her actions. She says that God is about to walk out of the closet door, and asks her husband to allow her to enjoy the moment. The ambulance, a helicopter, flies by the window, making a lot of noise and shaking the door open. Karin moves toward the door eagerly, but then she runs from it, terrified, and goes into a frenzy of panic. Karin vanishes, and, reappearing in a frenzy, is sedated. When she stands, she tells them of God: a stone-faced spider who tried to penetrate her. She looked into God's eyes, and they were "cool and calm," and when God failed to penetrate her he retreated onto the wall. "I have seen God," she announces. Karin and Martin leave in the helicopter. Minus tells his father that he is afraid, because when Karin had grabbed him in the ship, he began leaving ordinary reality. He asks his father if he can survive that way. David tells him he can if he has "something to hold on to." He tells Minus of his own hope: love. David and his son discuss the concept of love as it relates to God, and the factor of human father-child relationships in the perception of God, in the stretching final chapter of the film. Minus seems relieved, and is tearfully happy that he finally had a real conversation with his father: "Father spoke to me."
Arriving for the 3 o'clock service at the second church, Tomas and Mrta find the building empty except for Algot, the hunchbacked sexton, and Fredrik, the organist (who arrives late and slightly inebriated). Fredrik tells Mrta that she should leave the small town and Tomas and live her life, rather than stay and have her dreams crushed like the rest of them. Meanwhile in the vestry, Algot questions Tomas about the Passion. Algot wonders why so much emphasis was placed on the physical suffering of Jesus, which was brief, versus the many betrayals he faced from his disciples (who denied him, did not understand his message, and did not follow his commands) and finally from God, who did not answer him on the cross. Wasn't God's silence worse, he asks. Tomas, who has been listening silently, answers "yes". Fredrik and Algot wonder if they should have a service since no one showed up, but Tomas replies that someone has shown up: Mrta. Tomas speaks the first lines of the service as the film ends.
Teenage Bride
Starring Sharon Kelly (Colleen Brennan), Cyndee Summers, Jane Louise, Cheri Mann, Don Summerfield, Ron Presson, Elmer Klump College dropout Dennis arrives to stay over at his stepbrother Charlie's house. With Charlie and Sandy's marriage falling apart, Charlie prefers to visit his buxom nudist mistress Marie. As she wants Charlie for herself, Marie wants
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him to tape Sandy seducing Dennis. Meanwhile, bra-less Sandy really does invite Dennis to bed. Charlie finds a private detective who is preoccupied by his secretary Betty. Afterwards, Charlie's own secretary Abigail invites him home. Meanwhile, Dennis confronts Marie, but she seduces him. As Marie lives in the same street as Charlie, the private detective accidentally tapes her and Dennis
poisoning. For the remainder of the weekend, Vicky and Juan Antonio are forced to sight-see alone. During their trip, he tells her about his ex-wife and his loving but violent relationship with her. After more wine over dinner and a guitar concert in a park, Vicky succumbs to his charms and the two make love. The next day, Juan takes them back to Barcelona. Vicky, feeling guilty, does not confess the incident to Cristina, and the two begin to grow apart, Vicky throwing herself into work and Cristina experimenting with photography and poetry. Juan Antonio calls Cristina back, and they begin to date. Doug suddenly suggests to Vicky that they get married in Spain in a civil ceremony, assuring her that their high society wedding will take place later in the States. She agrees, with some misgivings, and he flies to Barcelona from New York. Cristina and Juan Antonio grow closer and they move in together. Suddenly one night, Juan Antonio receives a call that Mara Elena has attempted to kill herself. Since she has nowhere else to go, he brings her home, and she moves into the guest room. Though initially Mara Elena distrusts Cristina, she soon develops a liking for her and encourages her photography, which becomes better as a result. Cristina soon realizes that the ex-spouses are still in love, and Mara Elena confides that their relationship was always loving but unstable because they were missing something, a mystery element neither of them figured out. Mara Elena now suggests that the missing link is in fact, Cristina, and the three indulge in extremely cooperative sexual relationships, as Cristina begins making love to Mara Elena as well. Cristina discloses the events of her life to Vicky, who appears secretly jealous of her friend's freedom, and to Doug, who disapproves. As the summer winds to a close, Vicky has realized that she is unsatisfied in her married life, and is still attracted to Juan Antonio. She sees Judy cheating on her husband but understands why Judy can't leave her husband, and confides in the older woman. Judy, who sees Vicky as a younger version of herself,takes it upon herself to bring the two together. Meanwhile, Cristina realizes that she can't live in a threesome for the rest of her life and decides to leave Juan Antonio and Mara Elena. Maria does not take the news well and breaks down. Cristina goes to France to spend the last week of her summer. With their "missing link" gone, Juan Antonio and Mara Elena break up again. As a final attempt to pair up Juan Antonio and Vicky, Judy arranges for their meeting at a party. He begs her to to meet him the next day. After lying to Doug, Vicky, against her better judgment, goes to Juan's home for lunch, after which Juan tries to seduce her again. She is about to allow herself to be seduced when Mara Elena enters the scene with a gun and begins firing wildly. As Juan Antonio takes the gun away from his sobbing wife, the gun goes off and Vicky is accidentally shot in the hand, wounding her slightly. Vicky shouts at both of them, calling them insane, and that she could never live like this, and leaves. When Cristina returns from France, Vicky confesses the entire story to her. Doug is never told the true version of events. As the three Americans return to the USA, Vicky goes back to her married life and Cristina remains where she started, not knowing what she wants, but knowing what she doesn't. As Vicky chooses to live her planned, perceived ideal life and Cristina chooses to live with no plans for life, they end where they begin.
Taken 2008
Seventeen year-old Kim is the pride and joy of her father Bryan Mills. Bryan is a retired agent who left the Central Intelligence Agency to be near Kim in California. Kim lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart. Kim manages to convince her reluctant father to allow her to travel to Paris with her friend Amanda. When the girls arrive in Paris they share a cab with a stranger named Peter, and Amanda lets it slip that they are alone in Paris. Using this information an Albanian gang of human traffickers kidnaps the girls. Kim barely has time to call her father and give him information. Her father gets to speak briefly to one of the kidnappers and he promises to kill the kidnappers if they do not let his daughter go free. The kidnapper wishes him "good luck," so Bryan Mills travels to Paris to search for his daughter and her friend.
Remember Me
Director: Allen Coulter A romantic drama set in New York City during the summer of 2001, where Tyler, a rebellious young man, meets Ally through a twist of fate. Her spirit helps him heal after a family tragedy, though soon the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them apart.
In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn't think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. Soon, hidden secrets are revealed, tragedy lingers in the air, as the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them apart. Set in the summer of 2001, Remember Me is a story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life. ***In New York City in 1991, an 11-year-old girl named Ally Craig witnesses the murder of her mother on a New York City Subway platform, on the F Line at the 18th Avenue and McDonald Avenue elevated station in Brooklyn. Ten years later, Ally (Emilie De Ravin) is a student at New York University. She lives at home with her overprotective detective father, Neil (Chris Cooper). Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson), a moody, directionless 21 year-old, is auditing classes at NYU and working in a bookstore. He has had a strained relationship with his businessman father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan) since his brother Michael's suicide. Charles appears to ignore his youngest child, Caroline (Ruby Jerins), to whom Tyler is very close. One night, Tyler and his roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) find themselves in trouble with Neil. Later, Aidan sees Neil dropping Ally off at NYU. He decides to retaliate against the detective by persuading Tyler to sleep with and ultimately dump Ally. Tyler reluctantly agrees to meet her. After spending some time together, Ally and Tyler bond over the losses in their lives and begin to fall in love. After Ally sleeps over at Tyler's house, she and her father have a fight, ending with Neil hitting her. Ally then moves in with Tyler and Aidan. Neil's friend, a cop, recognizes Tyler with Ally on a train coming from a beach holiday with his family. Neil breaks into Tyler's apartment and confronts Tyler. Tyler provokes Neil by confessing to Aidan's plan and his initial reason for meeting Ally, which in turn forces Tyler to confess everything to Ally. She leaves him angrily and returns to her father's home. The couple remain alienated until Aidan visits her to explain that only he is to blame, and that Tyler was sincerely in love with her. They are then shown to be back together, as they walk with Caroline in the park. Shortly thereafter, Caroline is bullied by a group of classmates at a birthday party; they cut her hair off, and when they tease her in front of Tyler, he turns violent and ends up in jail again. Charles is impressed that Tyler stood up for his sister, and they begin to reconnect. Later, Charles asks Tyler to meet with him and his lawyers at his office. Charles takes Caroline to school and is late, so Tyler waits in his office, where he sees, on Charles's computer, a screensaver of pictures of Tyler, Michael, and Caroline when they were younger. Caroline is then shown in class and the teacher draws her attention to the board, where the date is revealed as September 11, 2001. Tyler looks out at Manhattan from the window of his father's office which is located in the World Trade Center. Once the 9/11 terrorist attacks begin, the rest of the family rushes to the site, only to see all that is left of Tyler his journal in the rubble. Some time later, Caroline and Charles seem to have a healthy father-daughter relationship. Aidan, who has since gotten a tattoo of Tyler's name on his arm, is working hard in school and Ally is finally taking the subway again, after having avoided it since her mother's death.
the eyes of his estranged twin daughters. Joe One-Way soon discovers that life on the outside may be too dangerous even for him. I was lucky enough to be invited to a pre-release screening of KKFF and where so many of these occasions have been disappointing, this was ninety-odd minutes well spent to say the least. Based on the novel by Joel Rose of the same name, it's the story is of Joe One-Way, a recovering heroin addict and convicted killer who is granted early parole due the arm-twisting, string-pulling antics of New York movie producer Markie Mann. Markie read the play Joe wrote whilst inside and wants to make it into a film. Things seem on the up for Joe until he meets Markie's wife, Fleur whose past is not unlike his own and their immediate connection seems to burn up the furniture from the off. Through a series of flash-backs, we see Joe go from being the young-and-in love occasional smack-dabbler, through to full-blown addict whose young wife can no longer bear to live with him and subsequently, the prison inmate who becomes inspired to write through his relationship with Clinique, his Jamaican cell-mate (played with a combination of cutting dry humour and eerie menace by Shaun Parkes). Upon his release Joe has to make good and combat his demons while at the same time putting them to paper as the pressure mounts for him to complete his script. While the film is exceptionally dark in places - Director Gareth Maxwell Roberts pulls very few punches in highlighting the obviously negative aspects of drug-abuse and prison life - it's an ultimately brilliant and touching tale of a man seeking redemption for the many terrible things he's done. Gil Bellows (who we've seldom seen on the big screen as of late) really comes into his own with the portrayal of such a conflicted character, seemingly leaving behind forever the fluffy, handsome persona he'd carved out during his years on Ally McBeal. Other notable performances are from Esai Morales whose presence as Markie is electric from the minute he arrives spouting producer talk with borderline-Wiseguy attitude, and Lisa Ray as Fleur whose sole purpose for being seems to be making every man in the audience fall in love with her. I'm told the film is being geared up for release in late 2008 and my advice to any self-respecting film lover is to see it at your earliest opportunity.
let alone to Kassie, that he's in love with her. At Kassie's artificial insemination party, Wally gets very drunk and spies the sperm donor's sample in the bathroom. Wally was way to drunk to know what he did that night, and Kassie has moved away because she doesn't feel that New York City is a place to raise a child. Now 7 years later, Kassie has moved back with her son Sebastian. While she is looking to get Roland (the sperm donor) more involved in their lives, Wally can't help but notice the many striking similarities that he and Sebastian share.
climb Hemlock looks up his old friend Ben Bowman (George Kennedy) who trains him for the climb. During his training he is visited by traitor Miles Mellough (Jack Cassidy) who informs Hemlock that the murderer may be closer than he thinks. Once in Switzerland Hemlock starts the climb with a group of younger climbers and suspects each as the possible killer he is seeking, but when they meet with heavy snows on the mountain top and encounter a series of problems Hemlock struggles to save his life and those of his team.
L' Homme qui Aimait les Femmes (The Man Who Loved Women) (1977)
Directed By: Franois Truffaut
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Synopsis: Scientist Bertrand Morane, "never in the company of men after 5," seduces women by evening and writes about the experiences in the early morning.... Scientist Bertrand Morane, "never in the company of men after 5," seduces women by evening and writes about the experiences in the early morning. Though 40ish and somewhat square, no woman in the town of Montpelier seems capable of resisting his earnest advances. Not much else happens in The Man Who Loved Women, but in the hands of master visual storyteller Franois Truffaut, the threadbare plot accumulates deep and ominous philosophical resonances. What drives Morane from woman to woman, and what accounts for his remarkable success? Does he secretly dislike women and consider them interchangeable (as one of the more prurient characters charges, to Morane's genuine befuddlement), or is his enthusiasm a kind of celebration? Truffaut refuses to answer plainly, but does drop clues; as his camera focuses on everyday objects, many take on a chilling, otherwordly luster, and coldly foreshadow Morane's fate. A deceptively simple film, The Man Who Loved Women is neither an indictment nor an apology for philandering; rather, it's a courageous, lovingly detailed portrait of a complex, intelligent man suffering from an altogether intractable complaint. This film was clumsily remade in English in 1983 by Blake Edwards, with Burt Reynolds assuming the role played here with such understated skill by the wonderful Charles Denner. --Miles Bethany
"L' enfant sauvage (The Wild Child) [1970] dir Francois Truffau"
Directed By: Franois Truffaut Synopsis: One of director Franois Truffaut's most unusual films is based on a true story and contains one of his rare acting appearances. In 1798 France, a... One of director Franois Truffaut's most unusual films is based on a true story and contains one of his rare acting appearances. In 1798 France, a feral child (Jean-Pierre Cargol) who's grown up wild in the forest is discovered. Truffaut plays Dr. Jean Itard, the deaf specialist who tries to civilize the boy; the screenplay was adapted from Itard's writings. Truffaut dedicated the film to Jean-Pierre Leaud, the star of his Antoine Doinel series The Wild Child (French: L'Enfant sauvage, released in the United Kingdom as The Wild Boy) (1970) is a French film by director Franois Truffaut Jean-Pierre Cargol ... Victor, l'enfant sauvage Franoise Seigner ... Madame Guerin Annie Miller ... Madame Lemeri Paul Vill ... Remy Mathieu Schiffman ... Mathieu Robert Cambourakis ... Countryman Jean-Franois Stvenin ... Countryman Eva Truffaut ... Girl at farm Franois Truffaut ... Le Dr Jean Itard Jean Dast ... Professor Philippe Pinel Claude Miller ... Monsieur Lemeri Nathan Miller ... Baby Lemeri Jean Gruault ... Visitor at Institute Gitt Magrini ... Countrywoman Laura Truffaut ... Girl at farm
In 1798, a feral boy is discovered outside the town of Aveyron, France. His origins are unknown, but a scar on his neck suggests that he was possibly stabbed by his parents when abandoned as a young child. Diagnosed as mentally impaired, he is relegated to an asylum. A young doctor named Jean Itard, who specializes in ear-nosethroat physiology and the education of deaf-mutes, becomes convinced that the boy has normal mental capacity, but that his development was hindered by lack of contact with society. He brings the boy home, names him Victor, and begins an arduous attempt at education over several years. Francois Truffauts The Wild Child (1970) reflects the directors lifelong fascination with childhood and his deep commitment to reforms in child-rearing. While his celebrated feature debut The Four Hundred Blows (1959) depicted a semi-fictionalized version of his own adolescence, for this film Truffaut turned to a widely-studied historical case that he encountered in a 1964 review of a book on feral children by Lucas Malson. That book has been translated into English under the title Wolf Children and the Problem of Human Nature and includes translations of Jean Itards two reports (from 1799 and 1806) on the wild boy of Aveyron. Jean Itard (1774-1838) carried out his work against a background of recent philosophical and scientific debates about the relationship between human nature, the natural order and society, including the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume, and the taxonomy of Carl Linnaeus. In that respect, one of his goals in educating Victor was to promote his theory that man is only what he is made to be by his circumstances. Although his progress with Victor was ultimately limited--Victor learned to execute a few basic tasks but never learned fully how to speak--Itards observations contributed greatly to the education of deaf-mutes in general and even influenced the educational theories of Maria Montessori. According to biographers Antoine de Baecque and Serge Toubiana, after Truffaut had decided to film the project and assigned the script to Jean Gruault, he viewed films such as Arthur Penns The Miracle Worker (1962), conducted further research on the education of deaf-mutes and even observed an actual autistic child. Some 2,500 boys were considered for the role of Victor. Truffaut finally decided on Jean-Pierre Cargol, who was of Romani
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(Gypsy) origin and was related to a noted guitarist. It is worth noting that Truffaut listed Cargol first in the credits as the ultimate gesture of respect. For the role of the doctor Truffaut decided to cast himself, as he explained in a 1970 interview: The Wild Child is a two-character film. It seemed to me that the essential job in this film was not to manage the action but to concern oneself with the child. I therefore wanted to play the role of Dr. Itard myself in order to deal with him myself and thus avoid going through an intermediary. Admittedly, Truffauts performance is not the films strongest suit compared to Cargol or its luminous black-and-white cinematography (by Nestor Almendros) and scrupulous period detail. However, in retrospect he was probably correct in his intuition that he needed to play the doctor in order to elicit the best performance from Cargol. After the films release, Alfred Hitchcock sent the following telegram to Truffaut: I SAW THE WILD CHILD WHICH I FIND MAGNIFICENT PLEASE SEND ME AN AUTOGRAPH BY THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS THE DOCTOR HE IS TERRIFIC [] Hitchcock knew very well, of course, the actor who plays the doctor. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review and discussed the film's theme is one of Truffaut's favorites. He wrote, "The story is essentially true, drawn from an actual case in 18th Century France, and Truffaut tells it simply and movingly. It becomes his most thoughtful statement on his favorite subject: The way young people grow up, explore themselves, and attempt to function creatively in the world...Truffaut places his personal touch on every frame of the film. He wrote it, directed it, and plays the doctor himself. It is an understated, compassionate performance, a perfect counterpoint to Jean-Pierre Cargol's ferocity and fear...So often movies keep our attention by flashy tricks and cheap melodrama; it is an intellectually cleansing experience to watch this intelligent and hopeful film." The staff at Variety magazine also praised the drama, and wrote, "This is a lucid, penetrating detailing of a young doctor's attempt to civilize a retarded boy found living in the woods in Southern France in the 18th century. Though based on a true case [Jean Itard's Memoire et Rapport sur Victor de L'Aveyron, published in 1806], it eschews didactics and creates a poetic, touching and dignified relationship between the doctor and his savage charge...It progresses slowly but absorbingly. Truffaut underplays but exudes an interior tenderness and dedication. The boy is amazingly and intuitively well played by a tousled gypsy tyke named Jean-Pierre Cargol. Everybody connected with this unusual, off-beat film made in black-and-white rates kudos." French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 1971 Won Critics Award Best Film Franois Truffaut Laurel Awards 1971 3rd place Golden Laurel Best Foreign Film National Board of Review, USA 1971 Won NBR Award Best Director Franois Truffaut 1971 Won NBR Award Best Foreign Language Film France. National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 1971 Won NSFC Award Best Cinematography Nstor Almendros Also for Ma nuit chez Maud (1969).
In the town of Thiers, summer of 1976, teachers and parents give their children skills, love, and attention. A teacher has his first child, a single mother hopes to meet Mr. Right, another mom reaches out to Patrick, a motherless lad who is just discovering the opposite sex. Patrick befriends Julien, a new student who lives in poverty with his mother and has a terrible secret. Bruno shows his friends how to chat up girls. Sylvie stages a witty protest against her parents. Brothers give a friend a haircut. A toddler falls from a window and is unhurt. Everybody goes to the cinema. At camp, Martine catches Patrick's eye. A teacher explains: "Life is hard, but it's wonderful.
Day for Night (La Nuit Amricaine) (The American Night) (1973)
Directed By: Franois Truffaut Synopsis: A film company at work. Actors arrive and depart; liaisons develop. Julie, the beautiful but possibly unstable lead, is recovering from a breakdown,... A film company at work. Actors arrive and depart; liaisons develop. Julie, the beautiful but possibly unstable lead, is recovering from a breakdown, aided by an older physician, her new husband. Alphonse is insecure, he babbles. When his fiance exits with a stunt man, he threatens to quit. Julie must convince him to stay. Alexandre, a consummate pro on the set, runs back and forth to the airport hoping a certain young man will visit. Severine, no longer young, hits the bottle and covers blown lines with emotional outbursts. At the center is Ferrand, the writer director, who must make constant decisions, answer a stream of questions, and deliver the film on schedule. The shooting of "Je vous presente Pamela" (may I introduce Pamela) begins. This is the story of en english married wife falling in love and running away with the father of her French husband. Will be simultaneously shozn the shooting, the behavior of the people (including the technical team) on the set, and a part of their private life (a factor of complication)...
the town. She will track down, charm and kill five men who do not know her. What is her goal ? What is her purpose ?
the station she gives him a hundred dollar bill so that he can go with her on the train. He accepts Alice's offer and the film ends with the two of them riding a train back to Munich.
12 Angry Men
Director: Sidney Lumet Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb and Martin Balsam The defence and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young SpanishAmerican is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room. ### A teenaged Hispanic boy has just been tried for the murder of his father, and the case is now in the hands of the jury. A guilty verdict will send the boy to the electric chair. The case looks, on the surface, cut and dried. But Juror number 8 (Henry Fonda), despite believing that the defendant is probably guilty, feels that the facts merit a cursory review before the jury hands in a guilty verdict. His insistence on a brief examination of the case seems to rub many on the jury the wrong way, as they continue to see the matter as open and shut. Fascinatingly, as they examine the testimony and facts of the case, the experiences, personalities, limitations, and biases of the jurors weave in and out of the deliberation process, at times to its benefit and at times to its detriment. To the benefit of the deliberation process, 1) the very elderly juror (Joseph Sweeney) is the only one who can see a possible motive explaining why an elderly witness may have misled the court in his testimony; 2) the one fellow (Jack Klugman) who grew up in a rough neighborhood, where he witnessed numerous knife fights, is the only one who sees a problem in assuming that the defendant made the stab wound found; and 3) the juror who had done contract work by the elevated subway (Edward Binns) was the only one in a position to question what one of the witnesses might or might not have heard. To the detriment of the deliberation process, 1) one juror (Ed Begley) is so consumed by his personal prejudices that he sees value in ridding the streets of the Hispanic defendant whether or not he is guilty, and 2) another, Juror number 3 (Lee J. Cobb), is impervious to reason because he has been physically harmed by his teenaged son, and, consequently, views every teenaged boy, including the defendant, as capable of patricide. The number of obstacles on the path to honest assessment of the facts is a constant threat to the deliberation process. If the jury fails to unanimously agree on a verdict of either "guilty" or "not guilty," it will become a hung jury (a jury that cannot reach a decision, and must retire from the case without declaring a verdict). Watching how this matter is resolved is a riveting study in the nature, and ultimate beauty, of the trial by jury process. One by one the jurors change their minds and decide the boy is not guilty. Juror number 3, the man at odds with his teenaged son, is the last one to change his mind. The jurors, at last, are able to vote unanimously for acquittal. As they leave, Juror number 8 and Juror number 9, the elderly man, introduce themselves as Davis and McArdle, respectively.
Pulp Fiction
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are two hitmen who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace. Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his next fight. The lives of these seemingly unrelated people are woven together comprising of a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents. ### Late one morning in the Hawthorne Grill, a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, a couple of young Brits called Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) and Pumpkin (Tim Roth) discuss the pros and cons of robbing banks versus liquor stores. Then they add restaurants to the equation, realizing they can make more by taking customers' wallets than they get out of the till. They stand up in their booth and announce that they're robbing the diner. Earlier in the day, Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) arrive at a San Fernando Valley apartment building. They are hit men in the employ of Marsellus Wallace and have come to retrieve a valuable belonging of Wallace's from a group of would-be crooks led by a young and naive guy named Brett (Frank Whaley). They take back the valuable item -- kept in a briefcase, it glows warmly and transfixes whoever looks at it. Jules recites what he claims is a Bible verse, Ezekiel 25:17, before he and Vincent execute Brett and his men. Story #1: VINCENT VEGA AND MARSELLUS WALLACE'S WIFE At his strip club, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) pays boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) to throw his next fight. Jules and Vincent arrive; though it's only a few hours after their visit to the Valley, the two hit men are sporting gym clothes in place of the suits they wore earlier in the day. While Jules heads to the men's room, Vincent goes to the bar and encounters Butch. The men take an instant dislike to each other. Vincent insults Butch but before Butch can retaliate, Marsellus calls Vincent over and embraces him. Marsellus is leaving town that evening and Vincent is to take Marsellus's wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), out for dinner to keep her entertained. Rumors abound that Marsellus gravely wounded another associate who he believed had been improperly friendly with Mia, so Vincent is nervous. Before picking Mia up, he visits his drug dealer, Lance (Eric Stoltz), and buys some high-quality heroin. Properly sedated, he escorts the cocaine-addicted, chain-smoking Mia to Jack Rabbit Slim's, a West Hollywood 1950s theme restaurant. After some small talk about European travel, Mia's failed acting career, and foot massage, Mia enters herself and Vincent in a dance contest. They dance the twist and win an award. After dinner, they return to the Wallaces' home. Vincent goes to the bathroom to talk himself out of making a pass at Mia. Meanwhile, she discovers the baggie of heroin in his coat pocket and, assuming it's cocaine, snorts some. She immediately passes out and begins to foam at the mouth. Panicked, Vincent takes the dying Mia to Lance's where they argue about what to do with her. Following Lance's advice, Vincent is able to revive her with a shot of adrenaline administered straight to the heart. Vincent takes Mia home. They agree not to tell Marsellus what happened since both of them would get in trouble for it. Story #2: THE GOLD WATCH The following night, before his fight, Butch dreams of an incident from his childhood: Back at his Tennessee home in 1973, Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) visited Butch to bring him a gold watch. The watch had belonged to Butch's great-grandfather, who took it to World War I with him. Butch's grandfather had taken it to World War II, and Butch's father to Vietnam. Butch's father died as a POW, but gave the watch to Koons to return to Butch. Koons says that he and Butch's father had to hide the watch in their rectums to keep it away from their captors. Butch wakes from the dream. Instead of throwing the match (not shown on-screen), he fights so viciously that he kills his opponent. He took Marsellus' money and bet it on himself; his winnings will amount to a small fortune. Butch makes small talk with Esmarelda (Angela Jones), the driver of the cab he is in, who reveals that she knows he's the boxer who killed his opponent; she seems fascinated with the topic of death. Esmarelda drives Butch to the seedy motel where he and his French girlfriend, Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros), are staying, having abandoned their apartment. In the morning they will travel to Butch's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, claim their winnings, and leave the country. While packing the next morning, however, Fabienne reveals that she forgot the gold watch, the belonging Butch cherishes above all others. After a savage outburst in which he wrecks the motel room, Butch takes Fabienne's car to get the watch, parking a few blocks away and walking across a field to his apartment as a precaution. He enters without incident and finds his wristwatch in the bedroom. He realizes he's not alone in the apartment when he notices a gun in the kitchen. Catching Vincent off guard as he emerges from the bathroom, Butch kills him with his own gun. Leaving the apartment with his watch, Butch encounters Marsellus crossing the street. He tries to run Marsellus over with his car but only wounds him and is hit by another car himself. Marsellus chases Butch into a pawn shop. There, the owner Maynard (Duane Whitaker) overpowers them. Marsellus and Butch wake up in the basement of the pawn shop, bound and gagged. Maynard has called his cousin Zed (Peter Greene), who works as a security
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guard. Maynard and Zed are apparently a pair of redneck serial killers who kill passersby who happen into their store. While the Gimp (Stephen Hibbert), a huge manchild dressed head to toe in black leather fetish gear, watches Butch, Maynard and Zed take Marsellus into the next room and begin to rape him. Butch escapes and knocks out the Gimp. Rather than leave the pawn shop, he procures a samurai sword and rescues Marsellus; in the process, Maynard is killed and Zed emasculated by a shotgun blast. Marsellus stays behind to oversee the torture-execution of Zed ("I'ma get medieval on your ass," he tells him), but promises that as long as Butch never mentions what happened and never returns to Los Angeles, Marsellus will forget that Butch betrayed him in the boxing ring. Butch agrees. In the final scene, Butch and Fabienne leave town on Zed's chopper-style motorcycle. Story #3: THE BONNIE SITUATION Three days earlier, flashing back in time to just after Vincent and Jules finish killing Brett for stealing Marsellus' prized possession, a gang member they had not known about bursts out of the bathroom and empties his gun point blank at them. However, all of the bullets miss Vincent and Jules, hitting the wall behind them, so they kill the gang member. Jules is certain this is a miracle but Vincent dismisses the idea. They leave with Marvin (Phil LaMarr), Marsellus' inside man in the gang. In the car, Vincent asks Marvin if he believes in miracles, but accidentally shoots him in the head and kills him. The inside of the car is now covered in blood and brain matter. Jules drives to the house of his only friend in the Valley, a former colleague named Jimmie (Quentin Tarantino). Jimmie lets them hide the car but angrily tells them that they have to get rid of the body within an hour -- before his wife Bonnie comes home from her night shift at a hospital. Jules calls Marsellus at his home to explain their predicament. Marsellus then calls Winston Wolf (Harvey Keitel), a suave and professional criminal and gambler who solves problems. Wolf arrives at Jimmie's house and tells Vincent and Jules how to clean up the car and themselves -- they have to strip out of their business suits and wear Jimmie's spare T-shirts and shorts (which explains their appearance at the strip club) -- then helps them dispose of the car and body at a junkyard belonging to a discreet friend named Monster Joe, whose daughter is Mr. Wolf's girlfriend. With the whole situation resolved, Jules and Vincent decide to have breakfast at the Hawthorne Grill, where they continue their discussion about miracles. Jules reveals his plan to leave his criminal life and travel the globe as a mendicant, helping those suffering under tyranny. Vincent mocks him, then goes to the bathroom. Just then Honey Bunny and Pumpkin (from the prologue) begin their robbery of the diner. They collect the cash from the register and the patrons' wallets. Jules gives Pumpkin his wallet, but when Pumpkin tries to take Marsellus' briefcase, Jules pulls his gun and disarms Pumpkin. While Vincent holds Honey Bunny at bay, Jules explains to Pumpkin how, even earlier that morning, he would have killed Pumpkin and Honey Bunny without a second thought. He recites his ersatz version of Ezekiel 25:17 again: "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." Jules explains that while he previously thought it was cool to make such a cold-blooded passage the last thing his victims heard, he now realizes that the "tyranny of evil men" part of the passage refers to him, and he intends to become a better person. He and Vincent allow Honey Bunny and Pumpkin to leave with all the money but not the briefcase. They leave the diner themselves and head to Marsellus' strip club.
Black Swan
Director: Darren Aronofsky Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her. ### The movie opens as Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a young 20-something ballerina, is dancing the prologue to Swan Lake. Swan Lake is a ballet in which a young woman is turned into a swan and can only be turned back by the kiss of her true love. As Nina dances (in what turns out to be a dream), a sorcerer appears and places a curse on Nina, and she wakes up in her apartment. She begins her daily ballet stretching telling her mother about her dream. Nina mentions that the director of her ballet company promised to feature her more this season and her
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mother agrees that she's been there long enough. Nina goes to the ballet studio only to learn that Beth (Winona Ryder), the head of the ballet, is being put out to pasture because of her age. As a result, the director, Tomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) is looking for a new face to feature the company. Tomas announces to the company that the first performance of the season will be a reworking of Swan Lake. He casually walks among the dancers as they're practicing nonchalantly tapping several girls on the shoulder. He then tells those he tapped to be certain they're at the next rehearsel -- those he didn't are to meet with him later for, unknowingly, a private audition for the next Swan Queen. As she's transcends into the Black Swan, Nina's audition is interrupted by the late arrival of new dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) . Already fearing imperfection and disappointing Tomas, she loses focuses when she makes eye contact with Lily. Despite her flawless performance as the White Swan, Tomas is not impressed by Nina's performance as she failed to capture the sexuality of the Black Swan. Nina goes home in tears and practices until she cracks her big toe nail. The next day, Nina visits Tomas in his office telling him she finished the Black Swan at home and wants the role. He tells her that he's decided to give it to another dancer. He then grabs her face and kisses her passionately. Angered by this unwanted advance, Nina bites him on the lip and runs out of his office -- which both shocks and impresses him. Nina sees Beth having a emotional meltdown in her private dressing room throwing things and breaking the full length mirrors. After Beth leaves, Nina decides to take a peek inside. She sits down in Beth's chair and stares at herself in the mirror which is surrounded by globe lights. She begins to go through Beth's things and stashes several items in her purse, specifically, nail polish, diamond earrings, a nail file and tube of lipstick. She sneaks out of Beth's dressing room just as the girls begin running down the hall to find out who has been chosen as the new Swan Queen. Feeling certain she didn't get the role, Nina congratulates another dancer for getting it. The girl runs to see the posting and darts back to Nina, who is not aware that SHE is actually the new Swan Queen, shouting how could she be so cruel like that? Stunned, Nina decides to go see who received the role. Several girls gather around her congratulating her. Overjoyed -- and nauseous -- she calls her mother from the bathroom and tells her that she won the part. When she leaves the bathroom stall she sees the word "WHORE" written on the mirror in red lipstick and frantically struggles to clean it off. Meanwhile, Nina's mother quickly orders her a beautiful pink and white frosted cake -- strawberries and cream, their favorite -- and presents it to her and she walks in the door of their home. Her mother cuts her a slice but Nina refuses telling her that her stomach is still in knots. Becoming angry her mother begins to throw the cake out leaving Nina feeling guilty. She accepts a slice and takes a few small bites, then runs to the bathroom and trys to vomit it back up. Over the next several days, the stress of the role and her inability to perform get to Nina. She begins having visions of herself in black walking around, often filling in for Lily. Tomas holds a gala to officially announce Beth's "retirement" and Nina's rise as the Swan Queen. Nina goes to the bathroom and on her way out encounters Lily coming in. In front of Nina, Lily takes off her panties putting them in her purse then sits down on the toilet to urinate. Lily congratulates Nina on her role, but Nina is uncomfortable and attempts to excuse herself. Lily playfully asks her to stay, but Nina leaves. As Nina and Tomas leave the party, Tomas is momentarily called back inside. Intoxicated with dripping black mascara from crying, Beth confronts Nina asking if her if she had to suck Tomas' cock to get the role. Nina is offended, and tells Beth that she didn't have to. Tomas appears and diffuses soothing Beth by calling her "My little princess" and then takes Nina back to his place. He brusquely asks her if she likes making love and gives her a homework assignment: she must touch herself and get in touch with her sexuality so that she may better inhabit the role. The next day, at the company the dances huddle to grieve over Beth. Curious as to what happened, they tell Nina that she was in an accident and is in the hospital. Later, Tomas pulls her to the side and tells her he believes that Beth threw herself into oncoming traffic. She visits Beth in the hospital where she finds her room filled with beautiful flowers and cards wishing her a quick recovery. As Beth lays comatose in the bed, she lifts up the sheet draped over Beth and sees metal bars sticking out of her leg. Horrified, she quickly turns to leave and bumps into Beth's nurse who asks what she is doing there. Later, Nina's mother sees scratches on Nina's back, and asks what they are from. Nina brushes her off. Nina wakes up the next morning and begins masturbating. As she becomes aroused, she is startled to realize her mother is asleep in the chair next to her bed. She goes to practice and still cannot get the passion of the Black
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Swan into the performance. Disappointed, Tomas sends the other dancers home and steps in to dance as Nina's partner. As they dance together, he slowly moves his hands over her thighs arousing her. After a deep kiss, he lets go of her and walks away calling over his shoulder that he seduced her and that it should be the other way around with her performance. Nina is left behind to practice. Nina feeling as though she has disappointed Tomas, sits alone and cries. Lily arrives and sees her seated, drying her tears. Lily chats casually, implying that Tomas has a tendency of sleeping with the troop and Nina tries to defend him. Lily realizes that Nina has a crush on Tomas and jokes about it. Infuriated by such a thought, Nina gets upset and leaves. The next day, Tomas angrily asks Nina if she needs time off, after Lily's comment to him that he should cut Nina some slack. Angered Nina tracks Lily down in the general dressing room where she is greeted with banter the other dancers that "the queen" is gracing their presence on their turf. She takes Lily aside yelling at her for talking about her to Tomas. That night, Nina's mother sees more scratches on Nina's back and assumes that Nina has been hurting herself as she used to when she was younger. However, before she can confirm it there is a knock at the door. She answers the door and talks quickly before closing the door. Nina demands to know who it is, then goes to the door and sees Lily. She asks how Lily knew where she lived and Lily tells her she asked Tomas' secretary. Lily invites her out and Nina leaves with her, despite her mothers protests that it's the night before a long day of work and she should stay home. Nina and Lily go out and Lily offers Nina a pill to relax, saying it would only last a few hours. Nina turns it down. Nina goes to the bathroom and returns to see Lily slip the content of the pill into a drink, as she flirts with two guys named Tom and Jerry. Nina is reassured by Lily that the pills will only last a few hours and downs her glass. The two have a crazy, drugged night of clubbing with two guys. When Nina is next lucid, she finds herself hooking up with a man in a bathroom. She leaves to find a cab and Lily runs to catch up with her. They take a taxi back to Nina's apartment. Nina's mother is waiting for them and asks Nina what she was doing out late and Nina says, "I was with two guys named Tom and Jerry and I fucked them both," and laughs. Nina's mother is horrified and slaps her. Nina grabs Lily and runs into her room, barricading the door with a piece of wood. As a distraught Nina looks on, Lily walks up and suddenly kisses her on the lips. Momentarily stunned by this sudden display, Nina passionately kisses Lily back. Lily begins to orally pleasure Nina, and as Nina reaches orgasm, she sees Lily morph into herself, which scares her. But the two continue to have sex before Lily (as Nina) says, "innocent girl" and puts raises a pillow to smother Nina. Nina wakes up the next morning with a headache to find Lily gone and realizes she is late for work. As her mother sits quietly in the living room, Nina yells at her as she's rushing out the door for not waking her and tells her that she plans to move out. When Nina arrives at the ballet studio, she finds Lily in her costume, practicing her routine. She asks Lily when she left her house and Lily claims she was never there and had last saw her at the club. She is flattered that Nina had a wet dream about her and asks playfully if she was any good. Nina leaves uncomfortable and frustrated, wondering if her lovemaking with Lily had really happened or not. Tomas informs Nina that her alternate for the performance is now Lily, which enrages Nina. Nina begs Tomas to not make Lily the alternate, convinced that Lily is trying to steal the role from her. Tomas calls her paranoid and that the only person trying to sabotage Nina is "Nina". That night, Nina is practicing alone in the studio and the lights shut off. She calls out for someone to turn the lights back on, and sees a cloaked figure darting around in the shadows (the Sorcerer from the dream). She then finds Tomas having sex with Lily behind a curtain. Lily smiles at her and Nina runs away. In a fit of hysteria, Nina goes to the hospital to find Beth sitting motionlessly in a wheelchair, now a decrepit shadow of the woman she used to be. Nina quietly places the items she stole on the table next to Beth, when Beth suddenly grabs her arm. Beth is angry that Nina stole from her and then notices the nail file and picks it up. She then takes the nail file and stabs herself in the face with it repeatedly. Nina grabs the nail file from Beth's hand and runs fearfully from the room to the elevator. As she gets in the elevator, she drops the bloody nail file. Nina returns home dashing hysterically into the bathroom to wash her hands which are covered in Beth's blood. She then calls down the hall for her mother walking towards her mother's art studio. As she peers in, she imagines her mother's paintings moving and talking to her. Nina runs to her bedroom, followed by her mother. As she tries to reach Nina, Nina slams the door on her hand, breaking it. Inside Nina's room her skin begins to shift, her eyes reddening and changing, her skin taking on a birdlike texture and her knee joints violently changing to those of a bird. Nina falls and hits her head on a bed post, collapsing.
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Nina wakes up the next day, normal, but with gloves on her hands to prevent scratching. She realizes it is only hours prior to the premiere of Swan Lake, but her mother has locked them room and tells Nina that she called Tomas and told him that Nina was sick. Nina frantically tries to get out, but the door nob has been removed. Nina hits her mother and her broken hand, and steals the door knob to leave. Nina arrives at the ballet to find Lily in her dressing room prepared to take the role. Nina confidently tells Tomas that she is ready to perform and if she doesn't take the stage, the troupe will be marred with controversy, after Beth's incident. Nina goes to the dressing room. The first half of the performance is ruined when Nina is dropped by her partner, who appears to be sexually involved with Lily. Tomas is enraged, and during the intermission, Nina is attacked by Lily in her dressing room. Lily once again morphs into Nina, and Nina struggles against her. Nina pushes Lily into a full-length mirror and it shatters. Nina then uses a shard of glass to stab her. Unsure of what to do, Nina hides the bleeding body in her bathroom and takes the stage as the Black Swan. She dances fervently and as she dances, she begins to physically transform into a large Black Swan on stage. She dances the part better than ever and the crowd is amazed, giving her a standing ovation. After leaving the stage Nina seizes the moment to kiss Tomas passionately, after finally effectively seducing him with her movements. She then leaves the stage and goes to change for the next act, placing a towel over the growing pool of blood emerging from under the bathroom door. Suddenly, the real Lily arrives to congratulate Nina for her incredible performance. Nina is shocked, moving the towel to see no blood. She touches her chest and finds the shard of glass embedded in it. (In her unhinged and delusional mind, Nina has just stabbed herself imaging herself as Lily). Nina slowly removes the mirror shard and takes the stage as the White Swan despite her bleeding wound. She dances beautifully, and the audience does not notice the spot of blood forming under her white costume. In the final act, as the Swan Queen commits suicide and she calmly leaps from the constructed hill on the stunt mattress, the spot of blood growing and staining her white feathered dress. Tomas is overjoyed and newly infatuated with Nina and crouches down to congratulate her, a crowd of ballerinas gathering around the star. Lily suddenly gasps, the first to notice the huge stain of blood forming at Nina's chest. Someone calls for help, and Tomas frantically asks her what she did. Nina calmly and quietly utters that she was "perfect." The crowd roars as Nina dies.
table tennis craze, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone ### The film begins with a feather falling to the feet of Forrest Gump who is sitting at a bus stop in Savannah, Georgia. Forrest picks up the feather and puts it in the book Curious George, then tells the story of his life to a woman seated next to him. The listeners at the bus stop change regularly throughout his narration, each showing a different attitude ranging from disbelief and indifference to rapt veneration. On his first day of school, he meets a girl named Jenny, whose life is followed in parallel to Forrest's at times. Having discarded his leg braces, his ability to run at lightning speed gets him into college on a football scholarship. After his college graduation, he enlists in the army and is sent to Vietnam, where he makes fast friends with a black man named Bubba, who convinces Forrest to go into the shrimping business with him when the war is over. Later while on patrol, Forrest's platoon is attacked. Though Forrest rescues many of the men, Bubba is killed in action. Forrest is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism. While Forrest is in recovery for a bullet shot to his "butt-tox", he discovers his uncanny ability for ping-pong, eventually gaining popularity and rising to celebrity status, later playing ping-pong competitively against Chinese teams. At an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. Forrest reunites with Jenny, who has been living a hippie counterculture lifestyle. Returning home, Forrest endorses a company that makes ping-pong paddles, earning himself $25,000, which he uses to buy a shrimping boat, fulfilling his promise to Bubba. His commanding officer from Vietnam, Lieutenant Dan, joins him. Though initially Forrest has little success, after finding his boat the only surviving boat in the area after Hurricane Carmen, he begins to pull in huge amounts of shrimp and uses it to buy an entire fleet of shrimp boats. Lt. Dan invests the money in Apple Computer and Forrest is financially secure for the rest of his life. He returns home to see his mother's last days. One day, Jenny returns to visit Forrest and he proposes marriage to her. She declines, though feels obliged to prove her love to him by sleeping with him. She leaves early the next morning. On a whim, Forrest elects to go for a run. Seemingly capriciously, he decides to keep running across the country several times, over some three and a half years, becoming famous. In present-day, Forrest reveals that he is waiting at the bus stop because he received a letter from Jenny who, having seen him run on television, asks him to visit her. Once he is reunited with Jenny, Forrest discovers she has a young son, of whom Forrest is the father. Jenny tells Forrest she is suffering from a virus (probably HIV, though this is never definitively stated). Together the three move back to Greenbow, Alabama. Jenny and Forrest finally marry. Jenny dies soon afterward. The film ends with father and son waiting for the school bus on little Forrest's first day of school. Opening the book his son is taking to school, the white feather from the beginning of the movie is seen to fall from within the pages. As the bus pulls away, the white feather is caught on a breeze and drifts skyward.
daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew free of personal commitments, belongings grief and love. She intends to spiritually commit suicide by withdrawing from the world and live completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. However, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery and the music around which the film revolves heals Julie and irresistably draws her back to the land of the living.
Three Colors: White (Trzy kolory: Bialy) (Trois Couleurs: Blanc) (1994)
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski Second of a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society shows a man dealing with a Polish immigrant whose wife wants to divorce him because he can't perform in bed. Karol (Polish) marries Domininque (French) and moves to Paris. The marriage breaks down and Dominique divorces Karol, forcing him into the life of a metro beggar and eventually back to Poland. However, he never forgets Dominique and while building a new life for himself in Warsaw he begins to plot...
Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) (1968)
Director: Sergio Leone Story of a young woman, Mrs. McBain, who moves from New Orleans to frontier Utah, on the very edge of the American West. She arrives to find her new husband and family slaughtered, but by who? The prime suspect, coffee-lover Cheyenne, befriends her and offers to go after the real killer, assassin gang leader Frank, in her honor. He is accompanied by Harmonica on his quest to get even. Get-rich-quick subplots and intricate character histories intertwine with such artistic flair that this could in fact be the movie-to-end-all-movies. ### In the desert Southwest of America during the waning days of the Old West, three gunmen two wearing long duster overcoats (Jack Elam, Woody Strode, Al Mulock) take over an isolated train depot and settle in to wait for the train. When the train finally comes, a nameless harmonica-playing stranger (Charles Bronson) gets off and asks for someone named Frank. They tell him Frank sent them in his place. In the ensuing showdown, all four men go down. Only the man with the harmonica gets up again. The soundtrack to the opening scene is a creative orchestration of ordinary sounds in the style of the John Cage. Composer Ennio Morricone uses dripping water, the clicking of a telegraph, a buzzing fly, and over all the persistent, annoying squeak of a windmill-powered pump to build tension, punctuate visual jokes, and emphasize the tedium of waiting for the train. The scant dialog allows the soundtrack to consume much more of our attention than a score usually does. On a remote farm called Sweetwater, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) and his family are preparing an outdoor wedding feast. McBain tells his son Patrick to drive into town to meet his new mother, who will be arriving by train from New Orleans. Suddenly shots ring out from the surrounding desert, and daughter Maureen, son Patrick, and McBain himself are slain. The youngest McBain, Timmy, runs out of the house to find that his entire family has been destroyed. He watches in terrified silence as a group of five gunmen in duster overcoats emerge from the scrub brush. When one of the men calls their leader Frank by name, asking what to do with the child, Frank (Henry Fonda) draws his pistol and slowly takes aim at the last remaining witness. With a self-satisfied grin, he pulls the trigger. In the town of Flagstone, McBain's bride Jill (Claudia Cardinale) steps down from the train to find that no one is there to meet her. Giving up hope, she steps through the train station into the bustling new town still being built. She hires a carriage to drive her to Sweetwater. The farm's name draws laughter from the driver, Sam (Paolo Stoppa), who informs her that "Sweetwater" is a worthless piece of ground, and McBain is crazy for trying to farm it. Along the way, Sam speeds through a group of railroad workers busily laying their "damn rails." Then he stops at a wayside inn/tavern/trading post, and Jill follows him inside. Her beauty draws the unwelcome attentions of the barman (Lionel Stander). After a noisy off-screen gun battle, the outlaw Cheyenne (Jason Robards) enters wearing shackles on his wrists. The sounds of a harmonica again reveal the presence of the nameless stranger, who has been watching from a dark corner of the tavern. Cheyenne dubs him "Harmonica," and he uses Harmonica's gun to force another patron to shoot apart the chain between his wrists. Cheyenne's men soon arrive, too late to help him escape the prison guards who now lie dead outside. Harmonica notes that the three men he killed earlier were wearing the same duster overcoats as Cheyenne's men, and Cheyenne is annoyed that rivals may be copying his trademark dusters. Jill and Sam arrive at Sweetwater to find a crowd of somber wedding guests standing around the outdoor tables,
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now put to use as funeral biers. Jill is horrified at the carnage. When one of the women bemoans that this should happen to the "poor little miss" on her wedding day, Jill informs the guests that she and Brett McBain were married a month earlier in New Orleans. As the burial comes to an end, the crowd discovers that the torn-off collar of a duster overcoat was found on a nail by the door. This marks the massacre as Cheyenne's work. The men form a posse and ride off to track down the outlaw and hang him. Sam offers to drive Jill back to Flagstone, but she says she will stay at Sweetwater. That evening, she ransacks the McBain household, looking for anything of value that might have been hidden away. At the town laundry in Flagstone that night, Harmonica puts the laundry man Wobbles through a violent interrogation, wanting to know why Frank didn't show up at the train. Wobbles doesn't know; he only arranged the meeting. Harmonica suspects Frank was occupied at McBain's farm just then, but Wobbles insists otherwise: "Cheyenne did that job--everyone knows that. We got proof." Harmonica doesn't believe it: "That was always one of Frank's tricks--fakin' evidence." Jill finds a group of miniature buildings stored away in a trunk, including a model train station with a fancy swinging sign that says "STATION." She hears the sound of a harmonica outside and fires a shotgun into the darkness. The sound of the harmonica moves farther away. In the morning as she is about to leave for good, she finds Cheyenne on her doorstep. While his men wait outside, he barges in and asks for coffee. He tells of being chased by the posse all night and helps make the fire for the coffee. He says he would never kill a kid: "I ain't the mean bastard people make out." He decided to come take a look at the scene of his supposed crime. Not only is he annoyed that someone is trying to blame him, but neither he nor Jill can understand why the killings happened at all. The place looks so worthless, he imagines that McBain must have hidden a treasure away somewhere. Jill tells him that if so, she couldn't find it. Aware that she is vulnerable to any sort of mistreatment Cheyenne and his men might deal out, she serves the coffee. In a private railroad car, Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti), a crippled and dying railroad tycoon, berates Frank for killing the McBains. He only wanted Frank to scare McBain, not kill him. And now a Mrs. McBain has shown up, making the killings pointless. Morton began building his railroad in sight of the Atlantic Ocean, and he means to build his way to the Pacific before he dies. He hired Frank to "remove small obstacles from the tracks," but Frank intends to become a wealthy businessman himself. Morton tells Frank he will never be like Morton, because Frank doesn't understand that money is more powerful than guns. After sharing a congenial interlude with Jill, Cheyenne finishes his coffee and rides away with his men. Jill takes her traveling bags out to the wagon. But Harmonica is there and demands that she stay. As he throws her down roughly and begins ripping at her clothes, Jill becomes alarmed. Instead of harming her, he simply removes the white trimmings from her black dress, leaving her in full mourning. They go to the well for a drink of water, only to be attacked by two more of Frank's men. Harmonica kills them, and from a nearby vantage point Cheyenne sees how handy Harmonica is with a gun. Jill goes to the laundry and asks Wobbles to tell Frank she knows everything and wants to negotiate with Frank personally. Wobbles denies knowing anyone named Frank, but Jill repeats her demand and leaves. Wobbles heads out to Morton's private train, unaware that Harmonica is following him. Morton scolds him for coming there, but Wobbles says he wasn't followed, and he thought Morton and Frank would want to know about Mrs. McBain. When Frank sees Harmonica's shadow on the ground, he knows someone is on the roof, and he signals the train to start moving. Stopping in open country, Frank captures Harmonica (at which time a blurry flashback appears of an indistinct man walking through a desert landscape, but no explanation is given). Frank has Harmonica brought on board and bound. He kicks Wobbles off the train (literally) and shoots him down just as Wobbles is about to reveal the presence of Cheyenne hiding in the train's undercarriage. Harmonica lets Frank know that the two men he sent to kill Jill are themselves dead. Realizing this is the man who wanted to meet with him, Frank asks Harmonica who he is. Harmonica answers with the names of two men Frank has killed. Morton interrupts the interrogation to remind Frank he has more urgent business: the woman. Taking to horseback, Frank rides away with three of his men to do away with Mrs. McBain himself. He leaves three men behind on the train to guard Harmonica and keep an eye on Morton, whom he doesn't trust. Frank tells the men to meet him at the Navajo cliff, and the train gets under way again. Over the next few minutes, Cheyenne craftily disposes of the three gunmen one by one and sets Harmonica free. They now have Morton in their power, but they will deal with him later, choosing to stop the train and ride to Jill's aid. At Sweetwater, Jill is puzzled by the arrival of a large amount of lumber and building supplies that McBain ordered. Since he paid cash, it all belongs to her. Neither the lumberman nor Sam can say what it's for, but there are enough materials to build at least eight buildings. When the lumberman shows her a blank sign and asks if she knows what
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should go on it, she recognizes its outline from the miniature train station and tells him it should say "STATION." Inside the house, she looks through the trunk again for the model train station. Just then, Frank captures her. At the Navajo cliff, Morton offers to buy Sweetwater to avoid more killing--he's had enough of Frank's butcher tactics. He doesn't have time to compete with Frank. But away from his train, Morton looks weak and pathetic, no competition at all as far as Frank is concerned. Frank kicks one of his crutches out from under him, sending Morton sprawling face first: "I could squash you like a wormy apple." Frank tells some of his men to take Morton back to his train and watch him. At Sweetwater, Cheyenne and his men are just as puzzled by the building supplies as Jill was. Harmonica paces off the dimensions of a train station while explaining to Cheyenne what he has seen in a document: McBain was planning to build a town at Sweetwater, which has the only water supply for fifty miles west of Flagstone. Since trains need lots of water to make steam, the railroad must inevitably come through Sweetwater. McBain contracted for the rights to operate the depot himself, provided it was built by the time the tracks reached it. Knowing that the rail gangs are just over the hill, Cheyenne puts his men to work building the station. Inside a ruin at the Navajo cliff, Frank enjoys an intimate interlude with his captive Jill. He remarks that she will do anything to stay alive and that it seems she can't resist a man's touch, even the touch of the man who killed her husband. Frank knows from inquiries sent over the telegraph that Jill was one of the most popular prostitutes in New Orleans until she married McBain. As he undresses her, he thinks of marrying her himself to take over the land. Realizing he would make a bad husband, he comes up with a quicker, simpler solution. Jill sits in quiet resignation in the saloon at Flagstone, where people have gathered for a land auction. One of Frank's men hovers over her, and several more are scattered through the crowd, ready to intimidate anyone who even starts to make a bid. It's Frank's way of getting the property for himself cheaply. The sheriff (Keenan Wynn) reluctantly gets the auction under way. Meanwhile on Morton's train, Morton can sense that his dream of seeing the Pacific is growing more and more remote. He joins a game of poker with four of Frank's men who are now his captors. Instead of dealing out cards, he deals out five hundred dollars to each of the men to buy their allegiance to him. Back at the land auction, one of Frank's still-loyal men bids five hundred dollars for the farm. Just as the sheriff is about to close the sale, Harmonica calls out a bid of five thousand dollars. In what is most likely a scheme devised by both men, Harmonica brings in an indignant Cheyenne at gunpoint and turns him in for the reward money to cover his bid. The sheriff puts Cheyenne under guard on the train bound to Yuma, where there is a new, strong, modern prison that is much more secure than the local jail. But two of Cheyenne's men follow him onto the train after buying one-way tickets to the next station. Meanwhile, one of the men on Morton's train rides into town to tell the others what transpired in the poker game. Jill is grateful that Harmonica has saved the farm for her, and she begins to look at him more warmly. Frank enters the saloon and offers Harmonica five thousand dollars for the farm, plus one silver dollar profit. Again he asks Harmonica's name, and Harmonica answers with the names of two more dead men: "They were all alive until they met you, Frank." (Again, the blurred flashback appears, but the image of Frank walking through the desert becomes clearer than before.) Harmonica rejects the offer but uses Frank's silver dollar to pay for his drink. Having noticed suspicious activity outside, Harmonica goes to watch from the upstairs windows and balcony, breaking into the room where Jill is taking a steamy bath. Frank steps out of the saloon onto the street--and into a deadly cat-andmouse game. His former men, now Morton's men, try to gun him down. But with some "timely" assistance from Harmonica, Frank manages to kill them instead and rides out. Jill is furious at Harmonica for saving Frank's life. He tells her, "I didn't let them kill him and that's not the same thing." Frank discovers the aftermath of a gun battle at Morton's train. Bodies of Frank's men and Cheyenne's men lie strewn along the tracks and in Morton's private car. He finds Morton crawling desperately to a nearby mud puddle. Frank draws and cocks his gun to finish him off but then decides to let him suffer. With the sound of ocean waves crashing in his mind, Morton dies. The tracks are reaching Sweetwater at last, and builders are busily turning the farmyard into the beginnings of a town. Harmonica sits at the farmyard gate as Cheyenne comes riding awkwardly in and goes inside. Not quite his usual self, he again asks for coffee, which Jill has ready this time. They both sense that outside something important is about to happen with Harmonica, but they're not sure just what. Cheyenne: "He's whittlin' on a piece of wood. I got a feelin' when he stops whittlin', somethin's gonna happen." Frank rides up to the gate, and Harmonica stops whittling. They have a verbal exchange that serves as a prelude to
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their coming duel. Frank admits he'll never be a businessman: "Just a man." They acknowledge they're of an ancient race being killed off by the coming of the modern age--arriving right next to them as they speak. Then Frank gets to the business between them: "The future don't matter to us. Nothin' matters now--not the land, not the money, not the woman. I came here to see you. 'Cause I know that now you'll tell me what you're after." "Only at the point of dyin'," Harmonica tells him. Frank says, "I know," and they stride out into the farmyard to face off for the final showdown. Inside, Cheyenne begins to clean up and shave while he watches the railroad move up. He tells Jill she should take water out to the workers at the tracks, letting them enjoy the sight of a beautiful woman. And if one of them should pat her behind, she should just make believe it's nothing. They earned it. As Frank and Harmonica square up to draw, Harmonica focuses on his history with Frank, and the full flashback is revealed. A younger Frank strides out of the desert to the isolated ruin of a Spanish mission--a lone arch with a bell hanging at the top. He places a brand-new harmonica into a young man's mouth, telling him to keep his lovin' brother happy. The youth's hands are bound behind him, and his older brother, also bound, is standing on his shoulders with a noose around his neck. Frank and his men wait for the inevitable moment when the boy's legs will give way and complete the hanging. The doomed man curses Frank and kicks his younger brother away. The harmonica drops out of the young man's mouth as he falls into the dust. Frank and Harmonica draw and fire. Frank staggers away a few steps and falls to the ground, again asking Harmonica, "Who ... who are you?" In answer, Harmonica places the old, beaten-up harmonica into Frank's mouth. It jogs Frank's memory--he sees the end of the flashback for himself, the image of the youth falling into the dust and the harmonica dropping out of his mouth. With a few wheezed chords, Frank falls lifelessly into the dust, and the harmonica drops out of his mouth. Cheyenne tells Jill he's not the right man for her, but neither is Harmonica. There's something inside a man like that, he tells her, something to do with death. Once Harmonica has dealt with Frank, he will come inside, pick up his things and move on. Harmonica comes in and, true to Cheyenne's prediction, picks up his belongings and tells Jill he has to go. They share a lingering look, and then he opens the front door and surveys the developing street scene outside. "It's going to be a beautiful town, Sweetwater," he says. Jill hopes he will come back someday. With a doubtful "Someday," Harmonica takes his leave. Cheyenne too says goodbye and pats Jill on the behind, telling her to make believe it's nothing. As the two men begin to ride away, Cheyenne gets off his horse and plops to the ground. Harmonica discovers that Cheyenne has been gut-shot, the work of Morton himself during the gun battle at the train. Cheyenne asks Harmonica to go away--he doesn't want Harmonica to see him die. Harmonica turns away and soon hears Cheyenne fall over dead. Just then, the work train rolls into Sweetwater and stops at the station, which has its "STATION" sign in place. Harmonica takes away Cheyenne's body as Jill carries water out to the newly arrived railroad workers. END OF FILM
Repulsion (1965)
Director: Roman Polanski A Belgian girl, Carol, works as a manicurist at a London beauty salon. While having lunch, a good looking young man, Colin, spots her and makes a date for another evening. She shares a flat with her sister Helen. Her sister's married lover, Michael, brings out her dislike of men which she cannot explain to Colin. Michael takes Helen abroad for a holiday. Left alone in their flat, Carol's moments of catalepsy and hallucination increase and deepen into madness. Carol Ledoux, a beautiful, reserved Belgian woman, works in London as a manicurist and lives in an apartment with her sister Helen. Although she has an admiring boyfriend, Colin, Carol is repulsed by sexuality, and particularly by Michael, her sister's married lover. Carol is repelled by his razor and toothbrush in their bathroom and especially by the sounds of their lovemaking at night. Helen and Michael leave for a vacation in Italy, and left alone, Carol falls into a tortured state of mind. She leaves her job at the beauty salon and barricades herself in the apartment. Her mind becomes further unhinged when she receives an abusive telephone call, intended for her sister, from Michael's wife. She tears out the telephone, shutting herself in totally. She imagines a rapist coming through the
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door and sees arms reaching out of the walls to ravish her. The slight cracks in the apartment walls appear to enlarge and the walls to crumble. An uncooked rabbit in a dish decays and appears grotesque and hideous. Colin, concerned about Carol's condition, breaks down the door; when he turns his back, she bludgeons him with a candlestick and places his lifeless body in the bathtub. The landlord comes to collect the rent, and when he interprets Carol's scanty dress as a sexual invitation, she slashes him to death with Michael's razor. Returning from their vacation, Helen and Michael find Carol in a trance on the floor and telephone the police. The last scene had Michael carry Carol and presumed to place in mental hospital.
Lean on Me (1989)
Directed By: John G. Avildsen Synopsis: The dedicated but tyrannical Joe Clark is appointed the principal of a decaying inner-city school that he is determined to improve. The dedicated but tyrannical Joe Clark is appointed the principal of a decaying inner-city school that he is determined to improve. An arrogant and unorthodox teacher returns as principal to the idyllic high school from which he had earlier been fired to find it a den of drug abuse, gang violence, and urban despair. Eventually his successful but unorthodox methods lead to a clash with city officials that threatens to undo all his efforts. Based on a true story. A renowned renegade as a teacher, Joe Clark is, with some reluctance of the local educational authorities, appointed to be the new principal of downtrodden, crime-filled, East Side High School in Paterson, NJ. In dramatic fashion, his first steps in transforming the school are identifying and expelling the many troublemakers that make East Side High a dangerous place, but these actions enrage some of the students, parents, and local residents. Academically, the early results are marginal, but the students seem to be gaining a sense of pride in themselves. Unfortunately, an incident soon occurs in which a drug dealer who had been expelled comes into the school and a knife fight breaks out. Joe Clark is at the crossroads. How can he keep the drug dealers out and give the children of the school a fair chance to succeed academically? His solution, which is in violation of the local fire safety code, is to chain up most of the doors of the school, incensing some of the locals, especailly Mrs Barrett, who tries to have him arrested.
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Clark is beginning to get some results with his students, who will soon take a minimum basic skills test upon which the future of the high school will rest, as the state of New Jersey is considering closing it as a failed academic institution. The authorities, sympathetic to Clark's predicament, don't want to arrest him before the children have had a chance to properly prepare for the exam, and they use stall tactics to stave off the increasingly vigilant Mrs. Barrett, who petitions the school board to have Clark replaced as principal. To further appease Mrs. Barrett, Clark is arrested for conspiracy to violate the fire safety code, but his students rise up to demonstrate outside the high school. He is released from te local jail in the hope that he can appease them, but as he is addressing them, news arrives that the students have, as a group, passed the minuimum basic skills test, thereby saving the school, and making a hero of Principal Clark, whose unconventional methods have saved the day.
Synopsis: Story of a dedicated East Los Angeles high school teacher who transforms some of his students into math scholars. Story of a dedicated East Los Angeles high school teacher who transforms some of his students into math scholars. Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students. Based on a true story, this low budget theatrical masterpiece opens with the background of Eastern LA. In an environment that values a quick fix over education and learning, Jaime A. Escalante is a new teacher at James A. Garfield High School determined to change the system and challenge the students to a higher level of excellence. Leaving a steady job for a lowly position as a math teacher in a school where rebellion runs high and teachers are more focused on discipline than academics, Escalante is at first not well liked by students, receiving numerous taunts and threats. As the year progresses, he is able to win over the attention of the students by implementing innovative teaching techniques, using props and humor to illustrate abstract concepts of math and convey the necessity of math in everyday lives. We all use math every day, a value that Escalante successfully instills. He is able to transform even the most troublesome teens to dedicated students, ready to learn. While Escalante teachs math 1A, basic math, he soon realizes that his students are capable of more than the expectations set forth by the school board. Despite concerns and skepticism of other teachers, who feel that "you can't teach logarithms to illiterates", Escalante nonetheless develops a program in which the his students can rise to take AP Calculus by their senior year. This intense math program requires that students take summer classes, including Saturdays, from 7 to 12, tasking for even the most devoted and committed students. While other students spent their summers "barefoot and pregnant", these math enthusiasts were learning complex theorems and formulas. The vast contrast between home life and school life, however, begins to show as these teens struggle to find the balance between what other adults expect of them and the goals and ambitions they hold for themselves. With Escalante to help them, they soon find the courage to separate from society's expectations for failure and rise to the standard to which Escalante holds them to, a standard of success. Taking the AP Calculus exam in the spring of their senior year, these students are relieved and overjoyed to be finished with a strenuous year. After receiving their scores, they are overwhelmed with emotion to find that they have all passed, a feat done by few in the state. Later that summer, a shocking accusation is made. The Educational Testing Service calls into question the validity of their scores when it is discovered that similarities between errors is too high for pure chance. Outraged by the implications of cheating, Escalante feels that the racial and economic status of the students has caused the ETS to doubt their intelligence. In order to prove their mathematical abilities and worth to the school, to the ETS, and to the nation, the students agree to retake the test at the end of the summer, months after their last class. With only a day to prepare, there is high stress to show that they have what it takes to make something of themselves. After the retake, these students truly stand and deliver when they all pass the exam again, showing they deserve all they have achieved.
Rudy (1994)
Directed By: David Anspaugh Synopsis: Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing... Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame. Rudy grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of 5 people and has set his sights upon joining the team. Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Aston) grows up in a Catholic, working class family that loves Notre Dame football. He does not have the grades, the size or the talent to get into his beloved school so he follows his brothers and father into work at the steel plant. After his twenty-second birthday his best friend Pete (Christoper Reed) who always believed in him dies in an accident. Rudy then realizes that it is now or never to follow his life-long dream to play for the Fighting Irish. Despite fear of failure from his father (Ned Beatty) and girlfriend (Lily Taylor) he leaves to pursue his goal. Showing up is not enough to get him into the university, so with the encouragement of a priest (Robert Prosky), he enrolls in Holy Cross Junior College. There he gets help from a tutor (Jon Favreau) who helps him deal with his reading disability and finally get good grades. He works on the maintenance crew (Charles S. Dutton). Finally, Rudy gets accepted and upon transferring in to the school, he gets a chance as a "tackling dummy" for the team for two years. Encouraged by his persistence and spunk, Rudy inspires the team and is allowed to dress for one game by the coach (Jason Miller), where he is triumphantly carried off the field by his fellow teammates. The story is based on the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger.
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Skylar asks Will to move to California with her, where she will begin medical school at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Will panics at the thought. Skylar then expresses support about his past, which is received as patronization and triggers a tantrum in which Will storms out of the dorm while still in a state of undress. He shrugs off the work he's doing for Lambeau as "a joke," even though Lambeau is incapable of solving some of these theorems and admittedly envies Will. Lambeau begs Will not to throw it all away, but Will walks out on him anyway. Sean points out that Will is so adept at anticipating future failure in his romantic relationships, that he either allows them to fizzle out or deliberately bails, in order to avoid the risk of future emotional pain. When Will then provides a whimsical reply to Sean's very serious query of what he wants to do with his life, Sean simply shows him the door. When Will further tells his best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck) that he wants to be a laborer for the rest of his life, Chuckie becomes brutally honest with Will: he feels it's an "insult" for Will to waste his potential as a laborer, and that his recurring wish is to knock on Will's door in the morning when he picks him up for work and find that he just isn't there, that he has left without saying goodbye. Will goes to another therapy session, where he and Sean share that they were both victims of child abuse. At first, Will is defensive and resentful at Sean's repeated reassurances that "It's not your fault," but he eventually breaks down in tearful acknowledgment. Finally, after much self-reflection, Will decides to cease being a victim of his own inner demons and to take charge of his life. When his buddies present him with a rebuilt Chevrolet Nova for his 21st birthday, he decides to go to California and reunite with Skylar, setting aside his lucrative corporate and government job offers. Will leaves a brief note for Sean explaining what he's doing, using one of Sean's own quips, "I had to go see about a girl." Sean also leaves to travel the world, though not before reconciling with Lambeau. The movie ends as Chuckie poignantly discovers, in fulfillment of his own long-standing wish, that Will has left for a better life. Will is then shown starting his life-affirming drive to California for a new beginning with Skylar and a leap into an unpredictable future.
"Secondhand Lions" follows the comedic adventures of an introverted boy left on the doorstep of a pair of reluctant, eccentric great-uncles, whose exotic remembrances stir the boy's spirit and re-ignite the men's lives. Walter is a timid teenager played by Haley Joel Osment, who is dropped off at his great-uncles farm in Texas during the 1960s by his neglectful mother. The two oddball and rich uncles are played by Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. Even though the uncles have never raised any children, they accept the responsibility of taking care of Walter for the summer. Since they don't have a TV or telephone in the house, the uncles entertain Walter with colorful stories from their past when they were young and fighting for the Foreign Legion and Duvall's love affair with the Sultan's daughter. The stories are so fantastic that Walter is not sure if they are true or made-up by his uncles. The uncles purchase an old lion to hunt, but Walter makes the lion his pet instead. The uncles must contend with their greedy relatives who are after their money and Walter knows where it is. With the guidance of his uncles, Walter becomes a man. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)
Jason thought his inheritance was going to be the gift of money and lots of it. Was he ever in for a big surprise. Based on the best-selling book "The Ultimate Gift" by Jim Stovall, the story sends trust fund baby Jason Stevens on an improbable journey of discovery, having to answer the ultimate question: "What is the relationship between wealth and happiness?" Jason had a very simple relationship with his impossibly wealthy Grandfather, Howard "Red" Stevens. He hated him. No heart-to-heart talks, no warm fuzzies, just cold hard cash. So of course he figured that when Red died, the whole "reading of the will" thing would be another simple cash transaction, that his Grandfather's money would allow him to continue living in the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed. But what Red left him was anything but simple. Red instead devised a plan for Jason to experience a crash course on life... (this was first posted on www.realmoviereview.com) The story, which is based on Jim Stovalls novel of the same name, is manipulative (big surprise there), but is fairly engaging once it gets going. Drew Fullers inexperience shows itself from time to time, as he plays Jason Stevens, the spoiled grandson of a deceased billionaire whose expectations from the will are put off while he is led through several tasks designed to make him a better person. Along the way, he meets and befriends a young girl named Emily, played by Abigail Breslin just before Little Miss Sunshine hit the theatres and made her a big star. Her mother, Alexia, played by Ali Hillis. The production values here are Hollywood quality, though both the script and the acting could have been improved.
the energy to live because of her secret! She loves musicals. When life feels tough she can pretend that she is in the wonderful world of musicals...just for a short moment. All happiness life is not able to give her she finds there.. Selma is a young Czech mother living in Washington state in the early 1960s. How she loves musicals! Alas, she is going blind, and this is threatening her job (not to say her limbs) at the local factory, where she is friends with Cathy, who is a bit flummoxed by Selma's increasing workload, which includes pinning hairpins to unbent cardboard as a side job. Selma lives with her understandably ungrateful 12-year-old delinquent son in a mobile trailer on the property of a local sheriff and his happy-go-lucky wife. One day, the sheriff reveals a dark secret to Selma, and being the type to cement friendships, she tells him a secret, too: that she is going blind. Life spirals downard for her after this revelation, but Selma is resolute in protecting her friend's secret. Cathy, who grows increasingly frustrated with Selma's decisions, comes to realize Selma's methodology was right after all, and in the gripping final moments of the film, she tells Selma that she did right. This is a curious, highly depressing, yet exhilarating film (with various experimental camera techniques) about the power of friendship and maternal love -- not to be watched alone!
21 Grams (2003)
Directed By: Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu
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Synopsis: A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician (Penn), a grieving mother (Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Del Toro). A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician (Penn), a grieving mother (Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Del Toro). This is the story of three gentle persons: Paul Rivers an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English migr, Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife, happily married and mother of two little girls, and Jack Jordan, an ex-convict who has found in his Christian faith the strength to raise a family. They will be brought together by a terrible accident that will change their lives. By the final frame, none of them will be the same as they will learn harsh truths about love, faith, courage, desire and guilt, and how chance can change our worlds irretrievably, forever. "21 Grams" is done in the Quentin Tarantino "all the scenes are out of order" style, which was a good way to tell this story. Paul Rivers (Sean Penn) is a college math professor and a long-time smoker who is close to death from heart failure. He's weak, coughs and gasps, and drags around an oxygen tank to help him breathe. He's on the transplant list for a new heart. His wife wants nothing more than to get pregnant by him before he dies. Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro) is an ex-con that has spent more time in jail than out, but has reformed and is working in a church, spreading the gospel, and helping kids that are heading toward the same kind of trouble he's been in. He and his wife have two young children. Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts) seems to be a typical housewife. She and her husband have two young daughters, and they appear to have an ideal life. One afternoon Jack accidentally runs over Christina's husband (Huston) and daughters (Nahon and Pakis) while they're out walking. Both of the little girls are killed, and the father ends up brain dead. Christina consents to organ donation, and her husband's heart ends up being transplanted into Paul. Jack turns himself in for the hit-and-run and goes to jail, but is later released. Paul recovers and hires a private detective to find the donor family (to find out "who he is"). The detective comes up with the information not only about the donor and his widow, but also about the ex-con. Most of the movie is about the relationships that develop between these three main characters.
She goes to Fort Smith and discovers that Tom Chaney has fled in the Indian territory, where only a marshall can get him. A marshall who has true grit, in order to vanquish not only Chaney, but also the group of outlaws he has connected with, led by the notorious bandit Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and including Moon (Dennis Hopper) and Quincy (Jeremy Slate). So Mattie finds the toughest marshall of the West : the one-eyed Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn (John Wayne), who's never known a dry day in his life, and hires him - with 100 $ - to go after Chaney and Pepper. Rooster soon pairs with young Texican La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) who also looks for Chaney as he had killed a Texas-senator before murdering Mattie's father. Mattie and La Boeuf are soon at odds, as the latest doesn't want her to join the chase, but Mattie hangs on and Rooster lets her come with them. Strong-headed Mattie, fast talking La Boeuf and sharp Rooster engage themselves in a battle of wits and, at the same time, on Chaney's tracks. After a first embush where Moon and Quincy are killed, Mattie gets face to face with Chaney and wounds him before being kidnapped by Ned Pepper. Ned forces Rooster and La Boeuf to withdraw and lets Mattie with Chaney as a hostage. But La Boeuf comes back and captures Chaney. Mattie and La Boeuf witness the last fight between Ned Pepper and three of his men on one side, Rooster all alone on the other. They all charge on their horses and Rooster kills three men and injures Pepper before his horse (Bo) is killed under him. He desperately tries to get his gun as the dying Ned comes closer. At the very last moment, La Boeuf fires from the hill he stands on with Mattie and shoots Ned before Rooster gets killed. Chaney then escapes and hits La Boeuf on the head with a big stone, only to get shot again by Mattie. With the gunfire, she falls in a pit where a deadly snake threatens her. Rooster arrives at that moment, kills Chaney who was still trying to hurt Mattie and goes down the pit to save Mattie. The snake bites her and Rooster's unable to go up the pit with the unconscious Mattie. La Boeuf wakes up just a little while to pull them out with a horse and a rope, before falling dead. Rooster leaves him on the field and kills his horse under him to bring Mattie to a doctor. At the end of the movie, Mattie is back to her ranch where she heals slowly. Rooster comes and visits her. She shows him the cemetery where her father rests and she offers him, as he has no family, to rest beside her after his death. He takes on the offer with a joke and departs, jumping over a fence and yelling: "Come and see a fat old man sometime!"
Mattie and La Boeuf are soon at odds, as the latest doesn't want her to join the chase, but Mattie hangs on and Rooster lets her come with them. Strong-headed Mattie, fast talking La Boeuf and sharp Rooster engage themselves in a battle of wits and, at the same time, on Chaney's tracks. After a first embush where Moon and Quincy are killed, Mattie gets face to face with Chaney and wounds him before being kidnapped by Ned Pepper. Ned forces Rooster and La Boeuf to withdraw and lets Mattie with Chaney as a hostage. But La Boeuf comes back and captures Chaney. Mattie and La Boeuf witness the last fight between Ned Pepper and three of his men on one side, Rooster all alone on the other. They all charge on their horses and Rooster kills three men and injures Pepper before his horse (Bo) is killed under him. He desperately tries to get his gun as the dying Ned comes closer. At the very last moment, La Boeuf fires from the hill he stands on with Mattie and shoots Ned before Rooster gets killed. Chaney then escapes and hits La Boeuf on the head with a big stone, only to get shot again by Mattie. With the gunfire, she falls in a pit where a deadly snake threatens her. Rooster arrives at that moment, kills Chaney who was still trying to hurt Mattie and goes down the pit to save Mattie. The snake bites her and Rooster's unable to go up the pit with the unconscious Mattie. La Boeuf wakes up just a little while to pull them out with a horse and a rope, before falling dead. Rooster leaves him on the field and kills his horse under him to bring Mattie to a doctor. At the end of the movie, Mattie is back to her ranch where she heals slowly. Rooster comes and visits her. She shows him the cemetery where her father rests and she offers him, as he has no family, to rest beside her after his death. He takes on the offer with a joke and departs, jumping over a fence and yelling: "Come and see a fat old man sometime!"
Lilja 4-ever
While waiting for her mothers reply to take her to the USA, Lilya idles the time away smoking, drinking and having fun with her, too, outcast friend Volodya. In time, the chance of a new life becomes non-existent; her life is going nowhere. Meeting a young man, she then finds a plane ticket in her hand and a new life in Sweden: a job, an apartment and prospects. All is not what it seems. There shall be work, there shall be housing and there shall be no escape. This is the stark, frank and disturbing vision of the life of a young victim of the underground sex trade and in all its tone of realism of abject poverty, despicable actions and of wanting to show that dreaming of a better life is not a crime but that life can shatter the illusion of a happy ending.
Lester and Carolyn Burnham are on the outside, a perfect husband and wife, in a perfect house, in a perfect neighborhood. But inside, Lester is slipping deeper and deeper into a hopeless depression. He finally snaps when he becomes infatuated with one of his daughter's friends. Meanwhile, his daughter Jane is developing a happy friendship with a shy boy-next-door named Ricky, who lives with a homophobic father.
Memento (2000)
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
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Synopsis: A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. Memento chronicles two separate stories of Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. One story line moves forward in time while the other tells the story backwards revealing more each time. This is a complex story about Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man whose ability to make new memories is damaged when he is struck in the head while confronting two people who are attacking his wife at their home in the middle of the night. Leonard kills one of the attackers during the attack and one of the last things Leonard remembers is his wife dying. Leonard then devotes his life to finding and killing the second attacker. The movie alternates between color and black and white sequences. The black and white sequences proceed in chronological order, but the color sequences proceed in reverse chronological order. The forward black and white scenes and the reverse color scenes alternate until they meet in the middle of the story at the end of the film. In the two disc DVD set, the second disc contains the movie in chronological order. To play this version of the movie: (1) select the clock icon; (2) select the answer "C" to every multiple choice question; and (3) arrange the tire changing steps in reverse chronological order (3-4-1-2). The movie will then begin to play (with the credits first - in backward order). Some functions (fast forward, chapter skip, etc.) are disabled. This is a synopsis of the story as presented when put together in chronological order. It is not the plot order presented in the film. The story starts in black and white. Leonard Shelby wakes up in a room at the Discount Inn puzzled as to why he is there. The phone rings and he speaks with an unknown caller. He tells the caller that he suffers from anterograde amnesia, a condition which makes him unable to create new memories. He describes the condition by detailing the story of Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky), who had the same problem. Leonard describes how one must have a system of notes to deal with the problems and a drive to use them. Leonard says he has the drive that Sammy never had and the viewer sees Leonard's tattoo: "JOHN G. RAPED AND MURDERED MY WIFE" as well as other clues and notes tattooed on his body. Leonard continues the story and explains that he had just become an insurance investigator when he met Sammy and was assigned to determine whether his condition was covered by his insurance policy. Sammy's condition was not like other cases of anterograde amnesia in that Sammy was unable to learn through conditioning. After additional testing, Leonard says he concluded that Sammy's condition was psychological and the claim was denied because Sammy was not covered for mental illness. Leonard explains how Mrs. Jankis (Harriet Sansom Harris) met privately with him. In trying to placate her, Leonard told her that Sammy should be able to make new memories. She tested Sammy's memory by repeatedly asking him to give her insulin injections. She lapsed into a coma and died from the overdose. Sammy was then confined to a mental institution. During this conversation, the caller and Leonard talk about Leonard's quest and how the police did not believe the story about the second attacker. The caller identifies himself as a policeman and provides Leonard with additional clues for his quest . Leonard tattoos the fact the second attacker was a drug dealer. The caller identifies the second attacker as Jimmy Grantz and tells Leonard that he has set up a meeting with Jimmy. Leonard agrees to meet the caller in the motel lobby. In the lobby, Leonard meets a man (Joe Pantoliano) asking him if he is "Officer Gammell". The man insists that Leonard should call him "Teddy" since he is "undercover". Teddy gives Leonard directions to the meeting location and Leonard goes to meet Jimmy at an abandoned building outside of town. When Jimmy Grantz (Larry Holden) arrives, he recognizes Leonard as the man with the memory condition, demands to know what Leonard is doing there, and asks where Teddy is. Leonard threatens Jimmy with a tire iron and tells him to strip. Jimmy pleads for his life and tells Leonard that there is $200,000 in the trunk of his car for payment of the drugs that Teddy was to have brought to the meeting. Leonard strangles Jimmy, takes a Polaroid photo of his body, and starts putting on Jimmy's clothes. As the photo of Jimmy's body develops, the film gradually goes from black and white into color.
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The remaining story is in color, but proceeds in the film in reverse order. As Leonard drags Jimmy into the basement, he hears Jimmy whisper "Sammy..." before dying. Leonard concludes that if Jimmy knew about Sammy, he was not the second attacker. Teddy arrives at the scene and tries to convince Leonard that Jimmy was the man he was after. Leonard does not believe him. Teddy finally admits that Jimmy Grantz was a drug dealer who did not have anything to do with his wife's killing. Teddy then tells Leonard that his wife survived the attack. According to Teddy, Sammy Jankis was a fraud who was not even married and it was Leonard's wife who was diabetic. Teddy claims to be the police officer who investigated his wife's murder. He says he believed him about the second attacker and helped him track down and kill the real John G. more than a year ago. Teddy claims that he took a picture of a happy Leonard right after the second attacker was dead. Leonard forgot the killing and began searching for the dead John G. all over again. Teddy tells Leonard there are plenty of John Gs to find and admits that he is even a John G: his full name is John Edward Gammell and his mother calls him Teddy. Before Lenny can forget Teddy's revelations, he decides to continue the hunt, lying to himself to set himself up to kill Teddy. He records a note on Teddy's photo "Don't believe his lies", records Teddy's license plate number as John G's, and leaves himself a reminder to get a tattoo of the plate number, SG137IU. Leonard ditches Teddy by throwing Teddy's car keys into some weeds. Leonard then leaves his pickup truck at the refinery and drives away in Jimmy's Jaguar, still wearing Jimmy's clothes. After forgetting Teddy's revelations and the lies to himself, Leonard finds a tattoo parlor and has the license plate number tatooed onto his leg. Teddy sees the Jaguar parked outside and comes in, trying to move the car and get Lenny to get out of town in some new clothes. Leonard sees the note on the back of Teddy's pictures and decides to leave without him. Leonard finds a note in the pocket of Jimmy's suit coat, which he is wearing. The note is from a Natalie telling Jimmy to come to Ferdy's bar. Not realizing he is wearing Jimmy's clothes and driving Jimmy's car, Leonard thinks the note is for him and goes to meet Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss). He tells her about his condition. Natalie believes his story after a test. Natalie takes Leonard to her home and tells him he can stay with her. Leonard recounts what he remembers of the attack. He says he awoke to sounds, got a gun, and found his wife (Jorja Fox) being strangled. Leonard shot one intruder, but a second man clubbed him with a sap and smashed his head into a mirror. He goes on to explain that the cops did not believe there was a second attacker. Leonard tells Natalie that the second attacker was too smart and left the evidence to look like there was only one intruder. Natalie tricks Leonard into going after a man named Dodd (Callum Keith Rennie), who she claims has been harassing her for the money from Jimmy's prior drug deals. Leonard leaves to look for Dodd. Teddy is waiting for him as he leaves Natalie's home. Teddy tries to warn Leonard about Natalie, but after seeing the "Don't believe his lie" note on Teddy's picture does not believe he. Leonard does decide he shouldn't stay with Natalie and follows Teddy's advice to go to the Discount Inn. Leonard goes to the Discount Inn. Burt (Mark Boone Junior) at the front desk takes advantage of his condition by renting him a second room even though he had already paid for a first room. Leonard calls an escort service. When the escort arrives, Leonard explains to her that he wants only to relive going to sleep the night of the attack. After falling asleep, the escort wakes him. He asks the escort to leave. He then takes personal items belonging to his wife to a reservoir and burns them. In the morning, Leonard leaves the reservoir and is spotted by Dodd. Leonard escapes Dodd and goes to Dodd's motel to wait for him. When Dodd returns to his motel room, Leonard beats him and ties him up. Leonard calls Teddy for help in dealing with Dodd. Teddy comes to Dodd's motel room. Leonard and Teddy convince Dodd to leave town. Returning the favor of getting rid of Dodd, Leonard spends the night at Natalie's. In the morning she agrees to trace the license plate number tatooed on Leonard's leg. Later that day, Natalie gives him the information along with directions to "an abandoned place outside of town" where a guy she knew "used to do bigger deals". Leonard takes it back to his motel. At the motel, Leonard puts the clues together and concludes that Teddy is John Edward Gammell and must be the second attacker. He calls Teddy and they go to the same abandoned building where Jimmy Grantz was killed a few days earlier. Leonard then shoots Teddy in the head.
Viridiana (1961)
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Directed By: Luis Buuel Synopsis: On the eve of taking her vows to be a nun, a pious young woman makes a fateful last visit to the home of her lecherous uncle. On the eve of taking her vows to be a nun, a pious young woman makes a fateful last visit to the home of her lecherous uncle. Viridiana, a young novice about to take her final vows as a nun, accedes to a request from her widowed uncle to visit him. Moved purely by a sense of obligation, she does so. Her uncle is moved by her resemblance to his late wife to attempt to seduce Viridiana, and tragedy ensues. In the aftermath, Viridiana tries to assuage her guilt by creating a haven for the destitute folk who live around her uncle's estate. But from these good intentions, too, comes little good. Just before taking her final vows, a young idealistic nun Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) is requested by her Superior Mother to visit her uncle Don Jaime (Fernando Rey) who has funded her education and provided for the girl for many years. Viridiana has a low opinion of her uncle considering him a horrible person but agrees to visit him to say farewell before her entry into her religious career. When she arrives at Don Jaimes mansion she finds the man to be a quite gracious recluse living quietly with only his housekeeper and caretaker to maintain. Don Jaime confesses to Viridiana that his wife died on their wedding night and that the young nun-to-be is so similar to his dead wife that he wants her to stay with him for good. Viridiana is shocked and decides to leave immediately but Don Jaime drugs the young woman and attempts to make love to her but suffering a bout of guilt, decides against it. The next day Viridiana believes she has been violated during the night and decides to leave, but before she can the police inform her that Don Jaime has committed suicide and has left the future of his estate to be decided between her and brusque cousin Jorge (Francisco Rabal). As Viridiana acts the gracious owner by caring for the surrounding community of homeless by inviting them into the estate to care and feed for them she realizes that the real world has an endless array of challenges and compromises.
5) Pre-war. The printing shop incident. (Maria thinks she has made a misprint, "Shralin"-- slang for "excrement" -for "Stalin"). Lisa (Alla Demidova), Maria's friend, tells her she reminds her of Maria Timofeyevna (Captain Lebyadkin's sister in Dostoevsky's The Devils), which leads to recriminations on Lisa's part. 6) War-time. Natalya and husband quarrel. Ignat watches the Spanish tenants. Archive footage of the Spanish Civil War. Children being evacuated. A stratospheric balloon journey undertaken by a Kurdish aviator in 1937. Music: Pergolesi, Stabat Mater, No 12: "Quando corpus morietur fac ut animae donetur paradisi glori." (While my body here decays, may my soul Thy goodness praise, safe in Paradise with Thee). Ticker tape parade. 7) Post-war. Ignat leafs through Leonardo da Vinci book. Natalya drops her purse. Ignat reads Pushkin's letter to Chaadayev (October 19, 1836) to two unknown women, one of whom appears to be modeled after the poet Anna Akhmatova (1898-1966). Ignat answers the door. Ignat and his father talk on the phone. 8)War-time. Aleksei looks at the redhead girl (Olga Kizilova). Music: Purcell, from The Indian Queen, Act IV, "They tell us that your mighty powers." Instruction at the firing range where a rebellious Asafyev, a war orphan, keeps getting it wrong. War footage of soldiers unloading cargo. Coming from the firing range, Asafyev walks up a snowy hill. War footage of the crossing of Lake Sivash in Crimea. Poem by Arseni Tarkovsky, read by the poet. War footage of Russian tanks at the liberation of Prague, dead soldiers, artillery batteries, Bikini atomic test (1946). Asafyev stops at the top of the hill and a bird lands on his head, after which he takes it in his hand. Chinese crowd scene, the Soviet-Chinese conflict at Damansky Island, in 1969. 9) War-time. Maria with husband leaving for the war. Children playing outside and quarreling. The father with the children. Music: J.S.Bach: Matthew Passion, Recitative: "Und siehe da! Der Vorhang im Tempel..." (And see there! The veil of the temple...). Cut to a picture of a Maria look-alike, "Genevra de Benci" (c. 1470), by Leonardo da Vinci. 10) Post-war. Natalya and husband again quarrelling. 11) Pre-war. The dacha, Maria, the children on a mat, with Aleksei voice-over. Garden scene with the children. 12) Wartime/Postwar. Maria and Alyosha visit her neighbor, Nadezhda (Larisa Tarkovskaya), to sell her a pair of earrings. Levitation scene. Maria as an old woman with the children (dream). Poem by Arseni Tarkovsky, read by the poet. 13) Post-war. Aleksei (narrator) on his death bed (although we never see his head), attended by a doctor and the two women from the reading of Pushkin's letter scene (Section 7). Aleksei reaches for and holds a bird in his hand. 14) Pre-war. Maria and husband. Music fades in, opening number of J.S.Bach's St John Passion: Herr, unser Herrscher, dessen Ruhm in allen Landen herrlich ist! (Lord, our Sovereign, whose glory in every land is magnificent!). Maria old, with young Alyosha and his sister, and Maria young, briefly in the background (dream).
as to get rid of the matter - an issue that enrages Espsito, who attacks Romano in a fury. He finds a tip soon enough while looking over some old pictures provided by Morales: he comes across a dubious young man - identified as Isidoro Gmez - who looks at the victim in a suspicious way in several photos. Espsito investigates the whereabouts of Gmez, and determines that he is living and working in Buenos Aires, but fails to locate him. Espsito and Sandoval break into Gmez' household in the city of Chivilcoy, hometown not only of Gmez, but also of Morales ill-fated wife. During the illegal search, they (unwillingly) steal a set of letters written by the suspect to his mother. Back in Buenos Aires, the deed earns them trouble back at the courthouse, and neither make nothing out the letters. In addition, Gmez remains at large due to a careless phonecall made earlier by Morales, who desperately wanted to apprehend the killer of his wife. In the end, it is Sandoval who comes across a new lead: a fellow drinker in the bar identifies the various names mentioned in the letters (neither with apparent connection) as them being those of various soccer players of Racing Club. After identifying him as a Racing Club fan, Espsito and Sandoval attend a soccer match where Racing Club plays against Huracn in hopes of catching Gmez. With the assistance of police officer Molinari and his men, they spot him among the crowd, but a sudden goal provides the necessary disturbance for Gmez to slip away. A surreal pursuit ensues in which Gmez nearly vanishes, but he's ultimately knocked down in the middle of the pitch. Espsito and Irene Hastings subsequently stage a fake, largely illegal interrogation at office. They succeed in bringing him to confess the murder by taunting him and hurting his macho pride. Justice seems served; however, barely a year later, Gmez is released by a spiteful Romano, who is now working for a government's agency. Amid an increasing political violence, Gmez is set to work as a hitman for the far-right wing of the Peronist party. Espsito finds Sandoval shot dead upon arriving home - Sandoval used to pass the night at the house of his coworker, due to endless arguments with his wife about his drink problems. He presumes, and imagines, that Sandoval was killed by hitmen sent after himself, perhaps under Romano's orders, and that Sandoval posed as Espsito and sacrificed his life for his friend. A budding romance between Benjamn and Irene -the latter then recently married- is cut short by Sandoval's death and Espsito's ultimate decision to exile himself deep within the countryside, with the help of some of Irene's relatives. Here the movie returns to 1999. After coming back from exile in 1985, Espsito returned to an uneventful career in Buenos Aires until his retirement. Haunted by the past, he's determined to write down his story in novel form. He presents the framework to Irene, still married and with children. She remains resentful and hardened from their sudden departure 24 years earlier, and for apparently never having had her feelings returned by him. Espsito drives to Chivilcoy to meet Morales, the widower, who has taken to a quiet life and gradually let go of his obsession with the murder case. Espsito promises him that he will not rest until he can put the convict once again in jail. A hesitant Morales then confesses to having killed Gmez many years ago, having kidnapped him and shot him in the trunk of his car. A disturbed Espsito leaves, but upon thinking over certain facts, secretly returns to Morales' house. Sneaking inside, he is shocked to find that Morales has a makeshift cell in his home and that he has kept Gmez chained inside for over 24 years as punishment for his wife's death. He kept him alive by feeding him and tending to him, but not once in 24 years talking to him nor letting him out. Morales repeats what he had mantained in front of Espsito back to 1974: that, instead of a death sentence, he believes the boredom of a meaningless life in jail to be true justice. Espsito leaves. He pays a visit to Sandoval's grave. Knowing that Gmez will never be a free man again, he finally comes to terms with his life. He visits Irene one more time, where he finally responds to her feelings. Their love rekindled, they smilingly shut themselves in her office.
rules, to exchange some words with Sofia, the hotel's barmaid. Incredibly all the situation change, emotions, love, mafia, death come back violently into Titta's life.
Leonard heads out to the beach apparently to kill himself. As he steps in the ocean, he drops a glove that Sandra had bought for him earlier. He picks up the glove, returns to the party, and seeing Sandra gives her the ring.
fire is blazing so that she can dry out her shoes. There is no one else in the cottage and, before long, they're in each others' arms, professing their love. Felicitas convinces Leo that the only thing left for them to do is to run away together, so they make plans to leave that very evening. Felicitas goes home to pack, but she is surprised when Ulrich comes home early from Munich. Not only that, but he brings her a present -- an elaborate diamond bracelet. She puts the bracelet on, takes the bracelet off, puts it on again, takes it off again, and finally puts it back on. She orders the maid to return her clothes to her closet and, when Leo arrives to pick her up, Felicitas tells him that she's not brave enough to leave everything that Ulrich has given her and that she's not going to run away with him after all. She intends to stay with Ulrich but wants to continue having Leo as her lover. Leo is both mortified and furious. In his anger, he grabs her by the throat and begins choking her. Suddenly, Ulrich enters the room. His eyes blazing, Ulrich asks what Leo is doing there. Felicitas throws herself at Ulrich's feet and tells him that Leo broke in and, when she refused to go away with him, tried to kill her. Leo upholds her story and tells Ulrich to shoot him where he stands. Although looking as though he'd love to do just that, Ulrich refuses and defers the duel until the next morning when they can meet on the Isle of Friendship. It being the dead of winter, it is not difficult the next morning for Leo and Ulrich to cross the frozen lake to the Isle. Warm and snug in her bed, Felicitas sit stone-faced as Hertha begs and pleads with her to stop the duel. When Hertha realizes that Felicitas has no intention of doing so, she falls on her knees and begins to pray for divine intervention. Felicitas goes ballistic, but Hertha keeps praying. Suddenly, Felicitas' face softens, she embraces Hertha, then throws on her coat and heads for the isle. On the Isle of Friendship, Leo and Ulrich have selected their guns. Pacing through the knee-deep snow, they turn on each other. Ulrich aims, but Leo refuses even to lift his gun arm until Ulrich reminds him that he intends to shoot to kill. Leo then raises his gun but points it haphazardly. Ulrich continues to aim but cannot shoot. Ulrich drops his gun and embraces his blood brother, telling him that all has become clear to him...the duel with Rhaden...Felicitas...and Leo. . Meanwhile, in parallel editing,unknown to either Leo or Ulrich, Felicitas has been hurrying across the ice to the isle when, suddenly, she steps in a patch of thin ice and falls into the frigid water; after their aborted duel their is a cut back to where she fell in and a few bubbles come up, and then nothing is left but her scarf floating on the surface. Alternate Ending: It is summer. Leo and Ulrich have remained friends since Felicitas' death and are in the garden helping Leo's mother wind yarn when Hertha prances by with her suitcases and boards a carriage. She announces that she is moving to Munich and never coming back. As the carriage starts down the road, Leo races after it, pulls Hertha from her seat, and begs her to stay. Hertha smiles demurely. [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl]
Eugnie (1974)
Director: Jesus Franco Eugenie, a beautiful but shy young girl, lives with her stepfather, a famous writer specializing in stories of erotica. One day she happens to read one of his "erotic" books and its power so affects her that begins to find herself sexually attracted to her stepfather. He notices this, and eventually brings her into his dark world of sexual perversion and murder. The Marquis de Sade's writings melt the screen in director Jesus Franco's unsettling tale about perversion and amorality, which finds shy Eugnie Radeck (Soledad Miranda) drawn into a realm of sex and sadism after reading a volume of erotica penned by her stepfather (Paul Muller). Before you can say "kinky," the two embark on a spree of seduction and destruction across Europe. Andrs Monales and Greta Schmidt also star.
to the novel's for commercial reasons. Franco's movie is a surreal horror-fantasy about unattainable love and how far one is willing to go for the person they desire. It is not a study in masochism as portrayed in the novel. James Darren ... Jimmy Logan Barbara McNair ... Rita Maria Rohm ... Wanda Reed Klaus Kinski ... Ahmed Kortobawi Dennis Price ... Percival Kapp Margaret Lee ... Olga Adolfo Lastretti ... Insp. Kaplan (as Aldo Lastretti) James Darren plays a jazz musician who becomes obsessed to the point of madness with the mysterious fur-clad Wanda (Maria Rohm), only to find her dead body washed up on the beach.
Made at a time when exploitation films could occasionally cross over to the art film market or dabble in visual or narrative experimentation that would be unthinkable now, Venus in Furs (1969, aka Paroxismus) is that rarity, a hypnotic, dreamlike tale that merges elements of a softcore grindhouse feature with avant-garde techniques and a touch of the surreal. At the center of the elliptical storyline is Jimmy Logan (James Darren), a trumpet player in an Istanbul jazz venue who witnesses the sadistic rape-murder of Wanda (Maria Rohm) by a decadent trio of thrill seekers - Ahmed (Klaus Kinski), Percival (Dennis Price) and Olga (Margaret Lee). Haunted by his memory of the incident, the musician flees to Rio where he begins a relationship with Rita (Barbara McNair), a nightclub singer, but soon his attention shifts to a mysterious woman who is a dead ringer for the murdered Wanda. Is she the same person? Has she returned from the dead for revenge? Jimmy becomes increasingly obsessed with Wanda but she appears to have a secret agenda that emerges slowly during the course of the unearthly narrative. Originally inspired by a conversation director Jess Franco had with jazz musician Chet Baker, Venus in Furs (which bears little relation to the famous Leopold von Sacher-Masoch novel except for the title) was first designed as "an unusual love story between a black trumpeter and a beautiful white girl." Franco, who was a musician and jazz aficionado himself, intended to model the male protagonist on Miles Davis but the American producers that the director was dependent on for a wider distribution nixed the idea, telling him "The American public are not ready to see a black man and a white woman in bed." They were fine, however, with the reverse situation and so Franco reworked the story, eventually casting James Darren in the lead. Darren was looking to broaden his range after a stint as a pop singer and teen pinup in such beach pictures as For Those Who Think Young [1964], all three Gidget films [1959-1963] and the sci-fi TV series The Time Tunnel [1966-1967]. Yet, Venus in Furs would remain an intriguing anomaly in his career as he would concentrate solely on television series such as T.J. Hooker after this. Much more interesting is Venus in Furs's real attraction, Maria Rohm, and the eclectic supporting cast that includes Barbara McNair, Klaus Kinski, Dennis Price, Margaret Lee, Paul Muller (a regular fixture in Franco films) and British musician Manfred Mann and his band (including Mike Hugg) which provides the lively jazz-influenced score, some of it performed on screen by the band, where it becomes part of the film's trippy sound design. Rohm had appeared in several of Franco's films before but mostly in decorative parts that highlighted her exotic beauty. Venus in Furs provides her with her first challenging role, one that requires her to be both seductive and menacing in equal parts and she rises to the task, creating an enigmatic femme fatale who haunts the dreams of not just Jimmy but probably those of every male and possibly female viewer. Her first appearance in the film as the reincarnated Wanda, dressed in a white fur coat and high heels with nothing on beneath it except her silver stockings, is hard to forget. Lesbianism, S&M, voyeurism, groovy fashions, literary references and decadent jet set parties that seem like a hangover from Fellini's La Dolce Vita [1960] - Venus in Furs has something for everyone. The colorful locales of Istanbul, Barcelona and Rio provide additional eye candy and the film occasionally breaks from its drug-induced state to stage a bizarre happening like the scene where Wanda and Olga are making out in the middle of a soiree, surrounded by hipsters who start painting their bodies and showering them with feathers. Don't you miss the sixties? Despite some budgetary restraints, a constant problem with Franco, the director had relative freedom to do what he wanted on Venus in Furs and was relatively pleased with the result, even if the distributors changed his original title from Black Angel and altered his preferred ending. And of the countless films that Franco has made - more than 150 features under various pseudonyms such as Clifford Brown, David Khunne and Joan Almirall - Venus in Furs is considered by most of his fans and even some critics as one of his most accomplished features. It's not flawless, of
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course, and some will take issue with the often ludicrous, deadpan voice-over narration by Darren, an overuse of some once stylistic devices of the late 60s/early 70s such as the zoom lens, and the often uneven mixture of stock footage with new material. At the same time, these qualities which were often necessitated by the meager budget, help lend the movie an almost experimental, freeform tone. In assessing the film in The Video Watchdog Book, Franco devotee Tim Lucas wrote, "The beauty of this film - a kind of inverted telling of The Bride Wore Black [1968], influenced by Antonioni's Blow-Up [1966]- is that it makes little narrative sense, while making perfect emotional sense. What better purpose can film serve? The fetishistic images come to a boil with a hot, obsessive jazz score....as Darren narrates the hallucinations with lines like "Man, it was a wild scene, but if they wanted to go that route, it was their bag!" These Sixties-isms only make the experience more appealingly distorted, a haunting, virtually unique fantasy." Producer: Harry Alan Towers Director: Jesus Franco Screenplay: Milo G. Cuccia, Carlo Fadda, Jesus Franco, Bruno Leder, Malvin Wald Cinematography: Angelo Lotti Special Effects: Howard A. Anderson Music: Mike Hugg, Manfred Mann, Stu Phillips (uncredited) Film Editing: Henry Batista, Michael Pozen, Nicholas Wentworth Cast: James Darren (Jimmy Logan), Barbara McNair (Rita), Maria Rohm (Wanda Reed), Klaus Kinski (Ahmed Kortobawi), Dennis Price (Percival Kapp), Margaret Lee (Olga), Adolfo Lastretti (Inspector Kaplan), Paul Muller (Hermann). C-86m.
Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua) (1991)
Directed By: Yimou Zhang Synopsis: In 1920's China, an attractive new concubine to a wealthy master arouses tension amongst the other wives. In 1920's China, an attractive new concubine to a wealthy master arouses tension amongst the other wives. China in the 1920's. After her father's death, nineteen year old Songlian is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian, the lord of a powerful family. Fifty year old Chen has already three wives, each of them living in separate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and privilege. Each night Chen must decide with which wife to spend the night and a red lantern is lit in front of the house of his choice. And each wife schemes and plots to make sure it's hers. However, things get out of hand..
is running a grill-bar in a dirty part of Copenhagen. The oldest son runs a restaurant in France, while the sister is a anthropologist. The older sister has recently committed suicide and the father asks the oldest son to say a few words about her, because he is afraid he will break into tears if he does it himself. The oldest son agrees without arguments. Actually he has already written two speeches. A yellow and a green one. By the table, he asks the father to pick a speech. The father chooses green. The oldest son announces that this is the Speech of Truth. Everybody laughs, except for the father who gets a nervous look on his face. For he knows that the oldest son is about to reveal the secret of why the oldest sister killed herself.
The grandmother admits to her daughter-in-law that her son had not made her happy, and encourages her to remarry again. She isn't keen on the idea. The grandfather gets drunk with his two friends, as he used to be all the time when he was younger. His two friends are all disappointed in their children. The grandfather is so as well: he wanted his doctor son to be famous, rick and have good earnings but he is actually a doctor in a working-class district; and his daughter is stubborn and bad-humoured. The friends haven't got a place for the grandfather to stay, so he tries to go back home. A policeman finds him drunk late at night on the street and takes him to the hairdresser's home. The grandparents decide to go back to their village sooner than expected. Grandma tells their children that they have been good to them, so if anything bad happens to the grandparents, they don't need to visit to them in the village. Grandparents will make a final stop on their journey: their younger son lives in a city on their way. However, grandma feels really sick soon. Telegrams are sent, and their children have to visit her. The next day, grandma dies. The younger brother is the last one to arrive - when Grandma has already passed away - as he is a salesman and was out of home working. The hairdresser is bossy, although it is the daughter living in the village who is the one to take care of all the details. The doctor, the hairdresser and the younger son leave the village the same day, returning to their lives, jobs... Only the widowed sister-in-law stays for almost a week, helping the village daughter. The village daughter brands her siblings as "ungrateful, rude...". Finally, the sister-in-law needs to go back to her job as well. Grandpa stays in the village with her daughter, promising never to drink again.
pretending to be an intern and for looking at her breast. She takes his picture and leaves. Jamie comes home to find Josh who has split from his wife and wants to stay with him. Jamie calls Dr. Knight's receptionist (who he is sleeping with) and gets Maggies number. He calls Maggie and asks her out for coffee. At first she says no, but then she gives in and meets him. The date is basically him being charming and her being rude. After 10 minutes, they head back to her apartment and have very casual sex. Afterwards, she kicks him out right away and we see a montage of Jamie getting booty calls and him and Maggie having sex everywhere and whenever she calls him. Later at work, Jamie is throwing away the Prozac pills and he looks up to get punched in the face by Trey (Gabriel Macht), the rep for Prozac. Trey is the top seller in the region and gives the doctors and staff big kickbacks (trips to Florida and Hawaii) for pushing Prozac. He says he knows what Jamie is doing and that he will take him down if he doesn't stop. Trey and Jamie fight some more and he leaves Jamie on the ground after telling him to stay way from Maggie. Jamie then gets take out food and goes to see Maggie. After briefly discussing Trey (hes married but was seeing her on the side) and Maggie's Parkinsons (shes a waitress and has no health insurance) they start to have sex but Jamie is unable to get errect for the occasion. After a few kind words from Maggie, they just hang out and she teases him that he should use the new erection drug that his company has developed. The next day before Jamie leaves, Maggie begins having problems with tremors, which she hides from him as she pushes him out the door. Jamie approaches Bruce about the new drug and Bruce says he will look into it. At work, Jamie gets the green light to sell Viagra and suddenly he is extremely popular and the doctors pursue him. Back at his apartment, Maggie and Jamie talk and he tries to convince her to have a relationship with him. She says no and leaves. The next day, Maggie is helping senior citizens onto a bus to go to Canada to get cheap prescription drugs when Jamie shows up. They argue about their relationship some more and she leaves. Jamie waits in the parking lot for her to come back and the next day when the bus comes back Maggie is touched that he waited. Maggie tells him that she will have a relationship with him but that she gets to hate him and slam him to her girlfriends when he dumps her. Back at her apartment, Maggie talks about how she use to be a painter but since her diagnosis with Parkinsons, she has switched to photography/collages. Jamie talks about how he dropped out of med school because he has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). One night after networking at the bar, Jamie comes home and starts to mess around with Maggie when he starts to hyper ventilate and tells her that he loves her and that she is the first person he has ever told that to. A few days later, Bruce and Jamie are talking about an upcoming conference in Chicago and Jamie says he doesn't want to leave Maggie to go because of her illness. Jamie comes home to find Maggie drunk. Earlier in the day, she realized that she ran out of meds and couldnt get to the pharmacy in time to get a refill due to the wait in the clinic. They have a fight and Jamie leaves. After he walks out, Maggie starts to cry and throws her glass. Jamie comes back and holds her and they make up. Jamie asks Maggie to go the conference with him. She accepts and while at the conference she gets invited to a Parkinson's convention across the street. She is moved by the people (mostly elderly) and their stories. She texts Jamie to come over and join her and while at the refreshment table he meets a middle-aged man whos wife is in the final stages of the disease. Jamie asks for advice and the man tells him to run, that he wouldn't do it again. This shakes Jamie and after the convention Maggie tells him how much she loves him and how happy she is that he is with her. In a montage, we see Jamie researching Parkinson's and pushing Dr. Knight for info on specialists to help her. He starts taking Maggie to specialist and seminars across the country, paying for her to have tests done and maxing out his credit cards on hotel rooms and airfares. At one office, Jamie gets angry with the receptionist because their appointment was rescheduled and they had flown in to see the doctor for only that one day. While he is yelling at the receptionist, Maggie walks out and Jamie runs after her. They fight and Maggie says that there is no cure for her Parkinson's and that she isn't having fun anymore. They break up against Jamie's wishes. Jamie is depressed but Dr. Knight talks him into going to a pajama party at another doctors house. Jamie and Josh show up and Josh hooks up with someone right away. Jamie takes Viagra and has a three-way with two female coworkers. Jamie wakes up later in pain and sees that he is having a bad reaction to the Viagra. As his brother drives him to the ER, Josh tells him that he doesn't envy Jamie's random empty sex life and that he misses his wife and
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he is going back to her. The next night, Jamie goes to meet Bruce for dinner and runs into Maggie who is on a date. After some awkward conversation, Bruce shows up and says that Jamie has been promoted to the Chicago office. Maggie congratulates him and hurries off. During dinner, Bruce tells Jamie that he didnt get promoted and that he just received a raise. Jamie goes home and starts to pack when he finds a video that he and Maggie had made of their talking in bed. He realizes that he wants to be with Maggie and goes to the dinner where she works. Her boss tells him that she has left for a med run to Canada and Jamie speeds off after her. Jamie flags the bus down on the highway and gets them to pull over at a rest stop. Maggie gets off and says that Jamie has three minutes to talk. He tells Maggie about how she makes him a better person, that he loves her and needs her. She starts to cry and says that she will need him more. He says thats okay and she says she can't ask that of him. He says "you didn't" and tells her that even if in some alternate reality there was a healthy version of both of them with no worries or problems that he would still choose their reality and problems. They hug and kiss and the movie cuts to yet another montage with a voice over from Jamie. It shows Maggie and Jamie living together and Jamie studying for med school. In the final shot, there is a image of a video of Jamie talking about living everyday to the fullest and how money isn't everything and you should follow your dreams.
ends up in! The third and final episode, which has a modern-day setting, is the shortest but also, possibly, the most outrageous: Pascale Christophe is a young married woman whos abducted on a busy Parisian street by a smalltime hood hidden inside a cardboard box! They move inconspicuously (i.e. the box moves!) through the crowd until they reach his van, from where he starts organizing her ransom. She goes to a phone booth to call her husband, all the while being in the criminals line of fire; the womans faithful Doberman senses that something is wrong and sets out in pursuit of her. Amazingly, the dog manages to locate the van by a river and savagely attacks the young man (who, at the time, was raping its mistress) as soon as he appears out of the vehiclebut the same thing happens when the husband finally arrives (both he and the criminal, screaming in pain, eventually tumble into the water). Apparently, the woman is unperturbed by all of this and is merely overjoyed at her saviors prowess! IMMORAL WOMEN, therefore, provides many of Borowczyks typical ingredients filmed in his traditional dreamy soft-focus and set to the equally familiar strains of a harpsichord/synthesizer-based score: sexualized objects, suggestions of bestiality, a depraved religious environment (which includes depicting Michelangelo as a neurotic homosexual given to liberating bouts of mud-slinging!), snooty bourgeoisie, etc. As was the case with IMMORAL TALES, the cumulative experience of the film is somewhat underwhelming and, at nearly 2 hours, decidedly draggy; such slight and fanciful pieces are, perhaps, best sampled individually! Even if Borowczyk started his career by churning out surrealist animated shorts, it seems to me that he did his most potent work when his themes were fleshed out to feature-length form (a case in point being THE BEAST [1975], whose bizarre centre-piece was initially intended to form part of IMMORAL TALES itself but was ultimately given added texture by being framed inside a modern, and quite fascinating, morality play!).
Penelope (2006)
Directed By: Mark Palansky
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Synopsis: A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will love... A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will love her faithfully." In this modern day romantic tale, Penelope is about a young girl's inspiring journey, a mysterious family secret and the power of love. With all odds against her, in order for Penelope to break the family curse, she must find true love with "one of her own kind" and realize the most important life lesson, "I like myself the way I am." Penelope Wilhern, born to wealthy socialites, is afflicted by the Wilhern spell that can only be broken when she finds love. Hidden away in her family's estate, the lonely girl meets a string of suitors in her parent's futile attempt to break the curse. Each eligible bachelor is enamored with Penelope and her sizable dowry; until her curse is revealed. Lemon, a mischievous and eager tabloid reporter wants a photograph of the mysterious Penelope and hires Max to pose as a prospective suitor to get the shot. The handsome down-on-his luck gambler finds himself falling for Penelope. Many generations ago, the Wilherns were a prestigious, wealthy, and respected family. However, things went downhill after young Ralph Wilhern had a romance with (and impregnated) a servant girl named Clara. Though he wished to marry Clara, Ralph was talked out of the idea by his family and married a young woman of his own social class. A devestated Clara commits suicide. Unfortunately for the Wilherns, Clara's mother happens to be a witch. To avenge her daughter, the old woman curses the wealthy Wilherns, promising that the next girl born into the family will have the face of a pig, until she is accepted and loved by "one of her own kind." For generations, only sons were born to Wilherns, and the curse was nearly forgotten. But finally, Jessica and Franklin Wilhern produced a baby girl, Penelope, born with the nose and ears of a pig. Penelope's parents attempt to have the nose surgically removed, but the placement of a certain artery makes it impossible. They resort to hiding ther daughter in their lavish mansion, with Jessica banning anything pig-related (such as bacon) from the household. Due to the media circus revolving about the rumors of the "pig-faced girl," Franklin and Jessica fake Penelope's death and dedicate their time to finding her a welathy husband, which they believe will break the curse. Though Penelope is isolated, she is well-educated and develops a love for horticulture. When she is 18, Jessica hires a matchmaker, Wanda, to assist with the husband-hunt. A room is set up with a one-way mirror, allowing Penelope to talk with potential matches while hidden in her room. When she reveals her face to them, however, they run from the house screaming. They are caught (by the Wilhern's butler, Jake), and legally forced to keep Penelope's condition secret. Seven years later, after one such meeting, the young man in question (the snobbish Edward Vanderman III) outruns Jake and attempts to report "monsterous" Penelope to the police. Edward is laughed at and imprisoned for the night. The next morning, his story is printed in the newspaper, citing his outburst as a "mental breakdown." Desperate to clear his name, Edward complains to the author of the article. About to be dismissed a second time, Edward has a chance meeting with Mr. Lemon, a reporter determined to get a photograph of Penelope. Lemon had nearly gotten the picture in Penelope's infancy, but was attacked by Jessica, resulting in the loss of his eye. He and Edward team up to reveal her existance to the community. Lemon decides to find a "down-and-out blueblood" who would be willing to meet with Penelope while rigged with a hidden camera. He finds a name of a nearly broke man from a wealthy family: Max Campion. Lemon visits a gambling hall that Campion frequents, and is directed to his poker table. Lemon bribes the young man he believes to be Campion with $5,000 to participate in the scheme. The following day, "Max" meets up with Edward and Lemon and is affixed with a jacket containing a camera. Max enters the Wilhern house and files into the observation room with other young, wealthy candidates. As Max's camera malfunctions, he drops behind a sofa to fix it. At that moment, Penelope enters the room and the other young men flee. A disheartened Penelope retreats to the kitchen, where she argues with her controlling mother about the futility of finding a husband. Jessica and Wanda spy Max through the security camera, sitting alone in the observation room (having been the only one to not see Penelope). They quickly send Penelope to speak with him through the one-way mirror. Max and Penelope bond in their conversation, despite Max's obvious crooked ways. Max promises to return the next day. He assures Lemon he will be back to secure the photograph, which he had failed to obtain. The following day, Penelope suspects that Max plays a musical intstrument, and he playfully asks her to guess which one while he demonstrates his (lacking) skills at guitar, drums, bass, and saxaphone. Penelope concludes that Max pays piano, and finally reveals her face to him while helping him play a chord. Max is taken aback, but does not run. He snaps a picture, and is immediately ashamed as Penelope runs from the room. Max returns to Edward and Lemon, destorying the camera and photograph, as Jessica spys them and recognizes Lemon from years before. After an
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altercation back in the house, a tearful Penelope begs Max to marry her and break the curse. Max sadly refuses, and is banished from the house. That night, Penelope steals her mother's credit card, covers her pig snout with a scarf, and escapes into the city for the first time. She calls her parents from a payphone, assuring them that she is safe, and books a room at a hotel. Franklin and Jessica face dilemmas about finding their daughter; they cannot describe her to authorities without mentioning the pig features, which will expose her. After having a beer at a bar, Penelope befriends a delivery girl named Annie who helps her explore the city. After nearly being discovered by her parents, Penelope decides to sell her own photograph to Lemon to avoid using Jessica's credit card. Though Penelope still hides her identity, her picture starts a media frenzy. Her parents spot her once again, and after a chase through the city, an exhausted Penelope faints. Annie removes the scarf to reveal the famous pig snout. To Penelope's surprise, she is welcomed and treated kindly by the community, and has no further need to conceal her face. Edward, however, still sees Penelope as a hideous monster, and angers his prestigious father by expressing his disgust to the press. To redeem his image, Edward proposes to Penelope, who is hesitant because of lingering feelings for Max. At a theater one night, a still smitten Max confronts Edward about hurting Penelope, but remains hindered by his own guilt for leaving her. At the newspaper office, Lemon overhears that Max Campion was recently arrested for robbery. Shocked, Lemon visits the police station where he discovers the real Max: a middle-aged, portly man who also played poker at the gambling hall. Lemon asks about the young man who claimed to be Max, and Campion identifies him as Johnny Martin. Lemon realizes his mistake: he had approached the wrong man at the poker table, but the phony Max had played along for the money.After visiting Johnny at his blue-coller job, he discovers why Johnny could not break Penelope's curse: he is merlely a plumber's son, not a blue-blooded aristocrat. Penelope must marry "one of her own kind." The day of Penelope and Edward's wedding arrives. Edward is still disgusted by his fiancee, but is assured by his mother that the curse will be broken once the wedding is over. Penelope does not love Edward, and stoically allows herself to be preened for the ceremony. At the alter, Penelope backs out of the marriage and retreats to her room, with Jessica in hot pursuit. Jessica pleads with Penelope to reconsider and rid herself of the curse, but Penelope replies "I like myself the way I am." At that moment, a flash of light and a swirl of memories occurs, and a stunned Penelope finds her pig nose has been replaced by a human one. By being accepted by one of her own kind (herself), she had broken the curse. Without the iconic snout, Penelope falls out of the media circle and is free to live a low-profile life. She leaves home and becomes an elementary school horticulture teacher. Jake, the Wilhern butler, also leaves the household, revealing himself to be the witch who had cursed the family generations ago (he also "mutes" Jessica, sparing the family from her constant demands). On Halloween, Penelope is surprised to find that she, in her pig-faced form, is the most popular costume among her students. Remembering who had accepted her from the beginning, she decides to reconcile with Johnny. Dressed as herself (by wearing a fake pig snout), Penelope goes with Annie to a Halloween party at the theater where Johnny works and rents an apartment. Penelope nervously knocks on his door, under the guise of "having to pee." She notices he is packing a suitcase, and he tells her he is leaving town. Still not recognizing her, he sadly tells her that her mask reminds him of someone he used to know. Penelope sees a piano in the corner and reveals her indentity, remembering that she had guessed his instrument correctly before. Johnny kisses her and apologizes for being unable to break the curse. With a smile, Penelope removes her mask, showing that she had the power all along. Penelope tells her story to her horticulture class (accompanied by Johnny, now in a relationship with her), and asks their opinion of the curse. One young student replies insightfully "It's not the power of the curse, it's the power you give the curse." After sending the class off to collect plant samples in the park, Johnny pushes Penelope on a nearby swing. Lemon sits in a rowboat in the nearby lake, ready to sneak a picture of the new Penelope. Seeing her happiness, he thinks better of it and rows away.
electricity and the shocking Can-Can. Christian falls into a passionate but ultimately doomed love affair with Satine, the Sparkling Diamond, the most beautiful courtesan in Paris and star of the Moulin Rouge. The year is 1899, and Christian, a young English writer, has come to Paris to follow the Bohemian revolution taking hold of the city's drug and prostitute infested underworld. And nowhere is the thrill of the underworld more alive than at the Moulin Rouge, a night club where the rich and poor men alike come to be entertained by the dancers, but things take a wicked turn for Christian as he starts a deadly love affair with the star courtesan of the club, Satine. But her affections are also coveted by the club's patron: the Duke. A dangerous love triangle ensues as Satine and Christian attempt to fight all odds to stay together but a force that not even love can conquer is taking its toll on Satine.
Synopsis: In this film, 'Her' refers to both Paris, the character of Juliette Janson and the actress playing her, Marina Vlady. The film is a kind of dramatised documentary, illustrating and exaggerating the emotionless lives of characters in the new Paris of the 60s, where commercialism mocks families getting by on small incomes, where prostitution is a moneyspinning option, and where people are coldly resigned and immune to the human nightmares of Vietnam, and impending Atomic war.
Stephen Hawking distinguishes three different "arrows of time": thermodynamic, cosmological, and psychological ("A Brief History of Time," 1988). Although all of these three time arrows enter in our daily lives to a greater or lesser extent, we are here only concerned with the psychological arrow of time. Bergson, whom Proust admired, made a distinction between the concept ("clock time") and the experience of time ("real time"), arguing that "real time" is experienced as "duration" and apprehended by "intuition." He further stated that time is in constant flux, with moments of the past and the present having equal reality. This leads us to Alain Resnais' film, "L'anne dernire Marienbad" ("Last Year at Marienbad," 1961), which appeared on the French screens in 1961. To say that this film shocked the film audiences is an understatement. Nobody had seen anything like it, although Resnais' "Hiroshima mon amour" should have prepared us by the way it explores his favorite themes: the anguish of oblivion and the fixity of time. In Resnais' film traditional realism is no longer, replaced by a deeper realism, that of the mind. For "L'anne dernire Marienbad," Resnais collaborated with Alain Robbe-Grillet on the scenario. Robbe-Grillet should also be credited as co-director, as he wrote a detailed shooting script that Resnais followed faithfully, with a few exceptions. As such, some words are also in order regarding Robbe-Grillet. Alain Robbe-Grillet is a French author and literary critic. In the mid-1950s until the early 1960s, he was the theorist and leading proponent of a new movement in French literature known as "le nouveau roman" (the new novel). This new novel is characterized by stark descriptions which often shun allegory and metaphor in favor of precise physical details, an enhanced sense of ambiguity with respect to points of view, and an extreme disjunction of time and space. The new novel lacks the conventional elements of the traditional modes of literary realism, such as dramatic plotting, psychological analysis, and its adhesion to the unities of time and place, which creates an illusion of order, in contrast to modern life's discontinuities and randomness. Robbe-Grillet's novels are characterized by the destruction of the plot in favor of a clever construction where the protagonists no longer have any psychological dimensions, nor time and space any objective reality. They are composed largely of recurring images, impersonally depicted physical objects, and the random events of everyday life. Robbe-Grillet has written eighteen novels of various kinds and directed ten films. He was made a member of the prestigious "Acadmie Franaise," in 2004. The most famous dramatization of his literary theories came to life in the present Resnais' film. The film is about the dream of a man in love with an inaccessible woman. But the dream is also a nightmare. He comes to take her away, but she does not, or does not want to, remember him. When he seems to have finally reached her, she has moved into another time, into another memory. As he renews his efforts to convince her, new nightmares arise. He is not even sure of loving her, or even if it was she who was or the object of his love. The film ends with his taking her in the nightuntil the next dream. "Marienbad" is a love story, although not a "story" in the conventional narrative sense, since the fragmented images cannot be scanned chronologically. The "story" is not told rather it is described using a juxtaposition of physical images, through memories and associations, projected through a space-time continuum, which destroys both linear chronology and fixity. Resnais built a captivating puzzle-like film, a labyrinth, which at time resembles the optical illusions of Escher or the surreal world of Magritte. Any attempt to provide a satisfying chronology for the film would contradict the assumptions upon which it was built, as well as the manner in which it is presented. However, we can describe it. The setting is a luxurious hotel, lush with furnishings, paintings, moldings, and sculptures. There are endless formal gardens surrounding the hotel. The principal characters go only by letters, A (Delphine Seyrig), X (Giorgio Albertazzi), and M (Sasha Pitoeff). X attempts to convince A that they have met last year in this hotel (or maybe it was in a different one), that they loved each other, emotionally and physically, and that she had agreed to elope with him, away from M, her husband (or lover). At the last moment, she had refused (for whatever reason) and asked for a one year postponement. Now, the year has passed and X has come to their agreed rendezvous to take her away. A claims she does not recognize X, and cannot remember any agreement between them. At first, X is surprised, and he recounts conversations the two of them had, supporting details, relating scenes convincingly. A persists in not remembering, even though X produces a photograph of her as a proof of his claim. However, X could be mistaken about his last year's affair. If X is not mistaken, could his affair have been with another woman? A could have also had an affair with another man, "Frank," whose name recurs during the film in several of the other hotel guests' conversations. As the film progresses, X is insistent, as if the strength of his conviction in recounting what he believes are actually the events themselves. At this point, facts and arguments are so mixed up that nothing is any longer verifiable. And to top it all off, at the end of the film, the lovers (A and X) run away together into the night, but this flight is recounted to us by X, in the past tense. The result is that the story can be re-started from the beginning: the whole thing took place last year, and it can be repeated ad infinitum.
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The woman, A, moves about the hotel in a series of stylized poses. She spends her time reading, watching a play, walking about the gardens, and having conversations with X. M hovers throughout the film, drifting from room to room, engaged in a multitude of pursuits. In particular, he gambles and plays a variation of the game of "Nim" with the other guests, which he claims he always wins. Surrounding these three main characters are the other personages of the film: the hotel itself, the gardens, and the other guests. The guests take walks along statuaries, hedge-mazes, fountains, and long gravel paths. Everyone appears in evening clothes to attend a dinner, a concert, or a play presented at the hotel's theater, a play that resembles the events that are unfolding in the very film we are watching. Conversations are overheard. Words float in the air as if trapped inside the hotel, in search of a listener. Time itself moves forward or backward, depending on the subject of conversations, or the mood of the people.
Naked (1993)
Director: Mike Leigh Johnny flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend, and spends some time homeless, spending much of his time ranting at strangers, and meeting characters in plights very much like his own.
Mncora (2008)
Director: Ricardo de Montreuil An adventure drama that tells the story of Santiago, a 22-year old from Lima. Following his father's suicide, haunted by his inner daemons and hatred for the world in general, Santiago decides to escape the crude Lima winter to take
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refuge in Mancora, a beach to the north of Peru where it is always summer. Upon his departure, Santiago receives the unexpected visit from his stepsister, Ximena, a young and beautiful photographer in her late twenties, accompanied by her husband Inigo, a young surgeon from Spain. The three take off on a journey escaping reality and in search of themselves. Santiago and Ximena find refuge in each other, which sparks off jealousies within Inigo, and a trip that was intended to be a simple escape turns out to be much more, when each of the three crosses limits and borders they should never have crossed. The three are placed face to face with their dreams and daemons. From the director of "La Mujer de Mi Hermano" (My Brothers Wife), and the writer of "Voces Inocentes" (Innocent Voices) comes Mncora, a tender and pulsating road-trip drama that delicately traces the shifting emotional boundaries between three disconnected souls. Mncora introduces us to Santiago, a 21-year old from Lima who is haunted by his fathers recent and unexpected suicide. Suffocating in the chill of a grey Lima winter, Santiago decides to take refuge in Mancora, a beach town in the north of the country where summer never ends. Right before his departure, Santiago receives an unexpected visit from his stepsister Ximena, a vibrant, sexy Spanish photographer and her husband Iigo, a brash art collector from New York. The tranquility of their getaway is quickly shattered by a powerful act of boundary-crossing and betrayal, which threatens to transform their relationship forever and turn Mancora in to a paradise lost.
following day Alex and his wife Margot drive to a secluded lake, Lake Charmaine, where they have childhood memories and a carved heart with their initials, M+A, on a tree near the lake. There, Margot uses Alex's pocketknife to add an additional hash mark to the many already present below the heart. Thereafter they disrobe and romantically swim naked in the lake. After nightfall they end up snuggling together on a wooden raft in the center of the lake. After having a little argument about the cold relationship he has with his sister Anne, Margot comments she will "butt out" and swims back to the shore to check on the dog that was left in the car. Alex then hears Margot's cry for help, swims to shore, and is knocked unconscious as he attempts to exit the water using the ladder on the dock. He is last seen falling back into the water. The next scene is eight years later when we see Alex arriving at the hospital where he works as a practicing pediatrician. While attending to a young girl and her parents Alex hears a commotion in the admission section and rushes to the scene. There he finds a thug-looking man named Bruno holding his son in his arms and demanding to see Alex. Alex is the only person there who Bruno will trust with his hemophiliac son who had fallen off the couch. Alex provides Bruno assurance and carries Bruno's son into the emergency room. Alex meets his friend Helene, who is his sister's lover and domestic partner, for lunch in her restaurant, where he reads in a newspaper that two male bodies were uncovered near the Lake Charmaine. In his lunch conversation with Helene they discuss his plans to meet with Margot's mother in what has been a yearly meeting with her for the past eight years on the anniversary of Margot's murder. Alex also promises to stop by Helene's apartment after his visit with Margot's mother. Alex stops and talks with Bruno on his way back to the hospital. Bruno provides Alex with his phone number on a card and offers Alex cash. Alex declines the cash to which Bruno suggests a DVD player or plasma TV. Alex refuses the gifts and tells Bruno he will update him when his son comes out of surgery. When Alex returns to his office, he notices a new email message with the subject M+A followed by a row of about thirty slash marks (M+A///////////////////////////). He counts the slash marks and then opens the email. The email contains a link and the message with the words "open link," "anniversary," and "6:15 p.m." Alex attempts to immediately open the link, but it doesnt open. While Alex is still contemplating the email, he receives a message from his secretary that a police sergeant would like to speak to him. In the next scene Alex has arrived at his sister's home where she is practicing jumping with her horse. They then meet with the police sergeant to discuss the case of the two men that were found buried near the lake. The discussion reveals several interesting points. The two men were found near where Margot was killed, but not on the family's property. A baseball bat was found buried with the two victims containing type B positive blood, the same blood type as Alex. And, even though Alex was cleared of his wife's murder and even though the murder was later attributed to a serial killer by the name of Serton, the police still proclaimed being puzzled by Alex's claim that he had been knocked unconscious into the water, yet was later found on the dock. Alex then submits to a blood DNA test. A nurse also shows up to take his blood. That night he has several drinks while out walking his dog Nina. At home he stares at the email message on his computer screen and recalls the days with his wife including his childhood memories, his wedding, and her funeral where she was cremated. The next day he is anxious all day for the email he is expecting at 6:15 p.m. on the apparent day of the anniversary of Margot's death. When he opens the link at 6:15, he observes that it is a web camera located at a shopping mall focused on a pair of escalators. While he is watching, he sees a woman who looks like Margot walk into the frame, turn to the camera, look at him, and slowly speak to the camera though Alex can only see her speak. She then turns around and walks off. Alex also receives a second email that contains the messages: "Same time + 2 hrs," "Username: Concert, Password: Olympia," and "Tell no one. They are watching." Alex thereafter visits Margot's mother and father where he confronts Margot's father regarding how positive he was when he identified his daughter's body after the murder. Out of this conversation we learn that Margot's father was a captain in the police force at the time and that Alex never viewed or identified his wife. Margot' father is irritated by all of Alex's probing questions and eventually asks him to leave. As promised at lunch the previous day Alex stops at Helene's apartment. While there, he tells Helene of the emails he has received and shows her the link to the web camera. In the discussion Alex mentions that the web camera must be located outside of France because it was dark in Paris while the web camera still depicted daylight. While Alex is visiting Helene, Alex's sister Anna is participating in an equestrian meet sponsored by Gilbert Neuville
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in honor of his son who was an equestrian jumping champion who died eight years ago in 1997. When Anne shows up at Helene's apartment, she announces that she placed second, is very tired, and is going to bed. Helene whispers to Alex that she and Anne had had a little fight, that Anne was suspicious of Helene having an affair with a woman at work. When Alex returns home, he again stares at his computer screen displaying the web camera at the shopping mall. Meanwhile two men at some unknown location are viewing and discussing the same two emails that Alex has received. One of them is knowledgeable of computers and states that the emails are anonymous and that the accounts are created at the time the emails are sent. He further states that he is tied into both of Alex's computers so that he would know when Alex goes on line. The other man, later identified as Bernard, states that he thinks he knows enough already. The next morning several policemen are awaiting Alex when he arrives at the hospital. One of them is Captain Levkowitch who invites Alex to the police station where it would be more convenient to talk. At the police station Alex is asked about a woman named Juliette Langlois and is shown three photos of Margot bruised and beaten. Alex acknowledges that Juliette is his wife's middle name and that Langlois is the street where she lived growing up. Alex denies ever beating his wife and denies ever seeing the photos. Alex is next seen in a car with a highpowered woman attorney name Elysabeth Feldman, who was hired by Helene. Although Alex had never seen the photos that the police had in their possession, Alex told Elysabeth that while he was doing his residency in Bordeaux, Margot had been in an automobile accident with her girlfriend, Charlotte. That afternoon Alex goes to visit Margot's old girlfriend Charlotte, a photographer, who he hasn't communicated with since his wife's death. Charlotte admonishes Alex for not staying in touch but Alex tells her that he just wasn't up to it. Alex then asks Charlotte about the automobile accident and the photos. Charlotte explains that there was no accident, that one day Margot showed up bruised and asked her to claim that she was in an accident with her, should Alex ever ask. She assured Alex that Margot had never lied to him regarding anything else. When Alex returns to his apartment, he searches through boxes of Margot's stuff and finds her daily plannercalendar for 1997. In there he finds an appointment noted by the initials PF. When he calls the phone number, a woman answers the phone for a lawyer by the name of Pierre Ferrault, who is not in the office. In the meantime Captain Levkowitch and his partner meet Margot's parents at their residence. Levkowitch shows the same three photos to Margot's mother that he had shown to Alex and inquires about Alex. Eventually Margot's father asks his wife to leave the room while he discusses further details. In that discussion Levkowitch and his partner make a case for Alex having murdered Margot for the 200,000-pound life insurance policy. In the conversation they disclose that the photos were from a safe deposit box under the name of Juliette Langlois and that the key was in the pocket of one of the men found at the lake. Alex later meets up with Helene where they discuss the possibility of the police attempting to shake him up with the apparent emails from Margot. That evening the two of them attempt to open the web mail account with the username and password provided in the previous email. They are both unsuccessful, but discover that Alex's computer was actively being linked to another computer. In the mean time, Bernard and a woman thug await Charlotte in her studio. When she returns from being out, they terrorize her and torture her regarding the whereabouts of Margot. After they receive a call that Helene has left Alex's apartment. Bernard shoots Charlotte and the two leave. In the mean time Alex has taken his dog Nina for a walk. While thinking about the emails he has received, he gets an idea and runs with Nina to an Internet boutique several blocks away. The clerk will not allow Alex to enter with Nina, so he ties Nina to a bike rack and enters by himself. Another man, who arrived about the same time, allows Alex to go first and a minute or so later takes a seat at the computer to his right. Alex first enters the username "Concert" and password "Olympia" but then changes it to "U2" and "1995." The email account is valid and Alex finally gets to read the message he has been after. The message is to meet at a park near the bandstand the following afternoon at 5 p.m. The next morning on the way to work Alex stops by the morgue to talk with the coroner regarding Margot's file and photos of her autopsy. He is told by the coroner that the records are not filed there and that he would have to formally request them, which he does. In the mean time, the police have arrived at Charlotte's studio presumably called there by her associate. Her associate tells the police that when he had left work the day before, Charlotte was with a gentleman by the name of Alex Beck. The police immediately send a team of officers to Alexs apartment where they find some gloves in a
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trash can in the alley and a handgun taped to the backside of a desk. Alex is next seen at work working with a patient when he receives a call from Helene's attorney, Elysabeth Feldman. She informs Alex of Charlotte's murder, that the police are on their way to the hospital, that she will meet him there as well, and to sit tight and not say anything. Alex checks out the hallways and exits where he sees police on their way. He then leaves the building through a window in his office, jumps to the roof of a van below, and then runs down the street pursued by the police. After a harrowing chase scene, Alex hides in a dumpster and calls Bruno. After another chase Bruno and his associates create a distraction and get Alex into his black Chevy Tahoe. After losing Alex in the chase, Captain Levkowitch stops by his mother's place to drop off some groceries. There he speaks with his partner and admits to being the one who called Alex's attorney, Elysabeth Feldman. In his conversation Levkowitch goes through a list of reasons why he doesnt think Alex would have murdered Charlotte including hiding the murder weapon in his apartment behind a desk, his stopping at the coroner's office on the way to work, and even going to work at all. While his partner cautions him about the consequence of doing something that would re-open the murder case of the serial killer Serton, Levkowitch counters that he just wants to get to the truth. Next, Alex and Bruno together go to the office of Pierre Ferrault where Alex questions Ferrault regarding his connection to Margot. Ferrault informs Alex that he had represented a man name Helio Gonzales who had been accused of killing Philippe Neuville, the son of the wealthy and well known Gilbert Neuville. Philippe and Helio had been seen together the night of Philippes murder and Margot came forward as his alibi for the time of the murder. Margot had originally claimed that she had been professionally counseling Helio, but because no one was expected to believe that she would have been working at 11:00 p.m., Margot eventually admitted that she had had a twomonth affair with Helio. Alex, Bruno, and Brunos associate next track down Helio. Although Helio is a jerk and enjoys humiliating Alex about having sex with his wife, Alex bluffs Helio telling him that he was with his wife the night Philippe was murdered and could thereby invalidate Helio's alibi and land Helio in jail. Helio falls for the bluff and confirms that he did not have an affair, simply went along with what Margot told him to say, and that she got him released from murder charges. At 5 p.m. Alex shows up in at the park and waits on a bench near the bandstand as instructed in the email. However, unknown to Alex there are four men and a woman (including Bernard, the woman, and the man who sat next to Alex at the Internet boutique the previous evening) staking out the park from within and from a van parked near the entrance. The group initially mistake a woman with stroller and child for Margot. As Margot approaches Alex from behind, she sees a man talking on a walky-talky and hesitates approaching Alex any further. She then decides to abort the meeting and leaves through one of the gates. Because the gang of thugs had been concentrating on the woman with the stroller, they miss Margot leaving through the gate. Alex catches a glimpse of Margot leaving and attempts to catch up with her, but as he exits the gate, Bernard gives the go-ahead to take him captive. The four remaining thugs kidnap him in the van, hold him down, and begin to torture him for information. When the van stops at the next cross street, Bruno and his associate hijack the van and kill two of Alex's kidnappers, rescue Alex, and flee the scene Bruno's black Chevy Tahoe. In the meantime, Captain Levkowitch is parked at the morgue where he has obtained a copy of the autopsy report. While he is sitting in his car reading it and taking notes, he receives a call on his radio that Alex had purchased a ticket for a flight to Buenos Aires at 10:30 p.m. Around this same time Bernard, the leader of the other four thugs, meets with his boss, Gilbert Neuville at Gilberts home. At their meeting, Gilbert describes his attachment to his son, who he says, "rots underground, while she may still be alive." He then states that he "cannot accept that." At the airport Margot is awaiting her flight. When she hears her boarding call, she stands and catches a glimpse of the televised news. The news flash indicates the murder of Charlotte Bertaud and the escape of suspect Alex Beck. Margot then proceeds to boarding where she changes her mind and leaves. In the meantime Captain Levkowitch and his partner learn from a clerk at flight check-in that the seat adjacent to Alex Beck was reserved by a woman named Caroline Perreire and that the tickets were purchased only five minutes apart. When they run to the appropriate gate which was starting to board passengers, they discover that neither Alex nor Caroline Perreire have boarded. Alex, who is now at Brunos apartment, has no success in being contacted by Margot on the computer at Brunos apartment. He does, however call his attorney, Elysabeth Feldman, and tell her that he can prove he didn't kill Charlotte. In the meantime, Captain Levkowitch meets Helene walking home from work with Alex's dog. He tells her
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that he is probably the only one who thinks Alex is innocent and asks for her help in locating him. In their conversation he tells her that Margot's photos had been removed from the autopsy report and that according to the report, Margot was a heroin addict. Helen then begins to examine the report. When Helene arrives home, she is greeted by a kiss from Anne who then follows her into the bathroom where Helene showers. While Helene showers, Anne tells Helene that she is the one who took the photos of Margot and that it was Philippe Neuville who had beaten her. Helene steps from the shower and a brief argument ensues. The phone then rings. The call is from Elysabeth Feldman who wants a photo of Alex's dog to establish Alex's alibi. When Elysabeth Feldman receives the photo of Nina, she provides it to the DA with statements establishing that Alex was at the Internet boutique at the time of Charlotte's murder and calls for the DA to do a press release that Alex is only wanted for questioning. The following day Alex shows up at Helene's where Anne apologizes for all of the problems she has caused him by not telling anyone about the photos. Also present are Captain Levkowitch and his partner who apologize as well and provide Alex a copy of the autopsy report. Alex reads the report and recognizes that the dead woman was much taller than Margot. He has a few more words with everyone and then leaves the apartment. Captain Levkowitch and his partner ride down the elevator with Alex and continue to ask more questions as they also share some of their information. While they are talking in front of the apartment, a bouquet of flowers like those that grow near the lake are delivered to the apartment for Alex Beck in care of Helene. Next, with the flowers in the back seat of his car Alex drives to Margot's parent's house. The front door is slightly open, so Alex enters. When inside, he hears Margot's father tell him that he is in the kitchen. As Alex walks into the kitchen Margots father pulls a gun on him from behind, frisks him, and then tells him to have a seat in the living room. He pours himself a stiff drink and proceeds to provide an account to Alex. As Margot's father tells the story the audience is provided scenes to accompany the story. Two months before the event at Lake Charmaine, a boy from the children's trust came to Margot distressed and told her he had been molested by Philippe Neuville. This prompted Margot to invite Philippe to her home in the country where she confronted him. The plan was for Margot to extract a confession for her father who was waiting outside. However, when confronted, Philippe violently retaliated and was beating Margot mercilessly when Margot's father entered the house with a shotgun. He immediately became enraged and shot Philippe with both barrels. As Margots father continues to tell the story, the scene changes to another location where the police are listening to the story via a wire worn by Alex. At a point in the story, the wire gets static and the police can no longer hear the story continue. When the signal becomes clear again, we learn that Margot's father then disposed of the body to implicate a kid named Helio Gonzales who lived at the home of the childrens trust. Margot, however, would not accept Helio taking the wrap for something he didnt do, so she provided an alibi to get him off. Then, to protect herself Margot placed the photos taken by Anne in a safe deposit box and contacted Gilbert Neuville to warn him that she was holding incriminating evidence against Philippe. Margot's father then tells Alex that Neuville had half of the police force and politicians on his payroll including him. He also knew how Neuville would respond to Margot and thereafter tapped Neuville's phones where he later learned that Neuville had hired two men to kill Margot and retrieve the evidence. To outwit Neuville, he then paid one of the two men to help him with a different plan. He then staged Margot's death by using the body of a drug user that had been stabbed. He then mutilated her face so that no one could know it wasn't Margot. He further staged the scene to appear like that of a wanted serial killer. In brief, he dragged Alex from the lake, loaded Margot's body into his car, killed both men hired by Neuville, and buried them around 100 meters away. He also told Margot that Alex had died so that Margot would leave and not return. He then sent her by air to Spain and has not contacted her since. He claimed his only mistake was that he forgot to remove the safe deposit box key from the man who had taken it from Margot's purse. When Alex asked Margot's father why he didnt seek help from the authorities, Margot's father claimed that he had already crossed the line. He then provided Alex an envelope containing the details of all the crooked matters he had had with Neuville. He then began to discuss Alex's father, who had also worked as a trainer at the stables. Six months earlier Alex's father had also discovered that Philippe had been molesting kids and had demanded that Margot's father type up a complaint. However, when Gilbert Neuville read the complaint, he simply tore it up and then had Alex's father killed in a staged hunting accident. At this point, Margot's father puts down the gun. Enraged by the story, Alex picks up the gun, aims it at Margot's father, and begins to squeeze the trigger. Apparently regaining his senses, Alex leaves the house where he is greeted by a swat team and Captain Levkowitch. As Alex closes the door behind him, we hear a shot. Alex then hands over the envelope to the police, removes the wire from
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under his shirt, and walks off. In the next scene, Gilbert Neuville is placed under arrest while attending the jumping show in his son's honor. As he is being escorted away, a rider falls on a fourth jump of a tight series. We next see Alex on his way to Lake Charmaine. As he drives along he has a flashback of the story provided by Margot's father. We again see the scene where Margot's father searches Alex. We then see and hear what transpired when the voice on the wire was drowned out with static. We see that Margot's father had deliberately turned up the volume of static on the TV to suppress the conversation. He then very quietly tells Alex that he knows he is wearing a wire and will tell him what really happened. Instead of Margots father shooting Philippe as before, we again see Philippe punching and kicking Margot, but then leaving through a door. We then see Margot struggling to pull herself to her feet, grabbing several shells from a box in a drawer, inserting the shells into a shotgun, following Philippe out through the same door, and then when he turns around, she shoots him twice. Later we see Margot's father arrive at the scene. At Lake Charmaine, Alex stands before the tree containing the heart, their initials, and hash marks. As he stands there, Margot walks up behind him. When he hears her footsteps, he drops to his knees and begins to cry. Margot walks up behind him and the camera pans upwards. The movie ends with the two of them as children, kissing, holding hands and sitting down on the pier together.
frosty relationship and Shaun clearly does not like his step-father. Shaun holds a staff meeting for his team of clearly bored and feckless staff. He tries to discipline a colleague for using his mobile phone on shop floor, and while doing this his own phone rings. To save looking hypocritical he is forced to pretend it's a work related call, and ends up ignoring a bemused Liz who's called to remind him about booking dinner earlier that evening. Later, when Shaun is purchasing flowers for his mum, he notices a homeless man (Patch Connolly) outside staggering and trying to eat the pigeons, before vanishing when a bus cuts across the scene. On his way home, Shaun gets off the bus early as traffic is gridlocked, we see more accidents involving people passing out in their cars. On the walk home Shaun bumps into his old flame Yvonne (Jessica Hynes). She asks how he's getting on with Liz, which triggers his memory about booking the table for that evening. The scene cuts back to Shaun's flat as he desperately tries to call the restaurant to change the times, only to hear that they are fully booked. Liz then phones and Shaun explains that he forgot all about it, then suggests maybe they go to The Winchester...Liz then hangs up. Shaun grabs the flowers and makes his way down to Liz's flat in an attempt to make ammends with her. At first Liz refuses to let him in so Shaun tries and fails to scale the wall outside and enter through a window. Liz eventually relents and lets Shaun in to the flat, where she launches into a tirade. She lists all the promises Shaun's broken, and tells him how she's tired of putting up with a relationship that's clearly going nowhere. In her rage she finishes the relationship and David and Di stand by awkwardly. Shaun makes his way alone to The Winchester through the pouring rain, throwing his mother's flowers in a wastebin outside the pub. He meets with Ed and they spend the night joking and drinking heavily. A figure outside the pub batters against the window and moans, to which Ed simply retorts 'Piss head!". Drunk and still singing, the duo make their way outside - not noticing the zombie girl tearing someone's head off. They mock a moaning zombie as another drunk - and make their way back home. They continue to sing and play loud music until Pete storms downstairs in a rage at being woken up by the noise. He throws the record out the window and launches into a barrage of swearing, verbally attacking Ed and telling Shaun to sort his life out. Ed notices that Pete's hand is bandaged and Pete tells him that a 'crackhead' bit him and he has a splitting headache. He shouts at them one last time for leaving the front door open, again, and returns to his room. The next morning arrives and Shaun decides to go down to the corner shop for a drink, and a Cornetto for Ed. Still hungover from the previous nights drinking, Shaun is completely oblivous to the carnage surrounding him. Smashed cars, blood-stained floors / windows, corpses lying on front porches and hoardes of zombies slowly flooding the streets. Back at the flat, Shaun skips through the TV channels, past entertainment channels and news reports of the incidents. Ed is stood looking out of the window, he tells Shaun there's a girl in their garden. Out in the garden, they try and get the girl's attention. When she turns around, they think she's drunk, until she attacks them. Thinking that she's just a nuisance, Shaun pushes her back and she trips and impales herself on a metal stump. Shaun and Ed are seen looking very shocked as the girls slowly stands up as if nothing has happened. Panicking, they choose to go back inside only to be confronted by another male zombie. They make it past him and return to the safety of the house. Back inside, Shaun dials 999, the line is engaged. The pair sit down on the sofa watching the news, when a zombie with a severed arm makes his way inside (Shaun left the front door open again) the pair attack it by throwing any object they can. Only for Ed to kill it by smashing a glass ash tray on its head. The pair then decide to take on the two in the garden, again, by throwing any household object they can, at their heads. When Ed finds the record Pete threw out last night and throws it at the male zombie, it sticks into him like a blade, prompting their second idea... They go through Shaun's record collection and throw every record they dislike (the Batman soundtrack, Dire Straights) and use them as projectiles. When that plan fails, Shaun bashes down the shed door, and the pair arm themselves with a Cricket Bat (Shaun) and a shovel (Ed), they then beat the zombies to death. Back inside, Shaun and Ed are watching the news reports advising people to contain anyone who has been bitten. At this point Shaun and Ed then remember Pete. They call upstairs to him, but get no response. Shaun then tries to call Liz but can't get through. His mum, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), then calls him, she tells him that some men were trying to attack her and Philip, but only Philip was bitten, much to Shaun's relief. Shaun and Ed then go through plans to rescue his mum and Liz, kill zombie Philip, and rendevouz at The Winchester. Shaun goes the toilet first, only to discover a naked zombified Pete in the shower. Shaun and Ed no longer waste time and head outside to Pete's car, only to attract the attention of every zombie outside. They drive at high speed, listening to the radio reports of a coming apocalypse and witnessing zombie attacks on every street corner they drive past. They make it to Philip's and Barbara's house and screech to a halt outside Shaun goes inside while Ed Stays outside on lookout. Barbara greets Shaun warmly and makes him tea. Shaun goes to kill Philip while Barbara is distracted. He finds Philip hasn't become a zombie yet. After some discussion Shaun eventually convinces them to come with him and Ed. Outside, Ed has intentionally crashed Pete's car so they can ride in Philip's Jaguar. As they go to get into the Jaguar another zombie attacks and bites Philip on the neck. A wound which will prove mortal, the four quickly get in the car and drive to Liz's. At Liz's flat, Shaun tells Ed to stay outside on lookout again. Zombies are swarming outside, and Shaun dispatches them quickly with his cricket bat and makes his way to the front door. When he gets cornered again, he makes his way into the flat by
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climbing up to the window. Inside, Shaun convinces Liz, David and Di to come with himself, Ed, Barbara and Philip to The Winchester for safety. The four make their way outside clubbing the zombies to get to the car. Its here when Shaun finally introduces Liz to his mum. On the way down the road, Ed is intentionally mowing down every zombie he can. Philip, bleeding profusely, tells Shaun his tough attitude towards him was to help him become better and hopefully he would look up to him. He lastly tells Shaun he loves him before he dies. Shaun, in an emotional state, tells Ed to pull over and tells Barbara that Philip is dead. She looks and says '..no he isn't..' Shaun then panics as he sees that Philip has instantly become a zombie, and shouts for everyone to get out of the car . Out in the open and vulnerable, the six head for a short-cut, making their way through the back-alleys of the local houses. They then bump into Yvonne and another group of five (who all strike similar resemblance to Shaun's team) who are trying to survive. After some quick talk, Shaun and Yvonne embrace before parting ways. They start to pass through the back gardens. When they come to a garden where the Winchester is just over the other side, Shaun sees that his mum is missing from the team, and Shaun quickly jumps back into the previous garden, where he fends off another zombie. Liza and Di join in to help, passing a tennis pole to use as a weapon, Shaun then impales the zombie against a tree, imobilising it. Although not killing it. Shaun checks over the fence to see if the coast is clear, only to his horror to discover that there are hundreds of the undead swarming the street, so Shaun has an idea: Dianne is a actress-in-training, so she gets the other 5 to mimmick the actions and sounds of the zombie impaled behind them so they can sneak through the crowds unsuspected. This plan pulls off. But when they make it to the doorway, the zombies start to raise suspision, only for Ed to completely give the game away when he answers his mobile phone and starts chatting away. Shaun knocks away the phone and barrates at Ed for his habit of messing up all the time. He ceases when he sees that ALL the zombies have turned their attention to the group. David quickly throws a trash bin through the window for everyone to get inside. To make sure the zombies don't follow, Shaun waves and shouts and gets the zombies to chase him (or simply, stagger after him) so the group can make it inside. Barbara spots the flowers Shaun was going to buy for her through the rubbish and get inside the pub. Hours pass and Shaun has not returned, David suggests blocking up the window, although Liz is insistant that Shaun will return, leading to David complaining about the entire situation they're in. Shaun eventually makes it back (through the back door) saying that he 'gave them the slip'. Night falls, and the group of 6 are bored and decide to see there's anything on the TV. As there's no electricity in the area, Shaun goes into the back to turn on the main circuit. When he turns the lights on, he's shocked to discover the zombies have followed him back. Back in the main pub, the TV channels are broadcasting nothing. Shaun whispers that the zombies followed him back, and they keep very quiet. However, Ed being Ed, messes it up again by playing on the slots and triggering more noise. Zombies now surround the outside of the pub, and the zombie pub landlord crawls in to attack. With the electrcity on, the Juke box turns on and starts to play "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen. Shaun, Ed and Liz all grab pool cues and (in a classic scene) club the zombie to the song's beat. Dianne joins in by throwing darts at the zombie, only for one to land in Shaun's head. Ed tosses the rifle from the bar to Shaun (who thinks its deactivated) and kills the zombie by smashing its head through the Juke box. Asking why Shaun didn't just shoot him, Shaun tries to explain its not functional only to be blown back when he pulls the trigger. Packed together, the group join to defend against the masses of the undead. As they start to charge through the windows, Shaun fires but misses several times, with none of the other's directions being much help, except when Ed calls out the same way they do in their video-games, Shaun lands a head-shot. Shaun notices something's wrong with Barbara, and quickly comes to her attention. She was bitten by the zombie they impaled with the tennis pole. Every one of the group comes to her need except for David, who's been left with the rifle. Barbara thanks Shaun for the flowers, then collapses dead in his arms. David cocks the gun and aims for Barbara, and Shaun explodes in a fit of rage, holds a broken bottle to his neck and threatens him to stop aiming at her. Ed does the same, Dianne says this ain't fair, so he gives her the broken bottle (to point at Shaun) and Ed points a corkscrew at David, leading to a mexican stand-off, which ends just as quickly when Barbara rises as a zombie. Shaun takes the gun, says sorry to his mum, and shoots her dead. When David says he did the right thing, Shaun retaliates by punching him. David tries to shoot Shaun, only for the gun to run out of shells. He then decides to leave. When Dianne barrates at him, he relents and says he sorry, but Dianne says he should apologize to Shaun. When he tries, zombies smash through the window and pull David through, completely dismembering him. Dianne irrationally opens the front door and charges for the zombies in a blind effort to save David. Her fate is left unknown. The zombies break into the pub at all corners, including Pete, much to everyone's suprise. Pete and others swarm over Ed and bite into him, and Shaun shoots Pete in the head finishing him off. Shaun and Liz then jump over the bar, setting the bar table on fire with the spirits. Ed, severely wounded makes it over the bar to join them. With the rifle shells left in the burning mess, they only have two shells to spare and make their way into the cellar, as there is a lift down there that will lead to the outdoors. With the lift and the trapdoor not working, the remaining three are trapped. Shaun contemplates the last two shells for Liz and himself. Ed says 'I don't mind being eaten'. They share a last cigarette between them, only to see the power switch for the lift when they light up. Shaun tries to get Ed to come with him, but Ed knows he's done for anyway as he's bitten, and decides to stay. Liz and Shaun say their
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farewell to Ed and make it out into the street. Prepared for more fighting, luck comes their way as the military arrives and opens fire on the zombies. Accompanying them is Yvonne, who says they're evacuating any survivors. Shaun and Liz follow, holding hands. The next scene opens with several TV shows and reports saying that months have passed since the outbreak, and that zombies have now been used in everyday life. For menial jobs, such as trolley stacking and used as part of silly game shows. Shaun wakes up - in the same zombie-like way at the beginning of the film - and is sharing the flat with Liz, who have become a couple again. The film ends with Shaun saying he's gonna pop out to the shed, where the zombie Ed is chained up so he can play video-games with.
daughter. Scarlett likes having fun and flirting, for example with the twins Brent and Stuart Carleton (George Reeves and Fred Crane). They are anticipating the next ball, while also speculating about the likelihood of war, although Scarlett finds the latter topic boring. Neighbor John Wilkes (Howard C. Hickman) gives a barbecue party at the Twelve Oaks plantation. Scarlett longs for Wilkes' son Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), a lanky, soft-spoken young man of refined bearing, whom she sees as the love of her life. At the party, Scarlett flirts with many boys, to the dismay of her sisters Suellen and Carren (Evelyn Keyes and Ann Rutherford). While the younger women take a mid-afternoon nap, the men meet for cigars and brandy and discuss how the South will win the war. Another guest, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a handsome, if rather rough-hewn, adventurer from Charleston, South Carolina, scoffs at the notion that the South will win the war simply through the exhibition of pride; the North is industrially superior to the South and therefore can produce more of the tools of war much more quickly. Young Charles Hamilton (Rand Brooks) is offended by Rhett's opinion and openly tells him so. Rhett, realizing he's already lost the argument, leaves the meeting. Scarlett slips away from the nap room to talk to Ashley. She declares her love to him. However, Ashley declares his intention to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). The waifish Melanie can't compete with Scarlett in looks, but is admired by all for her kindheartedness. In her anger, Scarlett throws a vase at the wall. Rhett Butler suddenly pops up from the couch where he'd been resting and jokingly asks if the war has just begun. Scarlett is outraged and defends Ashley when Rhett mocks him. The start of the war is announced. All the young gentlemen rush to enlist. Charles Hamilton (Melanie's younger brother) is thought to be planning to marry Ashley's sister India Wilkes (Alicia Rhett), but after Scarlett flirts with him, he asks Scarlett to marry him. Furious because Ashley has rejected her, Scarlett agrees. They marry quickly and Charles leaves for the front immediately. Scarlett offers herself to Ashley, but he just gives her a cold kiss on the cheek. A few months later, news comes of Charles's death from illness at the front. Scarlett's mother Ellen (Barbara O'Neil) wants to cheer up the young widow and suggests that she go to Atlanta to live with Melanie and Aunt Pittypat (Laura Hope Crews). She agrees as she realizes Atlanta might mean a chance to see Ashley. In Atlanta, there is a fundraising ball for the army, where Scarlett, as a recent widow, is not supposed to enjoy herself. She dances surreptitiously behind the counter of her charity stall. Rhett Butler is in attendance. Butler is well-known as an arms smuggler who aids the Southern cause, even though he has a cynical attitude towards the war's aims and is in the arms business mainly to make money. He was responsible for getting the ball decorations through the blockade. Melanie offers her wedding ring as a war contribution and Scarlett feels obliged to follow suit, although Rhett praises Scarlett's generosity sarcastically. Then there is an auction for the men to bid on a dance with the girl of their choosing. Rhett is the winner, and he chooses Scarlett, causing consternation in the crowd since Scarlett is a widow. While dancing, Rhett tells Scarlett that someday he wants to hear her say that she loves him. She proclaims confidently that this will never happen as long as she lives. Christmas arrives, and Ashley returns home for a furlough. Scarlett is obviously still in love with Ashley, but Melanie refuses to believe it. Melanie and Ashley close the bedroom door on a sad-eyed Scarlett. Soon, it's Ashley's departure day. Finally managing to get Ashley alone, Scarlett gives him a Christmas present and confesses with tears in her eyes that she married Charles only to hurt Ashley. Ashley makes Scarlett promise to take care of Melanie. He returns to the front, knowing that the war is lost. The war drags on and the situation in the South worsens. Food is scarce. All families have lost loved ones. Melanie is pregnant with Ashley's child, and Scarlett, the only capable person at Aunt Pittypat's, has to take care of her. Scarlett is also a volunteer nurse, a role she hates but feels pressured to perform. A dying soldier (Cliff Edwards) reminisces about his brother Jeff. Scarlett flees the hospital in desperation after hearing the agonizing cries of a soldier (Eric Lindon) who is having a leg amputated without anesthetic. The useless Aunt Pittypat leaves the city because the noise of the bombs is getting to her nerves. Scarlett can't leave because of Melanie's condition; she is weak and problems may arise during childbirth. Scarlett counts on Dr. Meade (Harry Davenport) to attend Melanie's labor, but when the time arrives he can't leave the train station where hundreds of Confederate soldiers are wounded or dying. Scarlett and the uneducated house slave Prissy (Butterfly McQueen) must attend. Prissy, who had claimed to know everything about childbirth, confesses she doesn't know anything about it, to Scarlett's anger. Labour is long and complicated and eventually a son (Ricky Holt) is born, leaving Melanie very weak. Scarlett sends Prissy in search of Rhett. He is enjoying himself at the brothel run by Belle Watling (Ona Munson). Rhett mocks Prissy, but finally decides to help Scarlett and Melanie. Scarlett insists on returning home to Tara, where she thinks they all will be safe. Rhett steals a horse and a derelict cart. Melanie and her baby, Scarlett, Prissy and Rhett, drive out through Atlanta's burning buildings. Rhett leaves them on the road to Tara. He is going to enlist in the Confederate army because he only likes lost causes "when they are really lost." Before leaving he proclaims that he has loved Scarlett more than he has ever loved any woman. He kisses her passionately and she
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repays him with a slap saying "Everybody was right about you. You're no gentleman". He rides off laughing. When he is gone, Scarlett breaks down in tears. Scarlett goes on to Tara. The journey is long, cold and wet. They must hide from the Northern troops and travel mainly at night. They find a stray cow and use it to feed the baby, as Melanie is not able to lactate. They pass through the Wilkes' plantation, which is completely destroyed. The horse dies just as they arrive at Tara. Lit by weak moonlight, they gaze at proud Tara, still standing because the Northern troops used it as a headquarters. Conditions at Tara are terrible, as related by the house servants Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) and Pork (Oscar Polk). Scarlett's mother has died, her father has gone mad, there are no farm animals and very little food, many slaves have ran away while others were conscripted, there is no money, and the harvest has been lost. Scarlett goes out to clear her thoughts, and resolves not give up, saying "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." Intermission. The war enters its final stages as Sherman marches through Georgia in a trail of destruction. Scarlett forces herself to make the best of it and work the land. Little by little, they repair Tara. Scarlett makes her sisters work the fields, which they do grudgingly. Melanie can't work because of her weakness. One day, a renegade Union soldier (Paul Hurst) enters the house in search of valuables. He threatens Scarlett, and she shoots him dead with an old pistol. Her father and sisters are told that she was cleaning the weapon and that it went off. Only Melanie knows the truth. She gives her nightdress to wrap the body, and they secretly cart it off for burial. The war is finally over. Confederate soldiers start to return, with them a local man named Frank Kennedy (Carrol Nye), who has long been in love with Suellen OHara. He asks Scarlett's permission to propose to her sister. Passing soldiers are given food at Tara, mainly at the behest of Melanie. One of them, (Phillip Trent) tells Melanie that her husband is still alive but in a Yankee prison camp. Finally, the war-weary Ashley appears. Melanie runs to embrace him, but Mammy won't let Scarlett do the same. Ashley will stay to live at Tara. Carpetbaggers from the North impose high taxes on plantations, and Scarlett is terrified that she will lose her beloved Tara. She searches for comfort from the dispirited Ashley. Scarlett begs Ashley to leave everything behind and go away with her to Mexico. He embraces her and they share a forbidden kiss. He admits that he loves her and admires her courage, but because of his honour he can't leave Melanie and the baby behind. Ashley reminds Scarlett that she still has Tara which she loves more than him; he thrusts the red dirt of Tara into her hand. Tara's former overseer Jonas Wilkerson (Victor Jory), who has grown prosperous by collaborating with the carpetbaggers, offers to buy Tara. Scarlett humiliates him and throws a clump of the red-clay earth in his face. Scarlett's feebleminded father pursues Wilkerson on a horse, intending to upbraid him. The horse falls while attempting to jump a fence, and Mr. OHara is killed in the fall. Scarlett decides to visit Rhett Butler, who now holds the rank of Captain, to ask him for the money she needs. He is being held in jail in Atlanta by Union forces, who are threatening him with hanging in the hope of obtaining Confederate gold that Butler has hidden. (Conditions aren't too bad, though; he drinks and gambles with the Yankees, and receives female visitors in his cell). Scarlett dresses up for the occasion in a gown sewn from the green-colored curtains of Tara. The loyal Mammy accompanies Scarlett, always trying to keep her charge out of trouble. Scarlett, admitted to Rhett's cell, assumes a nonchalant air and tries to present herself as elegant and rich. Rhett reveals her deception when he points out Scarlett's rough hands from working in the fields. Despite her anger, she begs him for the money, and even offers to be his mistress. Rhett says he has nothing to give her and dismisses her. On the way out, Scarlett sees Belle Watling arriving for a visit. Scarlett observes that Belle would know how to get the money and that she dresses well. Walking through the town, Scarlett and Mammy come across Frank Kennedy. He is a newly-successful businessman, selling the hardware and wood by which the city is being rebuilt. Frank is saving money to marry Suellen and bring her to the city. Scarlett sees her opportunity; she tells Frank that Suellen has decided to marry another man, and proceeds to play the coquette with Frank, despite Mammy's disapproving looks. Back at Tara, Suellen is heartbroken, having just learned that Scarlett has hastily married Frank, and that Frank has paid off Tara's tax debts. Ashley talks about the lost civilization of the South, and tells Scarlett that he will move his family to New York to work in a bank. Scarlett wants to hold onto the love of her life, so she throws a tantrum and insists that Ashley stay to help Scarlett and Frank with the lumber business. Melanie naively takes Scarlett's side, and a defeated-looking Ashley gives in. Frank's and Ashley's hardware and lumber store flourishes under Scarlett's management. She refuses credit to her poor neighbors and makes lucrative deals with northern businessmen. They expand by buying a sawmill, and Tara starts to regain part of its former splendor. Scarlett hires hungry convicts, who are exploited by a cruel overseer
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(John Wray). One day, she comes across Captain Rhett Butler, who is now free and very wealthy. He laughs, saying that she could have married him and become rich if she had waited. She brushes him off and leaves alone for the sawmill. Rhett points out that the shantytown on the way to the sawmill is full of dangerous criminals and deserters, but Scarlett shows him that she carries a gun. On the way to the sawmill, two men attack Scarlett from behind and overpower her before she can use her gun. They are on the verge of raping her when Big Sam (Everett Brown), a former slave at Tara, saves her. News of the events spreads quickly through the town. That evening, Frank drops Scarlett and Mammy at the Wilkes' home while he and Ashley go out to a "political meeting." The women sense that something is afoot, and Melanie reads aloud from 'David Copperfield' in an attempt to relieve the tension. Rhett appears and tells the women that the men have formed a vigilante group to punish the attackers. Rhett says that the Union army has been tipped off and that the men are in danger. Melanie reluctantly tells Rhett where the men are meeting, and Rhett says he will do what he can. Later, Rhett appears with Ashley and Dr Meade, with a squadron of Union soldiers right behind them. Rhett, Dr Meade and Ashley pretend to be drunk. Rhett tells the Yankee captain (Ward Bond) that they have spent the evening at the establishment of Belle Watling, who will confirm their story. The captain accepts this explanation and departs. Rhett then reveals that there was a skirmish at the shantytown, that Ashley is wounded and the two who attacked Scarlett are dead, along with others. Scarlett is frantic over Ashley's condition, but neglects to inquire what happened to her husband. Rhett finally mentions that Frank Kennedy was killed. Another day, Melanie meets Belle Watling and thanks her for helping to save Ashley. Belle cautions Melanie not to speak to her in public as it would damage Melanie's reputation. Melanie says that she would be proud to greet Belle in public. Rhett visits Scarlett, again a widow. He realizes that she has been drinking heavily, despite her attempts to cover up the smell with cologne. Scarlett tells Rhett that she will never love him because she's in love with another man, but she will marry Rhett because of his money. Rhett says that they two are two of a kind, partners in crime, and he marries her anyway. They have a luxurious honeymoon in New Orleans and then return to Tara so that Scarlett can use her new riches to restore its full glory. Rhett also buys a mansion in Atlanta for them. Soon, they have a child, Bonnie Blue Butler (Cammie King). After the birth, Scarlett becomes depressed by her fading youth and her unrequited love for Ashley. She informs Rhett that she wants no more children and will no longer sleep with him. The furious Rhett storms out to find consolation at Belle Watling's. Although he has grounds for divorce, Rhett continues with the sham marriage in order to keep up social appearances for Bonnie's sake. Bonnie becomes a sort of substitute for Scarlett in Rhett's eyes. He dotes on the child, giving her the best of everything, including riding lessons and a pony. India and Mrs. Meade discover Scarlett hugging Ashley at the hardware store. Although the hug was rather innocent, Scarlett knows that rumours will fly. That night is Ashley's birthday party. Rhett, who has heard the gossip, forces Scarlett to go in a daring red taffeta dress. Melanie is the only person who welcomes Scarlett. Back at the Atlanta mansion, Scarlett finds Rhett completely drunk. They have an angry confrontation, and this time Rhett refuses to take no for an answer. He carries Scarlett off to the bedroom. The next morning, Scarlett seems deliriously happy. When Rhett arrives to apologize and propose a divorce, her good mood vanishes. Both partners are too proud to admit that they enjoyed the reunion. Rhett promises to take care of Scarlett financially, but insists on taking Bonnie. Scarlett rejects his offer, as it would be a disgrace. Rhett later leaves on an extended trip to London and takes Bonnie with him. In London, Bonnie has nightmares and can't sleep in the dark. Her stuffy English nurse (Lillian Kemble-Cooper) believes that the ordeal will build the child's character, but Rhett dismisses the nurse and lets Bonnie sleep with a light on. The homesick Bonnie begs to return to her mother. When Rhett and Bonnie return to Atlanta, Scarlett tells him that she's pregnant again. Rhett reacts coldly and Scarlett ups the ante by saying she wishes the baby were not his, to which Rhett retorts "Maybe you'll have an accident." In the ensuing row, Scarlett falls down the stairs and loses her baby. Later, at the behest of Melanie, who has become preganant again, Rhett makes an effort to be kind to Scarlett. Sitting in the back terrace of their Atlanta mansion, Rhett and Scarlett discuss the possibility of Scarlett giving up the lumber business to devote herself to her husband and child. A reconciliation starts to seem possible. Just at that moment, Bonnie insists stubbornly on jumping a fence with her pony. Scarlett remembers her father's death and has a premonition of disaster. Her worst fears come true as Bonnie misses the jump, falls, and dies. Rhett is devastated by Bonnie's death, and refuses to release the child's body for burial until convinced to do so by Melanie. The overwrought Melanie collapses and goes into labor. The doctor determines that Melanie is dying. In a final meeting with Scarlett, Melanie asks her to look after Ashley. When Melanie dies, Ashley is left a broken man. He tells Scarlett that Melanie was always his true love; this comes as a devastating revelation to Scarlett. Scarlett runs after Rhett, who had withdrawn when he saw Scarlett talking to Ashley. Back in the cold and empty Atlanta mansion, Rhett tells Scarlett that, since Scarlett will never stop loving Ashley, he
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is leaving her and going back to Charleston. Any chance of making the marriage work ended when their child died. Scarlett insists that she now realizes she loves Rhett, and that she has loved him all along. Rhett won't listen. She asks what will happen to her if he leaves for good. Rhett replies "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" and strides out of the house into the fog. Scarlett collapses in anguish, having realized too late where her true love lies. She pulls back from despair only when she remembers the other great love of her life, for her homestead of Tara. Scarlett determines to return to Tara, make a new start, and try to get Rhett back, since "Tomorrow is another day!" In the final shot, we see Scarlett silhouetted against Tara in the sunset.
feet, his tongue, one ear and three fingers on one hand. He crawls out of the sack and begs for food. Asami vomits into a dog dish and places it on the floor for the man. The man sticks his face in the bowl of vomit, and hungrily consumes it. A while later, Asami returns to the drugged and paralyzed Aoyama. As she walks into the room, the audience sees the twisted body of Aoyama's pet dog. She proceeds to inject Aoyama with an agent that paralyzes his body, but keeps his nerves alert. She then tortures him with needles in his abdomen and under his eyes. As she is torturing him, she tells him he is just like everyone else in not being able to love only her. She talks about how he has many whom he loves in his life, mainly his son. She says that she has only him and that this is not acceptable, because then he will never be completely hers. Her torture of him, she explains, is to teach him the meaning of needing someone. She tells him that, "words cause lies, pain can be trusted." She then cuts off his left foot with a wire saw. While Asami begins to cut off his other foot, she is surprised by Aoyama's son returning home. She hides and prepares to attack him. He discovers his father on the floor, turns, and is surprised by Asami. Suddenly Aoyama has a dream that he is waking up and that the past events have been a dream, to just after he and Asami had made love for the first time. She says that she accepts his marriage proposal, despite him never actually proposing, and says that she is the heroine of his life. He awakes from this dream to see his son swing around and Asami fail to disable him. Shigehiko runs up a flight of stairs to escape her and she follows him, he kicks her down the stairs, breaking her neck. Aoyama tells his son to call the police. As Aoyama lies in agony on the floor, he continues to stare at the dying figure of Asami on the floor, her neck is broken in a way that she is facing him. She mutters things that she had told him earlier about waiting for his call, and being excited to see him again. He is overcome with sadness as he remembers his answer to her in his dream sequence about her abuse, that "It's hard to forget about...but someday you'll feel...that life is wonderful."
them needs institutional care. Ms Polley's choice of the actor Gordon Pinsent is an intelligent one as the film relies on his narration and Mr Pinsent's deep voice provides the right measure of gravitas. Olympia Dukakis is another fine actor playing a lady who has "quit quitting". So is Michael Murphy doing a lengthy role without saying a word. The strengths of the film are the subject, the direction, the performances and the seamless editing by the director's spouse. It is not a film that will attract young audiences who are insensitive. Yet the film has a evocative scene where a young teenager with several parts of her body pierced by rings is totally amazed by the devotion of the aging husband for his wife. So in a way the film reaches out to different age groups. Though it talks about sex, it can be safe family viewing material. Chances are that most viewers will love the film if they are interested in films that are different from "the American films that get shown in multiplexes" to quote a character in the film. More importantly this film advertises the problem of Alzheimer's disease eloquently and artistically. It prepares you for future shocks.
evening. As he routinely and fastidiously prepares for the suicide and post suicide, George reminisces about his life with Jim. But George spends this day with various people, who see a man sadder than usual and who affect his own thoughts about what he is going to do. Those people include Carlos, a Spanish immigrant/aspiring actor/gigolo recently arrived in Los Angeles; Charley, his best friend who he knew from England, she... George Falconer (Colin Firth) approaches a car accident in the middle of a snow-white scenery. There is a bloodied man there and he kisses him. He wakes up: he was dreaming about the moment when his partner of 16 years, Jim (Mathew Goode), died--though he was not there with him because Jim was visiting his disapproving family on his own. George remembers the phone ringing on that fateful day, when Jim's cousin told him about the fatal accident, and how George was not welcome to attend the funeral, because of the family's homophobia (common for the period and later). George remembers breaking down to Charley (Julianne Moore) that day, his best friend from his life in London, who had also relocated to LA; once briefly sexually attached to George before he was completely honest with himself, she may still feel attracted to him. George showers and dresses. It's November 30, 1962, the eve of the Cuban missile crisis. Though British, he is now a professor of English at UCLA. He is depressed, never having recovered from his loss; and when he leaves for work, he packs a gun in his briefcase. He tells his cleaning lady Alva (Paulette Lamori) that she has always been wonderful - in spite of her having forgotten to take out the bread from the fridge. George hugs her, which leaves her utterly confused. On campus, George notices a couple of students, chain-smoking Lois (Nicole Steinwedell) and a boy. One of the secretaries (Keri Lynn Pratt) tells him that she has given his address to some nice new student; it turns out to be this boy, Kenny Potter (Nicholas Hoult), who talks to him after class about the speech George has just given out in the classroom concerning minorities and fear. Kenny discusses recreational drug use with Kenny who tells him that he had never heard George express himself so openly in class as he had that day. He buys George a pencil sharpener as a token of gratitude for George's talking with him. George phones Charley, who is dressing for the dinner they have planned at her home. George gets into his car, and picks his gun after having cleaned up his office. However, Kenny appears once again, and invites him to go for a drink, observing George's depression and having noticed that he has cleaned out the desk in his office. George tells him it will have to be some other time. He goes to the bank to pick up various things from his safe deposit box, and when looking at a photo of his deceased lover, recalls a conversation with him on the beach. After buying some bullets, he goes to a convenience store. There, Carlos (Jon Kortajarena) bumps onto him, breaking the bottle of Scotch he has just bought. George buys a new bottle of Scotch and they talk. They smoke a few cigarettes and drink a bottle of gin together. George leaves, refusing Carlos' offer of company, saying that this is a serious day for him and that he's trying to get over an old love. At home, he puts on a record and remembers a conversation with Jim while each one was reading a different book on a couch. He pretends shooting himself as practice for later that night, but in a semi-comic scene, can't find the best position in which to accomplish it. Charley calls to remind him of their dinner plans, which he grudgingly attends after leaving a note and some money for Alva. They dance and talk about London, life, Charley's exhusband's abandonment, and she offends George by suggesting that they might have had a "normal" life together if he hadn't been a "poof." Charley says George doesn't look well, reminding him of the heart attack he suffered near the time of Jim's death. Charley tries to convince George to spend the night at her home, but he leaves. The scene flashes back to 1946 when Jim and George had met when at a bar. Jim was on leave from the Army, right after the second world war. Returning to1962, we see George returning to the same bar, near his home; now a quiet place where he asks for a Scotch. Kenny has followed him there. They talk and then go to the beach and swim naked. They go to George's place. As George's forehead is bleeding, Kenny tends to it, and sees in the medicine's cabinet a nude photo of Jim. George sees Kenny strip off his wet clothes, but does nothing. Kenny says that he and Lois are not romantically involved. Not unlike George and Charley in the distant past, Kenny explains that they had a brief sexual liason. Kenny and George do not have sex, and Kenny stays on the couch, given the very late hour. George wakes in a few hours, and finds his gun under Kenny's covers and removes it, locking it up as Kenny sleeps. When he returns to bed, George dies of a heart attack, seeing the image of Jim kissing his forehead.
Gangsters kidnap the prospective son-in-law of a politician in order to secure the release of an imprisoned gangmember.
El lado oscuro del corazn (1992) The Dark Side of the Heart
Directed By: Eliseo Subiela Oliveiro is a young poet living in Buenos Aires where sometimes he has to sell his ideas to an advertising agency to make a living or exchange his poems for a steak. In Montevideo, he meets a prostitute, Ana, with whom he falls in
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love. Back in Buenos Aires, he accepts a contract with a publicity agency to get the money for three days of love with her. Will he get what his searching for when his ideal of love's pleasure is literally going in levitation while making love?
based. The film is rated R, due in great part to a disposable scene wherein Stingo tries to put the make on a "liberated" female intellectual.
Bo (2010)
Directed By: Hans Herbots Synopsis: Fifteen year old Deborah wants to escape her dull suburb and enjoy the luring city of Antwerp. Her new eighteen year old friend Jennifer leads her... Fifteen year old Deborah wants to escape her dull suburb and enjoy the luring city of Antwerp. Her new eighteen year old friend Jennifer leads her into the sparkling downtown nightlife. When Jennifer admits she's an escort girl, Deborah is intrigued by what appears to be an easy way of getting cash. Under the alias Bo, she takes her first steps into a world she can't handle yet. The downward spiral leads her to cheap thrills, drugs and into a juvenile institution. To escape this spiral, Deborah can only count on herself.
Biutiful (2010)
Director: Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu Synopsis: Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood,... Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds, his sacrifices for his children know no bounds. Like life itself, this is a circular tale that ends where it begins. As fate encircles him and thresholds are crossed, a dim, redemptive road brightens, illuminating the inheritances bestowed from father to child, and the paternal guiding hand that navigates life's corridors, whether bright, bad - or biutiful. This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.
Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse. What a movie, what an excellent movie!!! That is what first went through my mind after seeing this masterpiece. I've seen many movies, but there aren't much movies which had such an impact on me. Nowadays almost all filmmakers believe they can only make a good movie by adding loads of special effects and lots of huge explosions ... This movie is so good, so convincing without them. The actors played their roles in such a convincing way that you would think these weren't actors at all, but real psychiatric patients. This movie may be 30 years old, but it hasn't lost any of its relevancy. OK, we don't put our mentally ill people in that kind of prisons anymore, the bars in front of the windows have gone and now we call it hospitals in stead of nut houses. But the treatment hasn't changed all that much. I once worked in such a hospital as a volunteer and still saw things like forced feeding, giving people so much medication until they no longer know who or where they are,... When the movie first came out, some people were shocked because when you watch the movie, you can't help it feeling more attached to the patients than to the doctors and nurses. This movie shows that cinema can make a difference. It can help to open people's eyes. If there is a movie that should be seen by everyone, this sure is the one. I give it a well deserved 10/10.
Waitress (2007)
Director: Adrienne Shelly Jenna is unhappily married, squirreling away money, and hoping to win a pie-baking contest so, with the prize money, she'll have enough cash to leave her husband Earl. She finds herself pregnant, which throws her plans awry. She bakes phenomenal pies at Joe's diner, listens to old Joe's wisdom, tolerates her sour boss Cal, is friends with Dawn and Becky (her fellow waitresses), and finds a mutual attraction with the new doctor in town. As the pregnancy advances, life with Earl seems less tolerable, a way out less clear, and the affair with the doctor complicated by his marriage. What options does a waitress have?
From July, 1913 to the outbreak of World War I, a series of incidents take place in a German village. A horse trips on a wire and throws the rider; a woman falls to her death through rotted planks; the local baron's son is hung upside down in a mill; parents slap and bully their children; a man is cruel to his long-suffering lover; another sexually abuses his daughter. People disappear. A callow teacher, who courts a nanny in the baron's household, narrates the story and tries to investigate the connections among these accidents and crimes. What is foreshadowed? Are the children holy innocents? God may be in His heaven, but all is not right with the world; the center cannot hold.
Edge of Darkness
Director: Martin Campbell Thomas Craven is a detective who has spent years working the streets of Boston. When his own daughter is killed outside his own home, Craven soon realizes that her death is only one piece of an intriguing puzzle filled with corruption and conspiracy, and it falls to him to discover who is behind the crime. Written by alfiehitchie Thomas Craven, a single father, has been a Boston homicide detective for many years. His 24-year-old daughter Emma, his only child, is killed on the front steps of his home. At first it appears that Craven was the intended target. He soon uncovers evidence that leads him to think differently, and decides to pursue the information at all costs. He learns his daughter led a secret life that led to her murder. He quickly finds himself confronted with a shadowy world of corporate collusion with government-sanctioned murder. In the process he collides with a secret government operative, Darius Jedburgh, whose job is to clean up and hide any remaining evidence. Craven's singleness of purpose in finding answers about Emma's death becomes a transforming experience that changes his life.
Papillon (1973)
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner Based on the true story of Henri Charriere, also known as Papillon, which is French for 'butterfly' (the character even sports a large tattoo of a butterfly). A petty criminal, Papillon is wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to life in a French penal colony in 'Guiane' (French Guiana, South America). Papillon is determined to escape but attempt after attempt meets with difficulty, resulting in eventual recapture. He continues his attempts to escape despite incarcerations in solitary confinement as punishment.
Mia, a foul-mouthed, stroppy fifteen-year-old, lives on an Essex estate with her tarty mother, Joanne, and precocious little sister Tyler. She has been excluded from school and is awaiting admission to a referrals unit and spends her days aimlessly. She begins an uneasy friendship with Joanne's handsome, extrovert Irish boyfriend, Connor, who encourages her one interest, dancing. What could go wrong? Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank" was a big hit in Britain and at Cannes and now tries its hand at America, who will probably nickname it "White Precious." Anchored by a star-making performance from Kate Jarvis, Arnold's film is more grit and zero melodrama, a step-up from the weepy style of "Precious." Jarvis plays Mia, a teenager living in the ghetto where kids expect to follow in the option-less footsteps of their parents. Her little sister (Rebecca Griffiths) is already smoking and emulating skanks on MTV and mom (Kierston Wareing) is a drunk throwing parties with very sketchy friends. Mia has a dream of becoming a dancer and she finds encouragement from mom's new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender), a hunky security guard who seems like a nice guy but is, at times, "too friendly." It's familiar other-side-of-the tracks territory but it doesn't spend time wallowing in misfortune. Arnold's film is harsh, and with its use of language (the C and F words are used a lot), dead-end scenery, breathless sexual and violent encounters, and Jarvis' award-worthy portrayal, it's nothing short of compelling. It's a brave performance, a rough-fighter exterior masking youthful vulnerabilities. Fassbender also impresses as a charming/shady character that you're never quite sure has a sexual or fatherly preference toward Mia. It all comes down to a predictable yet scary ending where neglect turns dangerous.
Timothy Hutton absolutely shines as the troubled Conrad. All you want to do is hug him, love him, after his rejections from his own mother. The torture and pain he is in is portrayed so stunningly. His guilt over the death of his brother and subsequent depression are heartbreaking. Growing up in suburban America, the film rings many a truth to the insights of what people perceive as a "normal family". The cocktail parties, the school activities, the socialization of Beth and her friends over the recognition of her son do happen in suburban America. Robert Redford recognized every real detail of the facades that people put up and the reality of what happens at home. They are poignantly and chillingly realized. Definitely one of the most deserved Best Picture Oscars given. Please don't miss this one. The Jarretts are an affluent, upper middle class family trying to return to normal life after the death of one teenage son and the attempted suicide of their other, Conrad (Timothy Hutton). The boy has recently come home following a four-month stay in a psychiatric hospital. Alienated from his friends and family, Conrad sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), who helps him deal with a sailing accident in which he survived his older brother Buck. Buck, more outgoing and perceived to be a better athlete than his brother, came first in everyone's estimation (especially Conrad's). Conrad now deals with post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt. Conrad's father, Calvin (Donald Sutherland), awkwardly struggles to connect with his son and his wife, Beth (Mary Tyler Moore). However, Beth refuses to comprehend her loss and struggles to maintain her composure. She appears to have loved her elder son more; as a result, she has grown cold toward the younger son. She is fixated with maintaining the appearance of perfection and normalcy. This, along with an inability to confront her own feelings, renders her frigid. In one telling scene, Beth overhears Calvin telling a friend at a party that their son has been seeing a psychiatrist. On their way home, she berates him for revealing something she thinks should be kept private. As Conrad works with Dr. Berger and learns to confront his emotions, he starts dating Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern), a kind and nonjudgmental girl from his school choir. Conrad begins to regain a sense of optimism. However, the suicide of Karen (Dinah Manoff), a friend from the hospital, threatens to bring back his depression. (Conrad finds out about the suicide later in the movie.) As Conrad struggles to re-establish normal relationships with his family and friends, he doesn't allow anyone -- especially Beth -- to get close. Beth comes across Conrad alone in the back yard and gives him a jacket in an attempt to show tenderness, only to be rebuffed. Conrad also rejects the overtures from a former friend after a fistfight, because it reopens the wounds of Buck's death. Conrad often argues with Beth while Calvin tries to referee. At one point, Conrad confronts his mother with the fact she never visited him in the hospital; when Conrad says that she would have visited Buck in the hospital, Beth tellingly cries, "Buck never would have been in the hospital!" During a subsequent visit to Beth's brother in Houston, Calvin angrily confronts her about her attitude, suggesting that Conrad's fears of his mother not really loving him are probably well-founded. Eventually, Conrad is able to move past Buck's death and begins to get a grasp of Beth's frailties; Dr. Berger advises him to accept her as she is. Calvin, aided by a session with Berger, observes Conrad trying to sincerely apologize for his behavior and affectionately hug Beth. She freezes and limply returns the hug, fighting to suppress any sentiment. Calvin notices this and confronts Beth again, inquiring whether she is capable of truly loving anyone. When Calvin tells Beth that he might not love her anymore, she goes upstairs and packs to leave, where she briefly breaks down crying. As Conrad is awakened by a cab pulling away, he goes downstairs where his father tells him his mother has left. Conrad's first reaction is to blame himself. Calvin rebukes Conrad for taking that attitude but then regrets losing his temper. Conrad tells him not to apologize, that perhaps he needs his father to take him to task more often, as he used to do with Buck. The film closes with both having achieved some level of understanding and they embrace. Pachelbel's Canon plays as the camera pans up over the house, leaving us to consider a family of Ordinary People.
Though difficult to watch, it is a great film, great story, with great performances all around by gifted actors. Not to be unsung are the excellent performances by Marisa Tomei, and all the other supporting actors. A film that would benefit one to watch more than once, there is that much substance there. Worth paying particular notice to is the opening metaphor in the scene on the lobster boat where Tom Wilkinson (Dr. Fowler) explains the nature of how a lobster-trap works - and the name the lobster-men (and tradition) have given to the inner part of the trap. This is the metaphor for the human story that will, tragically, unfold. A great film, with great work all around. Todd Field is a director to remember.
An Education 2009
Director: Lone Scherfig In the early 1960's, sixteen year old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham. On her father's wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford, as he wants her to have a better life than he. Jenny is bright, pretty, hard working but also naturally gifted. The only problems her father may perceive in her life is her issue with learning Latin, and her dating a boy named Graham, who is nice but socially awkward. Jenny's life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper and that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities which she enjoys. Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her, and Jenny and David's relationship does move into becoming a romantic one. ###### With excellent acting and excellent visuals this is a good film, as a Chaucerian cautionary tale, or a retake on Congreve, it succeeds in buckets. But more even than the excellent script by Nick Hornsby is a marvellous performance by Carey Mulligan. It tackles what is an incredibly sensitive subject, more so today than even in its setting, the relationship between a teenager and an older man, with definite aplomb. What could have been either an anachronistic script filled with moral sensibilities that didn't surface in 1961 or a cheap and tawdry sensationalist production is handled with verve, humour, and brings both the wonder of first love and the seductive ability of that love to steer lives in directions we'd rather not go out in ways that work very well indeed. Carey Mulligan has more than a touch of sensibility about her and is, obviously, the more mature, yet still a naive genu - her performance is to be admired for its ability to not switch characters but rather hold a fast course that is totally believable. I seriously cannot think of any debut in the past 20 years that has this weight. Like Taylor in National Velvet or Johnny Mill's daughter in Whistle Down the Wind you just know you are watching something very special indeed. All the parts are very well written by Nick Hornsby and what we get is both complex and light, a witty drama with depth that truly evokes the post-Suez and Macmillan era; Britain before the Beatles but a Britain full of a generation who didn't wanted to be reminded of rationing and the Blitz, who were searching to get away from the drudgery of a boring job-for-life that was killing their parents by degrees. While there are moments of real unease, not surprisingly given the subject matter, there is nothing to not recommend about this: it is thoughtful, funny, intriguing, and marks the start of a significant career for Carey Mulligan who will certainly become one of the leading British actresses of her generation. #### In the early 1960's, sixteen year old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham. On her father's wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford, as he wants her to have a better life than he. Jenny is bright, pretty, hard working but also naturally gifted. The only problems her father may perceive in her life is her issue with learning Latin, and her dating a boy named Graham, who is nice but socially awkward. Jenny's life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper and that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities which she enjoys. Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her, and Jenny and David's relationship does move into becoming a romantic one. However, Jenny slowly learns more about David, and by association Danny and Helen, and specifically how they make their money. Jenny has to decide if what she learns about them and leading such a life is worth forgoing her plans of higher eduction at Oxford.
Excellent performances, strong story, riveting. This story would not work without Ben Kingsley. His characterization delivers complexity, strength and intelligence. This movie was well cast and certainly finds a way to touch a cord in everyone. The director did show a light touch where necessary but put the actors through their paces as the story unfolds. This is not light entertainment. It's about the human condition and how people find a way to cope with adversity..........or not. Better have a box of tissues because you will need it by the end of the movie. They want one more line out of me and it's proving tough. Hope this does it. I recommend this movie to anyone. The performances alone are worth it. Guarantee you that you will not walk away from this one without an opinion.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring 2003 aka Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom
Director: Ki-duk Kim In the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a young boy to grow up in wisdom and compassion, through experience and endless exercises. Once the pupil discovers his sexual lust, he seems lost to contemplative life and follows his first love, but soon fails to adapt to the modern world, gets in jail for a crime of passion and returns to the master in search of spiritual redemption and reconciliation with karma, at a high price of physical catharsis.. ### I'm constantly amazed by the appearance of some seemingly off-the-wall piece of art that when you view it evokes a stunning effect. The simplicity of this film, its low-key action and pace, its visual surrealistic beauty, all interact to
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create an emotional impression that is long-lasting and thought-provoking. Korea has been somewhat slower to enter the international cinematic world and here is a film with actors whose names stir little or no recognition. For myself, who has enjoyed the Korean films I've seen before, it was a delightful surprise. The film itself is a wonderful tapestry of Korean Buddhist culture, with quiet visual beauty, simple moral themes and human passions put into a simple, homespun perspective. The remarkable natural setting which reflects the wide spectrum of Korea's seasons, which range from hot, sticky humid-fraught summers to icy, cold snow-bound winters, become a metaphor of life with unadorned figures, completely human in form. The old monk becomes a witness to the interplay of human qualities, without judgment yet with a complete and quiet moral presence. The foibles of child cruelty is met with a simple retribution which imparts a lasting lesson. Judgment is always withheld and warnings are given simply. The effect of all of this rings long and lasting, much like the impression of a delicate Korean silk print: simple in design with plain brush strokes and stylized representations of nature-- yet, lasting in impression, often to the point of being unforgettable. I buy few videos and DVDs, preferring to see things I really enjoyed again and again. But, I've ordered this one.
bumps will rise, and your heart will undoubtedly cry out to rescue these children, to grab them in your arms and set them free. Without giving too much away, one of the most touching scenes to me, is on Yuki's birthday, the only thing she wants is to be able to go outside for a walk with her big brother Akira. So when the night comes, she puts on her little bear slippers, an ear to ear smile on her face, and with her hand in her brothers hand, they set her heart free for if not only a night. Nobody Knows is a film that I will never let go of. This film impacted me so much and I found it so absolutely remarkable, that it hasn't left my mind since it's viewing. I almost feel that recommending this film just isn't enough, and all I can say is that I hope everyone gets the chance to enjoy this film for all that it is worth. As sure as it is to invoke emotion, it is as sure to please as a piece of cinema.
issues can be addressed, others can be accepted, life generally goes on and it's up to us to make the best out of it. The Sasaki family has this brief hiccup in their lives that forms the basis of Tokyo Sonata, and it's something that will both move you and bring about that general awareness of how Japanese society ticks. Definitely highly recommended, and a surprise of a gem from Kiyoshi Kurosawa that's not from his usual forte of works.
Ed Wood 1994
Director: Tim Burton You are interested in the unknown. The mysterious. The unexplainable. That is why you are here. And now, for the first time, we are bringing to you the full story of what happened, on that fateful day. We are giving you all the evidence, based only on a secret testimony, of the miserable souls, who survived this terrifying ordeal. The
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incidents, the places. My friend, we cannot keep this a secret any longer. Can your heart stand the shocking facts about Edward D. Wood Jr.? ######## The film opens with a thunderstorm. Lightning flashes illuminate a spooky old house, accompanied by the eerie wailing of a Theremin. The camera moves inside the house to reveal a coffin which opens and from the coffin Criswell sits up. (This is nearly the identical opening scene to "Night of the Ghouls"). Criswell offers an opening commentary which practically repeats the opening commentary from "Plan 9 from Outer Space". Credits follow with most of the cast names displayed on tombstones (again similar to "Plan 9"). The camera moves from the Hollywood sign and down into Hollywood itself. It is a rainy night outside a dilapidated theater in Hollywood. It is the early 1950s. The eccentric theater director Edward D. Wood Jr. (Johnny Depp) is pacing outside, waiting for the press who have not shown to review his play "The Casual Company". The show finally goes on to an almost empty house. Ed stands in the wings, silently repeating the dialogue. Later that night Ed, his close friend John "Bunny" Brekenridge (Bill Murray) and the three principal actors in the play, Delores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker), Paul Marco (Max Casella) and Conrad "Connie" Brooks (Brent Hinkley) read Victor Crowley's scathing review of the play ("Do I really have a face like a horse?" "What does ostentatious mean?"), the only positive comment being about the realistic costumes. Later that night Ed, who is living with Delores, expresses his doubts about his achieving success in the film industry. He worries that he's nearly thirty and Orson Welles (Vincent d'Onofrio), whom Ed idolizes, was 26-years old when he made "Citizen Kane". Delores reassures him and then absent-mindedly makes a comment to herself about never being able to find her clothes. Ed turns over in bed with a worried look on his face. A few days later, Ed is working in the prop department at a film studio and is asked to take a potted palm over to the executive offices. Ed makes a bit of a side trip to see some new stock footage the studio received, and comments that he could probably make a complete movie using just the stock footage. Later, in the office he overhears two office girls discussing an article in Variety about a bio-pic being considered about sex-change personality, Christine Jorgensen. Ed phones George Weiss (Mike Starr), head of Screen Classics, a small studio which specializes in soft-core sexploitation films, which was making the bio-pic. Ed assures him that he is the most qualified man in Hollywood to direct the sex-change film. Later he is talking to Weiss who tells him that the Christine Jorgensen story is off. Christine heard about it from Variety, and was asking for too much. Weiss was still planing a sex-change film though, to be called "I Changed My Sex". He has no script yet or director. Ed tells him that he can direct and write the movie, in fact he had just finished a play that Victor Crowley praised for its realism. When Weiss asks him why he is the most qualified man in Hollywood to do this movie Ed tells him he himself is a cross-dresser and can add an extra note of realism to the movie. He knows what it is like to hide a secret like that. Weiss tells Ed that he does not need someone who has a burning desire to tell his story. Discouraged, Ed leaves. On his way home, Ed meets Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). He is leaving a funeral home complaining about the uncomfortability of the coffins. The two start talking and begin a close friendship. Ed learns that Bela has not worked in four years. Later, Ed is discussing Bela with his boss who calls Bela a "washed-out junkie". He suggests that if Ed thinks he is so great he should hire Bela himself. On Halloween night 1953, and Ed and Bela are watching "White Zombie" at Bela's home on the TV. The show breaks for a commercial, introduced by horror-show hostess Vampira whom Bela refers to as "a honey". A short while later, Vampira makes a comment about the film starring Bela Lugosi "and a bunch of other people I've never heard of". This seems to depress Bela who goes into the back to take his "medicine". The medicine (a morphineheroin combination) seems to work almost immediatly and Bela is soon cheerfully scaring trick-or-treating children as Dracula. Using the promise of getting Bela to star in the movie, Ed convinces George Weiss to let him write and direct the movie. He finishes the script two days later and gives it to Delores to read. He also uses the script to tell her about his own cross-dressing, and offers her the role of Barbara in the movie. They begin filming the movie, now re-titled 'Glen or Glenda', with Ed himself performing the title roles. When they get to filming Bela's scenes, there is a minor catastrophy when Connie mentions Boris Karloff. Bela gets highly upset about this, as Karloff was a major of rival of Lugosi's. There is also trouble on the set as Delores, who is playing the female lead Barbara, is having a very hard time accepting Ed's cross-dressing. Somehow the film is finished. Ed takes a film copy of "Glen or Glenda" to Mr. Feldman at Warners, seeking to get financial backing to continue making movies. He mentions several other projects he has planned, such as "The Ghoul Goes West" and "Dr. Acula". Feldman seems interested in another project Ed pitches, "Bride of the Atom". Later Feldman and two subordinates view "Glen Or Glenda", and are reduced to fits of helpless laughter.
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Days later, Ed finds that "Glen or Glenda" is not playing anywhere local. He phones George Weiss who tells him that he could not sell it anywhere in the major markets. In fact, Weiss wishes "he had not blown every dime he had ever made into making this stink-bomb". He promises that if he ever sees Ed again he will kill him. A few evenings later Ed, Delores, and Bunny, are at a wrestling match. Bunny talks about his plans to go to Mexico and take the first steps leading to sex-reassignment, much to Delores' discomfort. They later see in action Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson (George 'The Animal' Steele), who Ed believes would make a fantastic actor, and would be perfect for Lobo, the monstrous henchman in "Bride of the Atom". He convinces Tor to take the part. Some months later, Ed gets a call from Bela. When he arrives at Bela's home he finds Bela collapsed on the floor. He also finds a needle which Bela tells him contains Morphine and Demerol. Bella breaks down and tells Ed that he is totally broke, and doesn't know what he's going to do to pay for his "medication". Ed reassures him that he won't let Bela down. The next day, Ed calls Feldman, who tells him that "Glen or Glenda" was the worst movie he ever saw, and hangs up on him. Discouraged, Ed talks to Delores, who suggests that Ed may not be studio material, and may do better as an independent film maker. Ed starts to try to line up backers. One person he approaches is a producer of a comedy/variety TV series, who arranges to use Bela in a sketch. The sketch turns out to be a total fiasco, as Bela cannot follow the ad-libs of the comic. Backstage Ed and Bela meet "psychic" Criswell (Jeffrey Jones) who predicts that Bela's next project will be a huge success. Criswell even recognises Ed's name as the writer/director of "Glen or Glenda". Quickly Criswell becomes a member of Ed's growing entourage and tells Ed that showmanship is the secret to success. Over the next several months in 1955, Ed continues seeking financing for his next movie, helped by Delores, Criswell, and Tor, but without any success. One evening at a local nightclub, Ed encounters Loretta King (Juliet Landau) who appears to be quite wealthy (she pays a three dollar bar tab with a $50-dollar-note). Still seeking financing, Ed soon convinces her to invest in "Bride of ther Atom". Loretta agrees to finance Ed's movie, but her only catch is that in exchange to be credited as one of the executive producers, she would also like to act in the movie, in fact she wants to take the lead role, which Ed had already promised to Delores. Ed reluntantly agrees so that he can make the movie. Delores however is less then impressed by this, especially when she finds she has been relegated to one of the minor roles. With Loretta's contribution in hand Ed begins filming, despite Loretta being a medicore actress. Unfortunatly filming is soon shut down when the $300 advance that Loretta gave runs out. It turns out that the $300 was all the money that Loretta had. So Ed goes back out on the financing trail. While talking to some potential investors, he meets Vampira. He tries to interest her in helping to get some backers, but her reluctance ends up losing backers. Ed ends up talking to butcher Donald McCoy, who is willing to advance Ed the rest of the money he needs, but McCoy's condition is that he wants the movie to end with a big explosion, and that the lead male role to go to his son Tony. After making the suggested changes, filming resumes, but not without problems. At one point there is a very tense encounter between Delores and Loretta. That night, Ed, Paul, Connie, Criswell, and Tor break into the prop warehouse at Republic Studios to "borrow" a rubber octopus to be used in the climactic scene between Dr. Vornoff (Bela), and his octopus. They realise that they forgot to borrow the octopus motor, so when the are filming thew scene Ed tells Bela to just "Shake his legs around so it looks like he's killing you". At first Bela seems to be unable to do the scene, but after injecting himself with a dose of his "medicine" he is alright again. The next day Ed thanks Bela for everything he has done, and gives him a new final speech. After filming this scene, "Bride of the Atom" wraps. At the wrap party that night, held in McCoy's butcher shop, Ed, once more in drag, does a strip act. This is the last straw, and Delores explodes, saying that Ed's movies are terrible. She leaves Ed for good. Ed gets another phone call from Bela, who he finds completly suicidal and wants Ed to join him. Ed talks Bela out of it, and Bela decides to commit himself into a hospital. Bela uses his rehabilitation to get some publicity and to get his name back in the press. In the hospital, Ed meets Kathy O'Hara (Patricia Arquette), a very sweet young woman, who he becomes attracted to. He tells her that he is a writer, producer, actor, and director in motion pictures. One of two who do it all, Orson
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Wells, and himself. The two go out on a date to a midway. They take a ride through the spook house, which breaks down halfway through the ride. While stranded, Ed confesses to Kathy about his cross-dresing. She accepts it without question. Next morning, Ed gets some bad news from the sanitarium. Bela's insurance has long since lapsed and as a result Bela will not be able to stay any longer. Ed offers to pay all he has to help Bela, but the small amount of money he has will barely help. Ed convinces Bela that he is cured, and takes him home. Bela wonders when Ed's next picture will be coming. To help Bela, Ed invests the last of his cash in some film and a camera rental. He and Bela film several scenes of generic stock footage outside Ed's house that Ed could use almost anywhere. A few weeks later in 1956, Ed invites Vampira to join the party going to the premire of his movie, now re-titled "Bride of the Monster". Ed, Kathy, Vampira (Lisa Marie), Criswell, and Tor go in Ed's car to the theater. The audience is extremely rowdy over the horrible-looking movie and after only a few minutes into the picture Ed begins to fear for the safety of his guests, especially Kathy, Bela, and Vampira. They leave in time to catch a gang stripping down Ed's car. The crowd soon leaves the theater also roaring in anger at being cheated out of their money to watch a bad movie. They hail a taxi, in fact Kathy almost has to jump in front of it to get it to stop. As they leave Bela remarks: "Now THAT was a premire!" The next morning, Ed and Bela are walking and talking. Bela tells Ed that he has a very special woman in Kathy. They talk about the premire and Ed wishes that Bela could have seen the whole movie. Bela says he doesn't really need to, he remembers it all, and proves it by quoting his closing speech to an appreciative improptu audience. That night, Ed gets another phone call from a doctor at a local hospital. Bela has passed away. Ed, Kathy, Tor, Criswell, Vampira, Connie and Paul are all among the mourners at Bela's funeral. It is also mentioned that Bela was buried in his Dracula cape. Some months later, Ed is talking to his landlord, J. Edward Reynolds. Reynolds notices that Ed is in the picture business, and mentions that his church is planning to make inspirational films about the twelve apostles. At the present time though they only have the money for one. Ed tells Reynolds that if he took that money and put it into a commercially proven genre, he would make enough to make all twelve movies. As it happens, Ed has a script he wrote available, entitled "Grave Robbers from Outer Space", and this movie would star Bela Lugosi. Ed has the last film Bela did, and he just needs to hire a double to complete Bela's scenes. Reynolds agrees, and final preparations begin for the movie. When Ed learns that Vampira has been laid off, he convinces her to take a part in the film, but she will only do it mute. Ed meets Dr. Tom Mason, Kathy's chiropractor, and Ed hires him to be Bela's double even though the resemblance is minimal, and the only way Ed could pull it off is if Mason does all his scenes with the Dracula cape pulled over his face. Reynolds will only support the movie if Ed and his companions are baptised into his church. So that Sunday, Ed, Kathy, Vampira, Tor, Criswell, Bunny, Mason, Paul, and Connie are recieved into the local Baptist church. Tor is too large to fit into the regular baptismal font, so the mass baptism is held in a nearby swimming pool. In 1958, filming begins but with many problems. Gregory Wallcott, an actor who is also a member of Reynolds' church choir who is taking one of the lead roles in the movie, is disgusted by the amaturish cockpit set. Bunny, who is playing the alien leader, is insisting on antenna or glitter. Reynolds has many concerns, from daylight stock shots setting up for night scenes, Tor (who is nearly unintelligible) delivering many of the lines because Bela's dead, and Vampira's not speaking, and the title "Grave Robbers from Outer Space" which they find blasphemous. The final straw is when Reynolds questions Ed's skills after Paul and Connie, (playing policemen) fall (knocked down by the passage of the 'flying saucer') and knock over one of the cardboard tombstones in the graveyard set. To relax, Ed puts on his women's clothing only to be chastized even more by Reynolds. Ed storms out of the studio and goes to a nearby bar (still in drag). In the bar Ed meets his idol, Orson Wells. The two begin talking and Orson reminisces about his problems with the film business. He tells Ed that ultimatly the business is worthwhile and advises Ed to hang on to his dreams. Ed returns to the studio and tells Reynolds (Clive Rosengren) that he will get his movie, as Ed wants to make it, and it will be successful. Ed continues filming the movie, now re-titled "Plan 9 from Outer Space" at Reynold's request. Scene after scene are filmed with Ed growing more and more proud of the whole production. He knows that "this is the ultimate Ed Wood movie"
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On opening night in 1959, he and Kathy drive to the theater in Ed's (repaired) convertible. As they arrive, it begins to rain and thunder, much like the storm in the opening scenes. The top gets stuck open, and finally Ed leaves it so that they can make the premire. He introduces it simply "For Bela". As the film runs, Ed is again in the wings silently repeating the dialogue. He knows that "This is it. This is the one I'll be remembered for". As "Plan 9" closes he proposed to Kathy, and the two drive off in his soaked car to marry in Las Vegas. The camera moves back from the area to focus on the Hollywood sign again. The movie ends with short biographical comments about the major characters and their lives after "Plan 9 from Outer Space".
Constantinen 2005
Director: Francis Lawrence John Constantine is approached by Det. Angela Dodson who needs his help to prove that her twin sister Isabel's death was not a suicide. The dead woman was a devout Catholic and Angela refuses to accept that she would have taken her own life. She's asked Constantine for help because he has a reputation for dealing with the mystical. In fact, he is a demon hunter whose sole purpose on Earth is to send demons back to the nether regions. John himself has been to Hell - as a young man he too c`ommitted suicide and now knows that he is destined to return there on his death - but hopes that his good deeds may somehow find him a place in Heaven. As he looks into Isobel's death, he realizes that demons are trying to break through to the human world and his battles lead him into a direct conflict with Satan.
location shooting, improvised dialogue, and a loose narrative form. In addition Godard uses his characteristic jump cuts, deliberate "mismatches" between shots, and references to the history of cinema, art, and music. Much of the film's vigor comes from collisions between popular and high culture: Godard shows us pinups and portraits of women by Picasso and Renoir, and the soundtrack includes both Mozart's clarinet concerto and snippets of French pop radio. When Breathless was first released, audiences and critics responded to the burst of energy it gave the French cinema; it won numerous international awards and became an unexpected box-office sensation. ************ Stylish and sexy, ? BREATHLESS? (A Bout De Souffle) is the epitome of cinematic cool. A fast tale of a young man on the run in Paris at the end of the 50?s, the film shook up the film world upon it?s release and has made a lasting impression on cinema history. Cigarettes, hats, sunglasses and determined unconformity make Michel Pjenkaard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) a true cinematic icon. Playing against the stunning Jean Seberg he smokes his way through a series of sexy Gallic exchanges to a sharp Jazz score in the coolest of cities. The film debut of Jean-Luc Godard, ?BREATHLESS? spearheaded the French ?New Wave? of filmmaking, recognised as one of the most stylish and influential movements in cinema. Produced by Georges de Beauregard, ?BREATHLESS? was developed by Godard from an original treatment by Francois Truffaut in a production that united the four initiators of the ?Nouvelle Vague?. Claude Chabrol acted as artistic advisor with the acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Melville appearing in front of the camera.
Jean de Florette
Directed By: Claude Berri Jean de florette: A greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell. Co-adapted by director Claude Berri from a novel by Marcel Pagnol, this hugely successful French historical drama concerns a bizarre battle royale over a valuable natural spring in a remote French farming community. City dweller Jean Cadoret (G (C)rard Depardieu) assumes ownership of the spring when the original owner is accidentally killed by covetous farmer Cesar Soubeyran (Yves Montand). Soubeyran and his equally disreputable nephew Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) pull every dirty trick in the book to force Cadoret off his land, but the novice farmer stands firm. Although the Soubeyrans appear to gain the upper hand, the audience is assured that they will eventually be foiled by the vengeful daughter of the spring's deceased owner -- thus setting the stage for the film's equally successful sequel, Manon of the Spring. Jean de florette: A greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell.
Directed By: Ingmar Bergman Endlessly imitated and parodied, Ingmar Bergman's landmark art movie The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet) retains its ability to hold an audience spellbound. Bergman regular Max von Sydow stars as a 14th century knight named Antonius Block, wearily heading home after ten years' worth of combat. Disillusioned by unending war, plague, and misery Block has concluded that God does not exist. As he trudges across the wilderness, Block is visited by Death (Bengt Ekerot), garbed in the traditional black robe. Unwilling to give up the ghost, Block challenges Death to a game of chess. If he wins, he lives -- if not, he'll allow Death to claim him. As they play, the knight and the Grim Reaper get into a spirited discussion over whether or not God exists. To recount all that happens next would diminish the impact of the film itself; we can observe that The Seventh Seal ends with one of the most indelible of all of Bergman's cinematic images: the near-silhouette "Dance of Death." Considered by some as the apotheosis of all Ingmar Bergman films (other likely candidates for that honor include Wild Strawberries and Persona), and certainly one of the most influential European art movies, The Seventh Seal won a multitude of awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.
John Cameron Mitchell, who created a cult sensation as writer and director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, blazes a brave new trail with this comedy-drama which combines the stories of a handful of emotionally unsatisfied New Yorkers with some of the most explicit sexual material to ever appear in a mainstream motion picture. Sofia (SookYin Lee) is a couples' therapist who has a major relationship problem of her own -- she's never had an orgasm, and her husband Rob (Raphael Barker) doesn't seem capable of giving her one. Sophia's clients include James and Jamie (Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy), a gay couple who have been together for five years and are beginning to grow tired of one another. As James and Jamie discuss the possibility of bringing another man into the bedroom, Sophia accidentally mentions her problem, and they tell her of an upcoming "Shortbus Party," a sexual free-for-all in which straight, gay, and lesbian couples are all welcome to either talk about sex or take a more active role in the main ballroom. As James and Jamie hook up with Ceth (Jay Brannan) for some mutually satisfying action at the bash, Sophia experiments with Sapphic diversions, and begins to truly find herself when she encounters Severin (Lindsay Beamish), a professional dominatrix. However, while Sophia begins to find what she needs with Severin, she discovers that while Severin is able to casually enter into a sexual relationship, she's never been able to emotionally commit herself to someone else. Shortbus was screened in competition at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival.
Diary of a Nymphomaniac
Director: Christian Molina In Barcelona, Valre is very attached to her French grandmother Marie Tasso and likes to stay with her. While discussing sex with Val, Marie advises her that it would be important to jot her life experience down and Val decides to write a diary. Val recalls her promiscuous love life and her lovers since her first sexual experience when she was fifteen year-old. When Val loses her job in a downsizing, she is simultaneously informed that Marie had had a heart attack and she visits her granny who dies. Val looks for a job and when she is interviewed by an executive called Jaime, and falls in love for the first time. However Jaime is not good in bed. They move in together to a magnificent apartment and Val believes she has found the man of her life. Val gets a job with a gay Italian called Harry at a fashion house but Jaime becomes jealous and changes his behavior. Val decides to leave Jaime when she gets pregnant and he does not recognize the baby as his own.
Striebeck). Eventually, Cahit and Sibel learn to care for one another after a climactic trip to Istanbul. Head-On won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004.
Echoes of "Madame Bovary" in the American suburbs. Sarah's in a loveless marriage, long days with her young daughter at the park and the pool, wanting more. Brad is a househusband, married to a flinty documentary filmmaker. Ronnie is just out of prison - two years for indecent exposure - living with his mother; Larry is a retired cop, fixated on driving Ronnie away. Sarah and Brad connect, a respite of adult companionship at the pool. Ronnie and Larry have their demons. Brad should be studying for the bar; Larry misses his job; Ronnie's mom thinks he needs a girlfriend. Sarah longs to refuse to be trapped in an unhappy life. Where can these tangled paths lead? I had the pleasure of seeing the premiere of "Little Children" at Telluride. The incomprable Mr.Feild hid behind the curtain near the concession at the back of the Nugget Theater wringing his hands, looking a wee bit nauseous. It was all very endearing. The film is superb. Amongst the American fare it tops my list of films fromTelluride, next to the incomprable 'Day Night Day Night' directed by Julia Loktev. For me, it was all about Jackie Earle Haley. Haley sneaks onto the screen 45 minutes into the narrative bursting the happy bubble of familiar ups and downs of married with children life. The result unnerving edgy tension that could be cut with a knife. Haley's performance is vulnerable, awkward and possibly the strongest male role to light up the screen this year. Haley deserves accolades, praise and loads of attention. He's been a favorite darling of mine for ages...something I had the good fortune of recounting to Feild after the screening. Feild provides many questions and very few answers. Haley's character may have been released from jail for indecent exposure to a minor, yet Feild does a delicate balancing act without faltering on the side of "good guy/ bad guy". This is NOT a film about pedophiles. This is a film about faults, judgments, weaknesses that consume, chew one up and spits you out again. And in the end the entire paradigm of suburban life has been twisted, shaken, pushed and pulled. There is tragedy, openness, shifts, that do not add up to ultimate conclusions. This complex tale weaves passion, disillusionment, love, lust, desire, ambivalence. But most importantly, the tender web of Mother-Child relations, WITHOUT ever vilifying Mother. Feild breaks from this poisonous, obsessive, castrating, oedipal mother-subject paradigm and addresses the people who float in and out of crisis above and beyond being tied to their social roles and traditional moral codes. Winslet encapsulates the awkward intellectual mom, who loves her daughter, but has very very human ambivalence towards this 24/7 duty of unconditional love/acceptance and never ending giving. Finally, she decides to give something back to herself, by playing out a torrid love affair with the Prom King (Patrick Wilson) another character ripe with flaws and exudes humanness. This should win many many many accolades for 2006, it's a rare stand out. A powerful disturbingly familiar tale played out eloquently, and held at benign distance via the brilliant use of odd narration. It's a strange convention,
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but Feild masters this as he skewers and satirizes and describes it's subjects with authority. The narration was pleasantly reminiscent of "Fishing with John", often obvious, but nicely pushing the plot along with often more than a hint of humor. The serious tone of the narrator serves to punctuate the utter ridiculous paradox of the banalities of being 'married with children' and having a flashy adventurous love affair in and around the locations of everyday stay at home summer existence; the park, the pool, the evening football game. The Affair never reveals itself as the be-all-and-end-all, answer to disillusionment and sadness of suburban middle class marriage. Nor, the cause-effect that sets the plot in motion. Even more satisfyingly, the affair does not legitimate the happy normative narrative ending.
Cashback (2006)
Directed By: Sean Ellis A young insomniac attempts to cope with his sleepless nights by taking a job at a local supermarket, only to discover that he possesses a curious coping mechanism in the debut feature from Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Sean Ellis. Ben (Sean Biggerstaff) has recently been dumped by his girlfriend, and in his grief he has lost his ability to sleep through the night. When Ben takes a job at the supermarket and makes the acquaintance of an odd collection of individuals, including silly slackers Barry (Michael Dixon) and Matt (Michael Lambourne) and aspiring kung fu master Brian (Marc Pickering), he begins to find his imagination taking flight in a most unusual manner. It seems that Ben has the ability to literally stop time, a talent that allows him to take pause, traverse the supermarket aisles, and ponder both his own life and the existence of the customers who stand frozen and completely unaware of his presence. As much a dreamer as Ben may be, however, his willingness to maintain his connection to the tangible, if slightly antiseptic, world he currently inhabits soon finds the wistful dreamer forming a close connection with disarmingly straightforward checkout girl Emily (Emilia Fox), whose solid ties to reality serve to offer a healthy contrast to the fantasy-prone insomniac's surreal form of escapism. When art student Ben Willis dumps his girlfriend Suzy, he develops chronic insomnia after finding out how quickly she moved on. To pass the long hours of the night, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket. There he meets a colorful cast of characters, all of whom have their own 'art' in dealing with the boredom of an eight-hour-shift. Ben's art is that he imagines himself stopping time. This way, he can appreciate the artistic beauty of the frozen world and the people inside it - especially Sharon, the pretty and quiet checkout girl, who perhaps holds the answer to solving the problem of Ben's insomnia. A guy and his girl break up. Painfully. As a result of this the guy becomes an insomniac and suddenly finds himself with 8 more hours in the day. 8 more hours in which he feels the pain of love gone sour. 8 more hours to be bored and restless. He decides to make the best of it and starts working the night shift in a supermarket where he is met with a new kind of boredom and several people that deal with that boredom in different ways. Himself adding yet another way of dealing with that boredom. He imagines he can stop time. What follows is best seen instead of read about. This film is filled to the rim with the most beautiful stills, completed with several speeds of motion and feels right. Right in an artistically way. It is like watching a painting being painted,, like watching a poem being written, like listening to a song being composed. And at the end it all adds up and the completed picture is seen in all its beauty. All in all a really nicely designed film that belongs in the small theaters and in the art-houses.
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Next to that it is fun to watch. The adventures of the guy are interesting to follow, even though they aren't all that different from what most people go through at one or other stage of life. Music choice was very fitting and acting was good enough not to be falling out of place with the rest. So, all in all, a very pleasurable watch and something I can recommend to anyone.
when you hit that inevitable fork in the road, forms the basis for director Ted Demme's examination of how human nature affects the process of maturating, in `Beautiful Girls,' a drama featuring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon and a young Natalie Portman. Willie Conway (Hutton) is back home in the Midwest for his high school reunion, but more than that, to try and make some decisions about his future. He finds that nothing much has changed-- the town, or his old friends, most of whom seem to be exerting more time and energy attempting to cling to what was, rather than moving on with their lives. Tommy Rowland (Dillon), for instance, the high school `hero,' as it were, now drives a snowplow; for all intents and purposes, his life `peaked' in high school, and he can't seem to get past it. Then there's Paul (Michael Rapaport), who just doesn't seem to want to grow up; after a seven year relationship with Jan (Martha Plimpton), he refuses to make that final commitment-- after all, `What's the rush?' All of which does nothing to help Willie with his own dilemma; the only words of wisdom he gets from anyone, in fact, come from the precocious thirteen-year-old, Marty (Natalie Portman), who lives next door. But in a couple of days, Tracy (Annabeth Gish), the girl Willie `thinks' he wants to marry, is due to arrive from Chicago, so it's time to move beyond the crossroads; for Willie, it's decision time. Demme delivers a story that just about everyone in the audience is going to connect with on some level, because everyone's gone through (or will go through) these kinds of things at one time or another. Who hasn't experienced, if only for a moment, that sense of either wanting to stay as they are or going back to what they were, when life was better, or at least simpler. Or more fun. Working from a screenplay by Scott Rosenberg, Demme examines the relationships between this eclectic group of individuals in a way that offers some insights into human nature that will no doubt elicit some reflection on the part of the viewer. It all points up that, no matter what it may look like on the surface, underneath it all we're not so different from one another; we all share that common bond of learning life's lessons one day at a time, albeit in our own particular way, which corresponds to who we are as individuals. And Demme succeeds in telling his story with warmth and humor; by tapping into the humanity at the heart of it all. The story may focus on Willie, but the film is a true ensemble piece, realized as it is through the sum of it's many and varied parts. It's a talented cast of actors bringing a unique bunch of characters to life that makes this film what it is, beginning with Hutton, who anchors it with his solid portrayal of Willie, a challenging role in that Willie has to be an average guy who is unique in his own right. The same can be said of Dillon's Tommy, in whom traces of Dallas Winston from `The Outsiders' can be found; Tommy is, perhaps, just Dallas a few years later. Mira Sorvino gives a memorable performance by creating the most sympathetic character in the film, Tommy's girlfriend, Sharon. This is the girl who was never going to be prom queen, and who up until now has lacked the selfconfidence necessary to create a positive environment for herself. Lauren Holly, meanwhile, succeeds with her portrayal of Darian Smalls, the absolute opposite of Sharon, a young woman who is probably too positive for her own good and who lives the life of a perpetual prom queen, an individual who-- as another character succinctly puts it-- was `Mean as a snake,' back in the day. Good performances that add a balanced perspective to the film. There are two performances here that really steal the show, however. The first being that of Michael Rapaport, who as Paul so completely and convincingly captures the very essence of an average Joe with not too much on the ball, no prospects for the future to speak of, but who is, at heart, a good guy. There's humor and pathos in his portrayal, which personifies that particular state of being the film is seeking to depict. Excellent work by Rapaport, and decidedly one of the strengths of the film. The most memorable performance of all, however, is turned in by Natalie Portman, who at fifteen is playing the thirteen-year-old Marty, the girl mature and wise beyond her years (`I'm an old soul,' as she puts it), with whom Willie forms a kind of bond as she, in her own way, helps him to sort out his feelings and find his focus. Portman's performance here-- some three years before she would forever become Padme Amidala-- exhibits that spark and charismatic screen presence that has served her so well since, in films like `Anywhere But Here,' and `Where the Heart Is.' She has for some time been, and continues to be, one of the finest and most promising young actors in the business. The cast also includes Noah Emmerich (Mo), Rosie O'Donnell (Gina), Max Perlich (Kev), Uma Thurman (Andrea), Anne Bobby (Sarah) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Stanley), all of whom help to make `Beautiful Girls' a memorable and satisfying cinematic experience. And that's the magic of the movies. 8/10.
school prodigy who preaches corporate synergy. While Dan develops clients through handshake deals and relationships, Carter cross-promotes the magazine with the cell phone division and Krispity Krunch, an indeterminate snack food under the same corporate umbrella. Both men are going through turmoil at home. Dan has two daughters, Alex, age 18, and Jana, age 16, and is shocked when his wife tells him she's pregnant with a new child. Carter, in the meanwhile, is dumped by his wife of seven months just as he gets his promotion. Dan and Carter's uneasy friendship is thrown into jeopardy when Carter falls for, and begins an affair with, Dan's daughter Alex.
they are together. You don't see that in Hollywood RomComs. Of course, the sex alternates with the local pastime of cricket wrestling. Hiroshi is trying to beat the champ Anzai (Kazuhiro Sano), whom he has never met. His prime cricket gets in some hot water - actually hot oil, and he now needs to find another. Of course, neither of the lovers are particularly faithful. We don't just see flirting either, as they engage in sex with outsiders, which, of course, leads to the predictable breakup. There is some over-the-top silliness, and even some girl-on-girl action that was totally unexpected and, given the context, weird. But, all ends as it would in a typical RomCom. You knew that, didn't you. A strange, bizarre and charming love story about a cheerful man Hiroshi and unique single-mother Haruka with offbeat fellows. Hiroshi lives off of his single-mom girlfriend Haruka. When he gets drawn into the cricket fighting craze that has gripped the townsmen, a showdown of epic proportions draws near with Harukas cricket-breeding ex-husband. Director Yuji TAJIRI has pulled no stops in this hyperactive parody / love story / sex film - with a special effects laden finale that will blow you away. Insects, money and carnality collide in this tale of a slacker who passes time mooching off of his girlfriend and participating in the latest vogue: cricket fighting. When his sweeties ex-husband challenges his honor by proposing a battle between their crickets, Hiroshi dives into the showdown with an animalistic fervor. Watch out: Even this is a love story this film contains strong content which may not be appropriate for the faint hearted!!! Japan 2005 Director: Yji Tajiri Cast: Rinako Hirasawa, Mutsuo Yoshioka, Minami Aiyama, Akino Hirasawa, Takeshi Ito, Setchin Kawaya, Setsuhiko Kobayashi, Yya Matsuura, Kazuhiro Sano, etc. Also Known As (AKA) Sex machine - Hiwai na kisetsu Hiroshi the Freeloading Sex Machine The Strange Saga of Hiroshi the Freeloading Sex Machine
romp, I'd have to give it 7/10. P.S. there's a 'sequel' to this film where the director shows what would have happened had the hero chosen the other lady. Interesting idea!
reincarnation to tell a touching story about the enduring power of love. Adapted from a novel by Uruguayan writer Hermenegildo Sabat, the film is fantasy, but the emotions dealt with are very real. Leopoldo (Dario Grandinetti), like his father, is a projectionist at the local cinema. His dream, however, is to become an inventor. With the help of his friend Oscar (Oscar Martinez), who has invented a robot in the image of famous tango singer Carlos Gardel, Leopoldo creates a machine that can record a person's dreams and play them back later on a videotape. The film opens in New Jersey in the year 1885. Thomas Edison's assistant is saying good bye to his wife who has just passed away. We are then transported to modern day Buenos Aires where Leopoldo has recorded a dream in which he feels overwhelmed with love for a woman he does not know. He has been married to Susana (Monica Galin) for twenty years, but his love has become mechanical. Amazingly, the next day he sees the woman (Marianna Arias) in his dreams standing outside his theater. She explains that her name is Rachel and that she was married to Leopoldo, then named William, over one hundred years ago. She also tells the astonished projectionist that they have reincarnated together many times throughout the centuries in different roles. Like the angels in Wings of Desire, she is a spirit whom Leopoldo can see and talk with but cannot touch. He longs to hold and kiss her but the laws of the universe prevent this. Fears begin to arise about his mental health when he is seen talking to himself as though someone were standing next to him. Leopoldo's love for Rachel only deepens, however, and both must struggle to overcome their deepest fears, Rachel to accept life, Leopoldo to accept death. Enhanced by the music of Franz Schubert and a lovely original score by Pedro Aznar, Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going is a deeply felt meditation on love, death, and spirituality. In lesser hands, it could have become mawkish and unconvincing, yet Mr. Subiela is a true poet, and in spite of some initial resistance, I was moved by this sensitive work.
commanding officer who wants an Iron Cross, despite the fact that he a coward, and will go to the most treacherous lengths to get it. This is an upsetting and unflinching film. It pre-dates Saving Private Ryan by two decades, yet is just as detailed and frightening, just as bloody, and maybe even better. Anyone yet to see Cross of Iron must do so as soon as possible. It is one of the great war films, and an unforgettably chilling experience.
couldn't help but be so interested. It deserves any positivity it receives, and I hope that many more people will watch it, because it is an excellent movie, that needs to be spread around for it's wonderfulness. Go see it if you haven't!
My Life to Live (It's My Life) (Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux) (1962)
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard Vivre Sa Vie presents 12 episodes in the life of a young woman who turns to prostitution to pay her rent. Each episode features a theatrical scene preceded by a title that lists the characters in the episode, its location, and a brief summary of the action. As he would throughout his career, director Jean-Luc Godard uses prostitution as a metaphor for both economic life in general and the position of the filmmaker under capitalism. Vivre Sa Vie stars Anna Karina, who was married to Godard at the time. Her performance was largely improvised as Godard refused to give Karina her lines until just before each scene was shot. In order to maintain the freshness of the performances, Godard rarely made more than one take of each shot. The film is shot in stunning black-and-white by Raoul Coutard. The improvised acting and fragmented story give the viewer the impression of watching a documentary about a woman's life that is also a series of essays about aesthetics and economics. In addition, the film's camera style presents a catalogue of alternatives to conventional shooting strategies. ~ Louis Schwartz, Rovi ######### I've started to get a little more used to Godard, and now by My Life to Live I know I can expect anything from him, though it's sometimes a style that he presents frankly, stylishly, or in an experimentally real approach. Along with his masterful cinematographer Raoul Coutard, the mis en scene he creates in each episode is equally satisfying. And there is a terrific balance in how the camera may just stay for minutes at a time on a character before moving and how the camera may show off (impressively) for the viewer. For example, there's a moment when Nana (played by Godard's wife Anna Karina) is a caf, and gun shots are heard outside, the camera seems to cut - or move - to the sounds and beats of shots being fired, tracking like this all the way across the bar to the window. It was stunning to see that being done, not just for the sake of the scene's twist to intensity, but it perfectly skims the line of stage-ness and reality- if you were positioned in that caf, how would you see things as your head turns to look to the street? Godard raises and answers some film-making questions that pay off in the best new-wave type fashion. His dialog, too, is fascinating, and a philosophical discussion between two characters gives me an indication as to what might have inspired Richard Linklater, perhaps. Then there's Anna Karina as Nana, a woman who leaves her husband and child (you have to listen sharp to note when the child's mentioned) and gets kicked out of her home by the concierge. She has a job in a record store, but doesn't keep it, wanders the streets, sees a movie (very emotionally touching scene), and tries to get an acting job, or some money together. Then she gets drawn into, without an ounce of remorse, the prostitution ring-around, learning that there isn't nearly as much emphasis on lawbreaking in the business in Paris as there is with medical concerns. Karina, with a face, eyes, hair, and body that has a sweet level of (distant) attraction, plays Nana in a wonderful way- we get inklings that she can be happy (dancing to music in a pool-hall is the highlight), though she's at best when she hides it under her demeanor. She smokes, she has a lot of sex, she has talks that sometimes don't go anywhere, but is the viewer ever let in to who she really is or what her motives are day to day? This is a credit to her, as well as Godard, in creating this memorable figure in the early 60's New-wave of French cinema. Credit should also be given to Michael Legrand's theme (though repetitive, has a sort of purpose for many scenes).
The winner of two Cannes Film Festival awards, Luis Buuel's Los Olvidados (aka The Forgotten Ones and The Young and the Damned) was the director's first international box-office success. Yet Buuel showed no signs of curbing the outrageous iconoclasm that made him famous in Europe and South America; one of the more lasting images of the film is the clash-of-cultures shot of a glistening new skyscraper rising above the squalid slums of Mexico City. The story concerns a gang of juvenile delinquents, whose sole redeeming quality is their apparent devotion to one another. Part of the film's perverse fascination is watching Buuel's street punks cause misery to those less fortunate. The audience immediately identifies with Pedro (Alfonso Meja), the youngest gang member, who evinces a spark of decency; yet Pedro, like the others, remains a victim of circumstances far beyond his control. Throughout, Buuel maintains an objective tone; it is our responsibility, not his, to judge the gang members. Seasoned with haunting dream sequences, Los Olvidados was the opening volley in what would turn out to be Buuel's most creative period. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi ###### The story of troubled youth and urban violence has been told many times, but this is, perhaps, the best film on the subject ever made. This is an unblinking look at the hell on earth that looks like slums of Mexico City back in 1950s. It is also a masterful combination of gritty realism and Buuel's surrealism (young Pedro's dream of Virgin Mary with a face of his mother whose love he desperately needs but never knows). All the characters, including a young boy caught up in a criminal world but trying to be good, his tired mother who does not have time to love her children, the brutal and cruel gang leader with his own story that breaks your heart are not just wonderfully written and acted, they are absolutely real and would stay with you long after the film is over. Shocking, erotic, and sad, this is a masterpiece the perfect film from the beginning until the harrowing and devastating end.
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie) (1972)
Directed By: Luis Buuel In typical Luis Buuel fashion, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie surrealistically skewers the conventions of society. Buuel applies his surrealist touch to a mundane event: a dinner party that may never come to pass. A group of well-to-do friends attempt to gather for a social evening, but are thwarted at every turn. The initial problem seems to be a simple scheduling mistake, but the obstacles become more and more bizarre. At one point, the guests are interrupted at the table by an army on maneuvers. Later they learn that they are merely characters in a stage play and so cannot have dinner together. These misadventures are combined with symbolic dreams of the various characters, some of which also involve interrupted dinners. Wicked social satire and one of Buuel's funniest films. Winner of the Academy Award for "Best Foreign Film" in 1972. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi ######## Bunuel's career was one of the most sensational you could dream of.At least ten of his movies are among my favorites and ten others are not far behind.
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Once he said :" when I was young and I was watching the sky and saying :"it's beautiful up there and there's nothing;now,I simply say :"it's beautiful"Atheism had turned into agnosticism.Perhaps so,but Bunuel's favorite targets are still here.The bishop and the army are here to stay;they already were in "l'ge d'or" (1930) "DIscreet charm" is a comprehensive work :it includes almost everything that made Bunuel the genius every cine buff loves ;his permanent features are all included: these bourgeois walking on an endless road are the same who were locked up in the house in "el angel exterminador";Rabal trying to catch one more peace of meat is like the men who were fighting for water in "el angel" .THe selfishness of the bourgeoisie is given a stunning treatment:the impossibility to get a good meal .Bunuel explodes certitudes and he explodes different genres.One of them is the light comedy with its adulteries,its mistaken identities and its contretemps.and if the message is not clear enough,one of the scenes shows the characters on a stage!Another one is the horror and fantasy film : the young boy's mother asking him to kill his father (who is actually not his parent);and most of all the soldier's dream which could provide the substance for at least a whole movie. Dreamlike sequences are Bunuel's forte .He has sometimes been equaled (Andr Delvaux:"un soir un train" ) but never surpassed: just think of Pablo's dream in "los olvidados" ;the Christ on the electric wires in "cela s'appelle l'aurore" ;Sverine's fantasies in "Belle de Jour" ;Rey's head as a bell clapper in "Tristana".But in "discreet charm" Bunuel seems to connect all the links of the chain and his film becomes a tapestry of Bayeux where dreams and reality follow naturally. "I dreamed ,Thevenot says,that Senechal dreamed that he was on a stage and ..." It' s "Jacob's ladder" twenty years before that later movie appears. It's also a political movie,but not a work for highbrows .What he did not fully achieved with the spotty "la fivre monte El Pao" ,and the more interesting "death in the garden" ,Bunuel pulls it off with gusto here.The republic (sic) of Miranda whose ambassador is none other than Rey is ,even if we never see it , depicted in minute lavish detail .Unlike highbrows like Godard who deals out his lecture on Mao in "la chinoise" ,Luis Bunuel remains accessible to everybody:we laugh and we laugh a lot when we discover the harsh realities of Miranda Land which has no pyramids ,but has Nazis and poverty.Actually it's not that much funny. A word about the cast;it's perfect:Rey is wonderful as a drug trafficker ambassador who is always afraid to be slain ;Stephane Audran and Jean-Pierre Cassel had teamed up two years before in another attack against bourgeoisie ,Chabrol's "la rupture" ;Bulle Ogier,for once,forgets her usual parts who give the non-intellectual terrible headaches and manages to stay very natural;Claude Piplu and his inimitable voice (make sure you hear his voice:nobody can dub him successfully) portrays a colorful colonel who tells the ambassador home truth and literally invades Audran's house with his staff and has lunch with the guests (a meal where the bourgeois,the Church and the Army eat together is something to watch).But for me the stand-out is feminist Delphine Seyrig,with her beaming face,her preciosity and her sweet stupidity. To say that "discreet charm" is a masterpiece is to state the obvious.Maybe Bunuel's tour de force lies in the fact that even in reality,strange things happen and the characters do not seem to be surprised and shocked.... as long as their privileges are not called into question.If you should only see one Bunuel film,you had to choose this one.But if you like it,treasures are waiting for you.
and plot Antoine's downfall.Truffaut has made competent use of flashbacks to evoke memories of the past. Scenes of the past make one feel like watching two different films at the same time.Everyone feels that Antoine did not try his best to save his marriage.Viewers' sympathies will always be with Antoine as despite his faults,he is a charming guy.Truffaut has ably shown how important it is to love and be loved.
The Young One (Island of Shame) (White Trash) (La Joven) (1960)
Directed By: Luis Buuel Luis Buuel and Hugo Butler (under the pseudonym "H.B. Addis") adapted Peter Matthiessen's story Travelin' Man for this drama about a black jazz musician, on the run from a false accusation of raping a white woman. Miller (Zachary Scott) is a middle aged handyman on a small island off the southeastern coast. His neighbors are a 13year-old girl and her grandfather. After her grandfather dies, Miller looks after the young girl, and they are the only two on the island until the arrival of Traver (Bernie Hamilton), a black man fleeing a lynch mob that suspects him of rape. In Miller's absence, Traver gives the girl money for supplies and a gun. Returning to the island, Miller tries to kill Traver until he realizes no harm has come to the girl and Traver is allowed to escape when Miller is convinced of his innocence. Miller then announces his intentions to marry the girl and save her from some meddling church officials who wish to take her away. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy Holiday stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two women who exchange houses in order to get a new lease on life. After each suffers her fair share of romantic disappointments, Englishwoman Iris (Winslet) and L.A. woman Amanda (Diaz) meet on-line at a website devoted to helping people exchange houses for vacations. Each agrees to spend the Christmas holiday at the other's home. While each suffers from a minor case of culture shock, both women also end up becoming involved with a man. Iris makes the acquaintance of an upbeat everyman played by Jack Black, while Amanda spends time with a handsome Brit played by Jude Law. Both women must decide what to do with these new relationships as their pre-arranged house switch is scheduled to last less than two weeks. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi In London, Iris Simpkins writes a wedding column in a newspaper and nurtures an unrequited love for her colleague Jasper Bloom. Near Christmas, she is informed that Jasper is engaged to marry another colleague, and her life turns upside down. In Los Angeles, the movie-trailers maker Amanda Woods has just broken with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan and wants to forget him. Through a house exchange website, Amanda impulsively swaps her mansion for Iris' cottage in Surrey for the holidays. While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' brother and book editor Graham and they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Iris meets her new next door neighbor, the ninety year old screenplay writer Arthur, who helps her retrieve her self-esteem, and the film composer Miles, with whom she falls in love with. Iris (Kate Winslett), attractive, if somewhat dowdy, young English journalist (she works for that citadel of fogeyism, the "Daily Telegraph"), on the rebound from an affair with the shiftless Jasper (Rufus Sewell), one of the paper's columnists, decides she needs a Christmas holiday. She goes on-line and has soon swapped her Christmas-card pretty, but cramped, Surrey cottage with a mansion in Bel Air owned by Amanda (Cameron Dias), the ebullient head of a company that makes movie trailers, who has just thrown out her latest useless partner. The girls swap places and in no time Amanda is romancing Iris's dishy brother Graham (Jude Law). Meanwhile in Hollywood Iris is getting to know Miles (Jack Black), a workmate of Amanda's, and a 90 year old neighbour, Arthur (Eli Wallach) who happens to be one of Hollywood's forgotten great writers. One can of course dismiss this sort of stuff as glossy fairy floss because basically, despite all the money and talent expended in making it, that is what it is - "Love, Improbable." This film is rather long for its genre, over two hours, and it does drag a bit, as if the scriptwriters couldn't decide how to end it. However it must be admitted that Kate Winslett and Jude Law are always interesting to watch on screen and Cameron Diaz has a nice line in parodying some of her earlier performances. Rufus Sewell shows he can out-act Hugh Grant any day (not hard I guess). Jack Black on the other hand seemed strangely out of place as Ms W's love interest romantic comedy doesn't seem to be his forte, he's more of your gross-out guy. It was nice though to see Eli Wallach, a great Hollywood tough guy of old, who at 90 seems to have the market for nice old buffers sewn up, as the neighbour. Perhaps I am setting my standard too high, but compared to "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill", "Bedrooms and Hallways" and even "Love, Actually", this was a pile of mush, far too sweet and sticky and nice. Good comedy needs a certain bite, a reality bite, a bit of astringency, whereas what we are given here is pure fairyland escapism. Writer/Director Nancy Myers has a record of light entertaining stuff ("The Parent Trap", "Father of the Bride") and she certainly is not trying to extend her range here.
Head On (1998)
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Director: Ana Kokkinos If youre feeling brave, take a long, deep breath and watch Head On. Ari (Alex Dimitriades) is a nineteen-year-old Greek bisexual, who is confused by life and constantly searches for a path to happiness. He doesnt find it in drugs or alcohol, nor does he in regular and unsatisfying sex. The film chronicles one day in Aris life, an intense twenty-four hours full of pain and occasional joy. Ari realizes the pathetic state of his life but fails to do anything about it; one gets the feeling that he is so far down and out that he will never quite be able to regain status. Ari has pushed on, day by day, meeting men and women, and not thinking about what life might offer him. He is too busy taking everything a step at a time in the busy city of Melbourne (at one moment, much to my delight, there are shots of Flinders Street Station and Crown Casino). Aris character works because of the revealing screenplay (which was adapted from the novel Loaded) and Alex Dimitriadess gutsy performance. I thought that Russel Crowes choice of role in 1994s The Sum of Us was game, but compared to this it seems safe and ordinary. Dimitriades is one hell of a brave actor. Limiting the emotional success of this story is its lack of characters; aside from Ari, there is really nobody else the audience can relate with. But perhaps this is done intentionally, as Ari alone provides the basis for an intriguing character study since he is such a complicated person. His actions are not always understandable 0 but thats how people are sometimes. Whenever his life seems to be lightening up (if only for a few moments), we are brought down once again into his depressing state of affairs. Some of the final words spoken by Alex Dimitriades are cynical and somber, yet they express the moving and painful feelings this film generates. Im sliding toward the sewer, not struggling, I can smell the shit - but Im still breathing. Im gonna live my life. Im not going to make a difference, Im not going to change a thing. Ana Kokkinoss fiery Melbourne-based film is a tense and bold character study, and one that is almost haunting in its realism. Perhaps the most daring of its production assets is the films dramatic script, which positions its protagonist in various off-putting homosexual, confrontational and drug induced acts. Disturbing stuff, thats for sure - and Kokkinos knows it. This is a powerhouse Australian film that is in many ways more confronting than the likes of Saving Private Ryan, for the reason that it depicts issues that are very real in todays society. Kokkinos boldly looks at sexuality, ethnicity, drugs and gender in a raw and explicit manner. With tight editing and rigid, urban cinematography, Head On is a grating piece that explores the dissatisfaction of youth and society in general. Cast: Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian Garner, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Elena Mandalis, Maria MercedesDirector: Ana KokkinosProducer: Jane ScottScreenplay: Andrew Bovell, Ana Kokkinos and Mira Robertson, based on the novel "Loaded" by Christos Tsiolkas
strengths of love. When Antoine is in love with Christine, she doesn't love him. When Antoine loves Fabienne (the shoe shop's owner's wife), Christine is in love with Antoine. Every character is immersed in a love triangle. And asks the question, "Does love really ever exist on an equal basis?" But aside from the romantic cynicism, also lays some of the most romantic cinematic moments in history. The scene in which we follow up the stairs to find Antoine and Christine laying in bed peacefully, and the morning after, where Antoine purposes to Christne (with what looks like a fancy spoon or bottle opener, taking the place of a real ring?) is one of the most poetic moments in film history. The music score is fantastic as well as the cinematography gentle and sweet. For some, the ending is somewhat confusing and abrupt. But only shows, that the man that now stalks Christine with such passion, is now looked at by Antoine as resembling his once passionate feelings for her, that no longer burn with the same intensity. A bittersweet opening to the followup "Bed And Board". This film is a classic on all accounts!!! A must see, and my favourite film of ALL TIME!!! I rate it a 15 out of 10!!
actress. This partnership gave Buuel even more freedom than before, and resulted in three of the most interesting and controversial films of his career. "Viridiana", "El ngel Extreminador" and this movie, "Simn del Desierto", form a trilogy where Buuel criticizes mercilessly, but with humor, the hypocrisy of the high society, the government and of course, religion. Simn (Claudio Brook) is a deep religious man who decided that to be closer to God, he should remain alone in a column, living as an hermit practicing asceticism, in order to escape from the world's temptations. Soon Simn becomes to be regarded as a Saint, and people from all over the region come to hear him speak, and witness his miracles. Satan (Silvia Pinal) visits Simn too, in an attempt to tempt Simn with the earthly pleasures that Simn has decided to leave behind. However, the Devil is probably the lesser of Simn's problems, as his own elitist position as an outsider makes him to discover the truth behind organized religion, and so he begins question the nature of what he does, and more importantly, what he believes. Written by Luis Buuel and Julio Alejandro (Buuel's collaborator in "Nazarn" and "Viridiana"), the story of "Simn del Desierto" is loosely based on the real life story of Saint Simeon Stylites, a monk who like Simn, decided to spent his days at the top of a pillar. "Simon del Desierto" parodies St. Simeon's story in a wonderful satire about the way Saints are seen and venerated by the religious people. Using the character of Simn, Buuel explores the human side of religion and with a good dose of humor, he completely exposes his views on it, making a sharp criticism not on religion itself, but on religious organizations and their blind and passive followers, who in Buuel's eyes, become more and more dehumanized the closer they get to God. In many ways, "Simn del Desierto" works like a slow and fascinating descend into one of Buuel's surreal nightmares. With a beautiful cinematography by the legendary Gabriel Figueroa, the movie feels initially as a real biopic of the Saint's life, but the portrait of dignity that Buuel seems to be creating with Simon soon discovers itself as an absurd, as Simn's exaggerated Holiness proves to be as corrupting as the Devil's temptations, and through a series of visions Buuel breaks the realistic tone and smoothly turns the movie into a surreal madness apparently mimicking the dehumanization of the Saint. The madness concludes in one of Buuel's most strange finales ever, inviting the audience to make their own conclusions about the movie, and about sainthood. Claudio Brook and Silvia Pinal are basically the main cast of the film, and their work together is really amazing. A very underrated actor, Brook is very convincing, and very funny too, making Buuel's character come to life and carrying the film with natural ease and powerful presence. Brook delivers his lines with dignity and power, as if he was really being an actor in a biography of the Saint (Ironically, he would play Jesus in two films after "Simn del Desierto"). Silvia Pinal is very good as the Devil, although not as impressive as she was in "Viridiana", she delivers an excellent performance as the erotic representation of Satan. The supporting cast is very small, and have very limited screen time, but overall they do a good job. Jess Fernndez shines in the small role of a dwarf goatherd who seems to know more than what his humble looks tell. The movie is probably one of the most interesting films of Buuel, but at the same time one of the most troubled, as the low budget couldn't allow him better production values. But the worse flaw occurred because in a very unfortunate incident, Alatriste was unable to complete the funding of Buuel's film, so the director was forced to stop the film's production and make a quick ending. The bizarre finale of the movie is very simplistic and feels horribly rushed; breaking the pace of the story in a very bad way. Still, even when the rushed ending damages the movie a lot, at least it gives an idea of what Buuel's intentions with the film were. While the movie was never completed the way Buuel desired, "Simn del Desierto" is equally as good as the master's better known films, and it also offers the chance to understand the ideology of the man known as "master of surrealism". The excellent performances, Figueroa's beautiful photography and Buuel's superb direction are definitely the ingredients for a masterpiece, and this modest movie, incomplete as it is, it's definitely one. 8/10
he flies madly over the skies of L.A. His lawyer Arthur (Hume Cronyn) keeps Eddie from being thrown in jail and also talks Eddie into giving Florence the power of attorney. Eddie proceeds to travel to New York, where he runs into Gwen, who now has a child. Eddie is in New York to visit his senile father, Sam (Richard Boone), but when his family attempts to put Sam in a nursing home, Eddie takes him away with him to their old family estate on Long Island. Eddie calls up Gwen, and she travels to Long Island to resume their affair. Meanwhile, Eddie's loved ones search for Sam, and they are closing in on Eddie's Long Island sanctuary.
brilliant films - TTRL and Elizabeth - to get that oscar, and don't get me started on Gwyneth's award. This is the best film of 1998/9, in line with Elizabeth. It's unfortunate that the two, thoug h greatly revered, did not achieve the success and attention they deserved. Don't be afraid by its length, it's a beautiful journey, full of rich colour, sound and the reward is a deeply moving human experience, unlike any other that the past decade has offered.
even whimsical overtones of hope perfectly complement the engaging story of Karen who first appears to us, crying, lonely on a bus, traveling somewhere; And yet, in a sense, nowhere. But where is she going, and why? Screenplay is first class as is everything else about this production. Albeit its musical score is perhaps underplayed. Still, that's hardly a fault. Direction, as mentioned, is as masterful as everything else about this starkly believable movie. So the only element which could possibly have been improved upon in this movie was its understated musical score. And if that's the only criticism one could say of a movie, doesn't that suggest this is something very special? Our interest as viewers is perfectly piqued from the offset. And our hold remains throughout this true little gem of a movie. I hope you'll find it as stimulating in so many ways as I did. For this is a very human movie which is also existential, and angst driven. This movie is quality throughout. All in all, 'Karen Cries On The Bus' is a most excellent, realistic and very human film.
Douglas had declined the role of Tom Garrison in the Broadway production, as had March, Edward G. Robinson, Ralph Richardson, and Alfred Lunt. In his autobiography, Douglas indicated that he had fewer reservations with the screenplay that Cates approached him with in 1969. "I thought it much improved and made a few suggestions designed to clarify the character of the embittered old man," Douglas wrote. "Cates returned almost immediately with rewrites...Having involved myself this deeply, I committed myself to doing the role onscreen." As quoted in Allan Hunter's biography Gene Hackman, Douglas' co-star recalled that the experience of making the film "wasn't gratifying...It only worked because of what people brought to it." The project did provide the actor an excellent vehicle to present a softer-edged characterization than those he had previously committed to film, and critics and audiences came to recognize the extent of his range as a result. The gravity of the material almost certainly predestined I Never Sang for My Father for prestige rather than big boxoffice returns. The film secured respective Best Actor, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay nominations for Douglas, Hackman and Anderson, but the prizes ultimately went to George C. Scott (Patton), John Mills (Ryan's Daughter) and Ring Lardner, Jr. (M*A*S*H). Hackman's hoped-for career boost from the project didn't materialize, but all that would change the following year with an Oscar and A-list status thanks to The French Connection (1971). It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Melvyn Douglas), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Gene Hackman) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
of Women" is about women, and life. Adam Brody is amazing as Carter. His low key presence, and insightful smarts work "In the Land of Women". His Carter's growth from arrogant heartbroken soul to being a "great listener", who cares about others, is moving. And Brody does this with a light and humorous touch. Kristen Stewart is a star. Stewart resonates in Lucy a bold spirit and smart edge. She beautifully captures Lucy's angst and vulnerability as a teenager defining her self. Makenzie Vega makes an impressive turn as Lucy's younger sister Paige, the precocious yoga practicing preteen. Vega has a touching scene with Mom Sarah in the ice cream shop. Olympia Dukakis is brilliantly subtle as Grandmother Phyllis. For the most part she is comic relief. However, her character provides a wake up call to Carter: "One day I am going to be dead, and you will still be alive" Meg Ryan is awesome as Sarah. I have always been a fan. She is older now, still beautiful and displaying great power as an actor. Ryan movingly imposes a quiet strength of character in Sarah, who endures a loveless marriage, daughter who hates her, and life and death. Sarah by nature has to always keep it together, so when she asks Carter for help it is out of tremendous courage. As she stands inconsolable in the rain, her suffering is heartbreaking. Meg Ryan's humanity gives "In the Land of Women" grace and poignancy. John Kasdan's "In the Land of Women" is bittersweet and moving. Adam Brody, Meg Ryan, and Kristen Stewart are great in Kasdan's tale of compassion and forgiveness. Kasdan accomplishes this all with resounding heart and humor.
prominently in revealing Nick's inner-most feelings at a pivotal moment of the film. Rounding out the supporting cast are Alan Alda (Dan), Marisa Tomei (Lola), Ashley Johnson (Alexandra), Mark Feuerstein (Morgan), Lauren Holly (Gigi), Delta Burke (Eve), Valerie Perrine (Margo) and Sarah Paulson (Annie). What Meyers has created here is a mixed-bag, sleight-of-hand bit of entertainment that is so much more than what it seems to be on the surface that it is bound to evoke an equally mixed-bag of reactions (positive and negative) from the audience. It's amusing-downright funny at times-- but also exasperating. To receive the full rewards offered by `What Women Want,' you're going to have to give it something as well. If you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get in return. And that, my friends, is the magic of the movies. I rate this one 8/10.
skin, Miss Daisy because she is Jewish in a WASP-dominated society. At the same time, Hoke cannot fathom Miss Daisy's cloistered inability to grasp the social changes that are sweeping the South in the 1960s. Nor can Miss Daisy understand why Hoke's "people" are so indignant. It is only when Hoke is retired and Miss Daisy is confined to a home for the elderly that the two fully realize that they've been friends and kindred spirits all along. The supporting cast includes Esther Rolle as Miss Daisy's housekeeper and Dan Aykroyd as Miss Daisy's son, Boolie (reportedly, playwright Uhry based the character upon himself). Driving Miss Daisy won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), Best Screenplay (Uhry), and Best Makeup (Manlio Rochetti)
Gigi (1958)
Directed By: Vincente Minnelli , Charles Walters Leslie Caron plays Gigi, a young girl raised by two veteran Parisian courtesans (Hermione Gingold and Isabel Jeans) to be the mistress of wealthy young Gaston (Louis Jourdan). When Gaston falls in love with Gigi and asks her to be his wife, Jeans is appalled: never has anyone in their family ever stooped to anything so bourgeois as marriage! Weaving in and out of the story is Maurice Chevalier as an aging boulevardier who, years earlier, had been in love with Gingold's character. Chevalier gets most of the best Lerner & Loewe tunes, including Thank Heaven for Little Girls, I'm Glad I'm Not Young Any More, and his matchless duet with Gingold, I Remember it Well. Caron's best number (dubbed by Betty Wand) is The Night They Invented Champagne while Jourdan gets the honor of introducing the title song. Filmed on location in Paris, Gigi won several Oscars, including Best Picture; it also represented the successful American movie comeback of Chevalier, who thanks to this film was "forgiven" for his reputed collaboration with the Nazis during World War II. GIGI - 1958Winner of Nine Academy Awards. This was Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1958 follow-up to their My Fair Lady. Set in Paris, Gigi is about a girl (Leslie Caron) on a lower rung of society who blossoms into
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Cinderellahood before our eyes and ears. Thank heaven for Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier as her mentors, and Louis Jourdan as her prince. The screenplay writer and lyricist Lerner always said that Gigi's title song was his favorite of all he'd written. The winner of nine Academy Awards (plus a special Oscar for Chevalier), including Best Picture, Gigi was the last great MGM movie musical and one of the best. Starring: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor. Directed by: Vincente Minnelli. ########## Of all the films which won the Best Picture Oscar, one has to wonder how this ho hum musical earned all nine Oscars for which it was nominated. Was it just a weak year or did The Defiant Ones (1958) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) cancel each other out as well? It's a mystery. Director Vincente Minnelli, the Original Song "Gigi", its Musical Score, and Adapted Screenplay were among the other Oscar winners. Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, and Louis Jourdan star. Added to the National Film Registry in 1991. #35 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" is #56 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time. Gigi (Caron) has been raised quite innocently by her Grandmother Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold), with whom she lives. Alvarez didn't do as well as her sister, Gigi's former courtesan Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans), who lives in high style but (per her vanity) never leaves her expensive flat with butler (e.g. setup for life by former lovers). However, Alvarez is friends with a rich playboy Gaston Lachaille (Jourdan) who loves to get away from society's trappings - which he finds a "bore" - by visiting her humble apartment, especially because of her energetic granddaughter; he's known Gigi since she was a child and loves to play cards with her. But Gigi is now a young woman who follows Gaston's public love life with delight. Advised by his uncle (Chevalier), an older version of himself, Gaston drops yet another woman (Eva Gabor) he's been dating hoping to escape the trappings of high society for a while. During this time, he takes Gigi and Madame Alvarez to the sea during which he begins to notice the former's maturation. With encouragement and education from Aunt Alicia, a match is eventually made (at first, Gigi resists the arrangement until she decides that she'd "rather be miserable with him than without him"). However, when Gigi acts like the courtesan she's been trained to be in lieu of the precocious and fun 'child' he'd been used to, he's forced to examine his lifestyle and make a decision.
After the Overture, the film opens fairly silently with breathtaking (helicopter high) overhead views of Manhattan before the camera is focused - and zooms in - on a city playground (where the story later ends). Director Wise would use virtually this exact same technique to open (and close) his other Oscar-winning Best Picture The Sound of Music (1965), which features the majestic Alps in place of the cement and steel 'mountains' of New York City. Two rival street gangs: Riff (Russ Tamblyn) is the leader of the ethnic "White" Jets, Bernardo (Chakiris) the leader of the "Hispanic" (actually, Puerto Rican) Sharks and brother of Maria (Wood); Moreno plays Maria's friend Anita, who is also Bernardo's girl. When Tony (Beymer), who was formerly with the Jets, and Maria fall in love, there is conflict played out ever so creatively in song and dance, with Tamblyn lending his many skills in this area. Of course, their's is a forbidden love which can only lead to tragedy. Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley (as Officer Krupke) and John Astin play the adult supporting roles
Elizabeth Taylor is gorgeous (besides giving some of her best adult acting) in this Richard Brooks/James Poe interpretation of Tennessee Williams's stunning play that reveals truths about mendacity, days gone by and family power struggles. Director Brooks also got compelling performances from Paul Newman and Burl Ives. Newman, Taylor, Director-writer Brooks, as well as the film and William Daniels's (The Naked City (1948)) Color Cinematography were all Oscar nominated. Jack Carson and Judith Anderson also play significant roles; Larry Gates & Vaughn Taylor also appear. Brick (Newman) and Gooper (Carson) are sons of "Big Daddy" Pollit (Ives). Brick is the favored son, a former football star but now a drunk, who's married to "Maggie the Cat" (Taylor). Maggie caters to Big Daddy, and desperately loves her despondent husband. Gooper, the son that's actually made something of himself, has a chip on his shoulder. He and his wife Mae Flynn (Madeleine Sherwood) try to gain control of dying Big Daddy's estate. Big Daddy, married to Big Momma (Anderson), "ruled" all the members of his family with an iron fist while he built his empire and manipulated events in their lives.
############ Produced & directed by George Stevens (The More the Merrier (1943)), with a screenplay by Michael Wilson and Harry Brown (Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)), this essential romance drama about forbidden, tragic love (and more) stars two of the most beautiful actors of their time at the peak of their sex appeal, Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. The excellent cast also includes Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, and even John Ridgely (among others). Clift earned the second of his four (unrewarded) acting Oscar nominations, Winters her first and only lead actress nomination (she would go on to win two Supporting Actress Oscars out of three more nominations). Though producer Stevens lost his Oscar to An American in Paris (1951), director and future Irving G. Thalberg Award winner Stevens took home the gold; he earned a second directing Giant (1956). Writers Wilson & Brown also won as did the film's B&W Cinematography (William Mellor earned his first Oscar on his first Academy Award nomination), Costume Design (Edith Head), Editing (William Hornbeck, It's a Wonderful Life (1946), earned his only Oscar) and Score (Franz Waxman, Sunset Blvd. (1950), who earned his second and last Oscar despite three more subsequent nominations). Added to the National Film Registry in 1991. #92 on AFIs 100 Greatest Movies list. #53 on AFIs 100 Greatest Love Stories list. George Eastman (Clift) is a handsome drifter with ambition. He gets a job at his wealthy uncle Charles's (Herbert Heyes) bathing suit factory where he works a mundane job and meets assembly line worker Alice Tripp (Winters). Even though she's not attractive and he was told not to date anyone at the plant, George has an affair with her. Later, however, George finds what he think will finally be his place in the sun. He gets invited to attend one of the parties at his uncle's estate. There he meets a beautiful debutante Angela Vickers (Taylor). Two people who look as good as they do were meant to be together, right? The only problem is that Alice thinks she has a future in George's climb up the ladder in his uncle's business herself. Alice tells George that she's thinks she's pregnant from their earlier encounter which leads him to a desperate decision in a boat on a lake with her over Labor Day weekend. Revere plays George's poor mother, Clark George's defense attorney, Burr the DA, and Ridgely the coroner. Ian Wolfe appears uncredited as Dr. Wyeland.
One of "my favorite movies", though it should have starred Julie Andrews who starred with Rex Harrison on Broadway. In a bit of Oscar irony, Ms. Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar playing Mary Poppins (1964) and Ms. Hepburn wasn't even nominated. Alan Jay Lerner's musical adaptation of Bernard Shaw's classic Pygmalion (1938) story. The film won 8 (out of 12 nominations) Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for Harrison, and Best Director for George Cukor (his first, on his fifth and last nomination ... 31 years after Little Women (1933)). Gladys Cooper and the marvelous Stanley Holloway were nominated for their supporting roles. #91 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list. #12 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. "I Could Have Danced All Night" is #17 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time. #8 on AFI's 25 Greatest Movie Musicals list. Harrison plays the great, pompous linguist professor Henry Higgins, who says that the way one speaks reveals everything about them. He claims he can teach any ignorant street person to speak such that they could be passed off as royalty. A fellow linguist & newfound friend, Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), calls his bluff. So, Higgins chooses to undertake an unkempt, cockney-accented flower girl, Eliza Doolittle (Hepburn), to prove his boast & make his point. When he takes Eliza into his home, to live with him and the visiting Pickering, during the training period, her estranged & drunken father (Holloway) gets the wrong idea and wants a piece of the action. He "sells" his daughter to Higgins, who recommends the man to an associate as a true "moralist". Cooper plays Higgins' disapproving mother. Theodore Bikel plays a former student of the Professor's that becomes the ultimate test of his
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hypothesis. Jeremy Brett plays a gentleman lovestruck by his first encounter with Eliza. Mona Washbourne plays Higgins' live-in servant.
brother, Fredo (John Cazale), against him. Barely escaping a federal indictment, Michael turns his attention to dealing with his enemies, completing his own corruption.
I can still remember the tears. Of course I've always loved Shirley MacLaine movies (she finally won gold on her fifth and last, so far, Best Actress nomination) and this film is so good it almost makes having to watch Debra Winger (Oscar nominated) tolerable, winning the Best Picture Oscar. A film about family relationships, particularly mother & daughter. Producer James L. Brooks won his only three Oscars in his directorial debut (also for Best Adapted Screenplay). Jack Nicholson won his Best Supporting Oscar over John Lithgow (also nominated).
Chicago (2002)
Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy Directed By: Rob Marshall A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" can go in this screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago, originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. In the mid-'20s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a small-time chorus dancer married to a well-meaning dunderhead named Amos (John C. Reilly). Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley (Dominic West), a smooth talker who insists he can make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far for his own good, and when she realizes that his promises are empty, she becomes enraged and murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy vaudeville star who used to perform with her sister until Velma discovered that her sister had been sleeping with her husband. Velma shot them both dead, and, after scheming prison matron "Mama" Morton hooks Velma up with hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Velma becomes the new Queen of the scandal sheets. Roxie is just shrewd enough to realize that her poor fortune could also bring her fame, so she convinces Amos to also hire Flynn. Soon Flynn is splashing Roxie's story -- or, more accurately, a highly melodramatic revision of Roxie's story -- all over the gutter press, and Roxy and Velma are soon battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. A project that had
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been moving from studio to studio since the musical opened on Broadway in 1973, Chicago also features guest appearances by Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski.
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Best choice in a weak year? An Oscar winning Best Picture. The best thing I can say about this film is that in lieu of just filming a popular stage musical with more elaborate sets, the (Oscar nominated) director Rob Marshall (his directorial debut) and editor (Martin Walsh won the Oscar too) for this film really used the medium well to tell the story with the action of its stars (in lieu of doubles), e.g. by utilizing "quick cuts". Based upon what I've read, this technique really wasn't done to cover up or hide any lack of talent on the part of the principals either (however, even slick editing could not hide the fact that Richard Gere can't tap dance). Catherine Zeta-Jones true talent showed through enough for her to win the Supporting Actress Oscar. I think it's been so well received because it moves the adequate (Oscar nominated) story along efficiently with intriguing musical numbers, in lieu of the way Moulin Rouge! (2001) made you say "not another song, please!" and "is it over yet, can I leave now?" This film is much "tighter". Renee Zellweger, John C. Reilly, and Queen Latifah were Oscar nominated for their roles. #12 on AFI's 25 Greatest Movie Musicals list.
Vertigo (1958)
Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Classics Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock Dismissed when first released, later heralded as one of director Alfred Hitchcock's finest films (and, according to Hitchcock, his most personal one), this adaptation of the French novel D'entre les morts weaves an intricate web of obsession and deceit. It opens as Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) realizes he has vertigo, a condition resulting in a fear of heights, when a police officer is killed trying to rescue him from falling off a building. Scottie then retires from his position as a private investigator, only to be lured into another case by his old college friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore). Elster's wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), has been possessed by a spirit, and Elster wants Scottie to follow her. He hesitantly agrees, and thus begins the film's wordless montage as Scottie follows the beautiful yet enigmatic Madeleine through 1950s San Francisco (accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's hypnotic score). After
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saving her from suicide, Scottie begins to fall in love with her, and she appears to feel the same way. Here tragedy strikes, and each twist in the movie's second half changes our preconceptions about the characters and events. In 1996 a new print of Vertigo was released, restoring the original grandeur of the colors and the San Francisco backdrop, as well as digitally enhancing the soundtrack.
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The title means dizziness, or describes a confused state of mind, this is a film about that and obsessive love which many critics say was director Alfred Hitchcock's best, though only in retrospect since it wasn't initially very well received. It was the last of the four collaborations between "Hitch" and James Stewart. The blonde, this time, was played by Kim Novak (because Vera Miles was pregnant and unavailable), with supporting acting provided by Barbara Bel Geddes (of TV's Dallas fame), Ellen Corby, Konstantin Shayne, and Lee Patrick (among others). The many memorable scenes include Stewart chasing a man across a rooftop and then hanging from a gutter, a leap into the San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge, and the climactic chase up the stairs in a Mission's tower. Alec Coppel (The Captain's Paradise (1953)) and Samuel Taylor (Sabrina (1954)) based their screenplay on the novel d'Entre les Morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. The film was Oscar nominated for its B&W Art Direction-Set Decoration and Sound (the last of George Dutton's five unrewarded Academy Award nominations, in two different categories), the director received a Directors Guild of America nomination, and the film was added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #61 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list; #18 on AFI's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list; #18 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. #12 on AFI's Top 25 Film Scores list.
Psycho (1960)
Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock was already famous as the screen's master of suspense (and perhaps the best-known film director in the world) when he released Psycho and forever changed the shape and tone of the screen thriller. From its first scene, in which an unmarried couple balances pleasure and guilt in a lunchtime liaison in a cheap hotel (hardly a common moment in a major studio film in 1960), Psycho announced that it was taking the audience to places it had never been before, and on that score what followed would hardly disappoint. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is unhappy in her job at a Phoenix, Arizona real estate office and frustrated in her romance with hardware store manager Sam Loomis (John Gavin). One afternoon, Marion is given $40,000 in cash to be deposited in the bank. Minutes later, impulse has taken over and Marion takes off with the cash, hoping to leave Phoenix for good and start a new life with her purloined nest egg. 36 hours later, paranoia and exhaustion have started to set in, and Marion decides to stop for the night at the Bates Motel, where nervous but personable innkeeper Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cheerfully mentions that she's the first guest in weeks, before he regales her with curious stories about his mother. There's hardly a film fan alive who doesn't know what happens next, but while the shower scene is justifiably the film's most famous sequence, there are dozens of memorable bits throughout this film. The first of a handful of sequels followed in 1983, while Gus Van Sant's controversial remake, starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, appeared in 1998.
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What kind of director kills off his star (played by Janet Leigh) less than half way into his film? Only Alfred Hitchcock could (get away with it), of course. And what a killing too! You won't turn your back on the door to the bathroom when showering for a while after watching this shocker. From the stinging violin music to the murder itself, this much copied masterpiece has no peer. Its imagery was/is so memorable that it typecast Anthony Perkins for life. It's also impossible to forget the look of the house on the hill, the scene with Martin Balsam on the stairway, or the ending (smiling face) view of Norman Bates (Perkins) in the padded room. What begins as a "woman on the run from the law" film becomes a darkly humorous film about an unstable man. Vera Miles and John Gavin (among others) also appear. Joseph Stefano wrote the screenplay from the novel by Robert Bloch. The film received four Oscar nominations: Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Leigh, her only Academy Award nomination), B&W Art Direction-Set Decoration, and B&W Cinematography (John Russell's only recognition from the Academy). "Hitch" also received a Directors Guild of America nomination. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. #18 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list; #1 on AFI's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list; Norman Bates is AFI's #2 villain. "A boy's best friend is his mother." is #56 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movie Quotes list. #4 on AFI's Top 25 Film Scores list.
Awakenings (1990)
Drama Directed By: Penny Marshall Based on a true story as related by neurologist Oliver Sacks, Awakenings stars Robin Williams as the Sacks counterpart, here named Dr. Malcolm Sayer. Something of a klutz and naif, Dr. Sayer takes a job at a Bronx psychiatric hospital in 1969. Here he's put in charge of several seemingly catatonic patients who, under Sayer's painstaking guidance, begin responding to certain stimulati. Apprised of the efficacy of a new drug called L-DOPA
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in treating degenerative-disease victims, Sayer is given permission to test the drug on one of his patients: Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro), who has not communicated with anyone since lapsing into catatonia as a child. Gradually, Lowe comes out of his shell, encouraging Sayers to administer L-DOPA to the other patients under his care. Julie Kavner and John Heard also star.
Five young British nuns are invited to move to a windy "palace", former house of the concubines of an old general, in the top of a mountain in Mopu, Himalaya, to raise the convent of Saint Faith Order, a school for children and girls, and an infirmary for the local dwellers. Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is assigned as the superior sister, and her liaison with civilization is the rude government agent Mr. Dean (David Farrar). The lonely and exotic place and the presence of Mr. 'Dean awake the innermost desires in the flesh of the sisters, and Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) becomes mad with the temptation. Deborah Kerr ... Sister Clodagh Flora Robson ... Sister Philippa Jean Simmons ... Kanchi David Farrar ... Mr. Dean Sabu ... The Young General Esmond Knight ... The Old General Kathleen Byron ... Sister Ruth Jenny Laird ... Sister Honey Judith Furse ... Sister Briony May Hallatt ... Angu Ayah The idea of one individual's inner conflicts within an organized religious group is not necessarily a new concept in story telling. Depending on the talents of the artists involved, and usually the stellar performance of one individual, the results can be quite good, and at times extraordinary. Now, take that premise and reverse it. What happens when you have an entire group of individuals, who, for some reason beyond their understanding, begin to question their faith, vows, and purpose in life? You have the film Black Narcissus. A group of Anglican nuns led by Deborah Kerr as Sister Clodah are sent to the Himalaya Mountains to create a school and hospital from an abandoned palace. The palace was once called "The House of Women" and is rather ornately decorated with erotic art. In the opening scenes, we are told that an order of Brothers had attempted to do the same thing as the Sisters, but failed. Sister Clodah obviously enjoys the fact that she has been chosen, and also enjoys being in charge. Not long after the nun's arrival their "straight-laced" behavior begins to loosen, their discipline becomes more lax, and the foundation of their self-image begins to change. Deborah Kerr is wonderful as Sister Clodah. There's more to her character than immediately meets the eye. David Farrar as Mr. Dean, Flora Robson as Sister Philippa, Sabu as The Young General, and Jean Simmons as Kanchi are a superb acting ensemble. However it is Kathleen Byron as the emotionally disturbed Sister Ruth that you will remember the most after viewing this film. The extraordinary performances in this film are complimented visually with the flawless cinematography by Jack Cardiff. This is one of the most beautifully composed color films I have ever seen. I did not know that this film was shot entirely in a studio until after I had seen it several times. Some of the matte shots are extremely realistic, and others look more like beautiful paintings. All this serves to reinforce the struggle between illusion and reality, and
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also passion and chastity. Brian Easdale's musical score is extremely effective, and his use of a wordless chorus is fascinating -- whether they are singing an Irish folk-like song or an Indian chant. In the climactic scene, there is over 10 minutes of film time when not a single word is spoken; just the chorus and orchestra. Black Narcissus brings home the point that we are all sometimes far too ambitious, vulnerable, obstinate, passionate, and alas, human. ................................................................. I have seen Black Narcissus in three different ways. First I saw it in a movie theater when I was 7 or 8 with my mother. I remembered it as being beautiful to look at and rather strange, and I fell in love with the idea of The Roof of The World. I next encountered Black Narcissus as an older adult. I purchased Black Narcissus in VHS format. I devoured the film scene by scene. The film is ravishing, spectral and profound. The idea of someone being given a trust much heavier to bare than their abilities can handle opens the door to all sorts of possibilities. The suggestion that all the nun's had lives before they became nuns and not all of them are suited to "The Life" adds depth and tension. The introduction of a bare-chested, handsome man in shorts adds lust and temptation to the mix. One of the best characters in the film is one that no other poster has mentioned. The marvelous character actress who plays the role of Aiyah, the caretaker of "The General's House of Women." A woman who is already slightly mad when the film begins. A woman who lives in the glorious past of the place. She conjures ghosts. She casts shadows. She has a voice as harsh as a parrot's. She is priceless and wonderful in every scene, for she is not just mad, but wise. She is the key to "The House of Women". In the Alfred Hitchcock film of Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers, the mad housekeeper of Manderly, asks the new Mrs. DeWinter: "Do you believe that the dead come back to watch the living?" In Black Narcissus, the viewer gets the feeling that just around the next turn or at the top of the stairs is one of "The General's Women", watching these odd women who live without men. A previous poster mentioned the superb sense of "place" in the film and I agree. The Palace is a player. It has a personality and a mystery of its own. So is the ever-present wind. Jack Cardiff, the genius who performed miracles with light and painted backdrops to photograph a film set in the Himalayas without ever leaving England, can't be praised highly enough. The cast is splendid. Deborah Kerr's tortured Sister Clodagha registers every emotion, every longing, every doubt and every fear with her eyes and the set of her chin. Dame Flora Robson, better known as Elizabeth I in so many films, portrays Sister Philippa, the nun in spiritual crisis. Her, "I think it is this place. You can see too far. I think you either have to give in to it, like Mr. Dean, or leave", neatly sums up the entire film. When she can't bring herself to plant vegetables instead of the flowers she loves, she knows she MUST leave or lose herself and all she has worked for, forever. Judith Furse, the capable and sturdy Sister Brione has no such concerns. Hers is an unquestioning faith. Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth, (the extra burden the Mother Superior foists on Sister Clodagha as a test of her dedication and skill at managing a small but dynamic group of women),is excellent in her demanding role as the nun who cracks. A beautiful young Jean Simmons is sensuous as Kanchi who seduces Sabu who is very good as the young Prince, who has set himself to learn just about everything and who thinks the nun's shunning men "Isn't very nice. After all, Christ was a man..." He is named Black Narcissus by Sister Ruth. David Ferrar as Mr. Dean may have "given in to the place" but he is still civilized enough to empathize with Sister Clodagha and resist Sister Ruth's advances. He has predicted that the nuns will last "until the rains come..." Black Narcissus is filled with magic images and haunting echos. The "flowering of the snows" scene is breathtaking. The chapel scene frightening and tense. The "Bell" scene horrifying. The final view of "The House of Women", viewed by Sister Clodagha from the valley below is heart-stopping: A mist rises slowly and inch by inch blots out the Palace, until it is only a dream in your mind's eye. Then, a large leaf is seen. One drop falls. Then another, like tears of regret. A black umbrella is opened. Mr. Dean sits on his pony and runs his hand through his thick black
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hair. He had said the nuns would be gone with the first rain, and he was right. Brian Easdale's brilliant score underlines the changing moods and the mounting terror, but never overwhelms the action. My most recent encounter with Black Narcissus is the new Criterion DVD. The commentary and behind-the-scenes photographs and the marvelous documentary, Painting with Light, is as extraordinary as the film. It is a revelation. The sharper image doesn't bother me as much as it does a previous poster, but I do, when I have friends over to watch Black Narcissus, start with the VHS film and then put on the DVD for the special features. That way I get the best of both worlds. If you love great films, great acting or just stunning cinematography, purchase Black Narcissus. It will haunt you forever. * The much admired Himalayan scenery was all created in the studio (with glass shots and hanging miniatures). * Jack Cardiff came up with the idea of starting the rainfall end scene by first having a few drops hit the rhubarb leaves before cueing a full-force rainstorm. He personally created the first drops with water from a cup when the scene was shot. Michael Powell was so pleased with the effect that he decided to make the scene, originally the penultimate one, the closing shot. Cardiff, however, was a great fan of the original scene (which had already been shot) that was supposed to follow this one and close the film. To this day Cardiff amusingly calls the opening drops of the rainfall "the worst idea I ever had". * The backdrops were blown-up black and white photographs. The art department then gave them their breathtaking colors by using pastel chalks on top of them. * Because of the Technicolor camera and film stock, the sets needed an astounding 800 foot-candles of light just to operate at T2.8, which was the widest lens aperture setting.
Gilda (1946)
Romance, Classics, Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Special Interest Directed By: Charles Vidor When wealthy Ballin Mundson (George Macready) rescues down at his heels gambler Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) and invites him to the Buenos Aires casino he owns, both men get more than they wagered on. Farrell convinces Mundson to hire him as casino manager, but is shocked when Mundson introduces his new bride, and Farrell's old flame, Gilda (Rita Hayworth).Though Farrell is unwavering in his loyalty to his employer, and he and Gilda treat each other with contempt, Mundson realizes that the torch never died for either of the former lovers. Ordered to guard Gilda, Farrell tries to convince himself that he's protecting Mundson's interests, but Gilda sees through his self-deception. Meanwhile, Mundson reveals to Farrell that his primary business is control of an international tungsten cartel that he plans to use to further his fascist ends. With the police closing in on the cartel, Mundson fakes his death, apparently leaving Gilda and Farrell free to marry. They do so: Gilda for love, but Farrell to punish her for being unfaithful to Mundson. When Mundson returns to kill them, it is he who dies, thereby freeing the lovers to apologize to each other and return to the U.S. Charles Vidor's Gilda is a voyeuristic film noir treat that engages the viewer in a complex web of sado-masochistic triangles. When, for example, Gilda performs her signature number, "Put the Blame on Mame," she is not simply enraging both Mundson and Farrell with her open sexuality, she is also crying out in pain for the love she is being denied.
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SYNOPSIS
In THE BEEKEEPER, alienation and despair have so mestastasized in the film's central figure that he's virtually one of the walking dead. Spyros, a man soured by a secret, incestuous love for his daughter, on the day of her wedding, gives up his position as a schoolteacher, his wife, his home and his city to take up again the profession of his father and grandfather before him traveling across Greece to the town in which he was born and first learned to tend the bees, following the traditional beekeeper's route, looking for flowers that will produce the best honey, a wanderer obsessed by his job. Like a bee returning to its hive after searching for food he visits his old friends and his childhood home looking for threads to bind him to the present. He drives from town to town revisiting his old haunts and comrades relighting and reliving his history in his memory, trying to reconcile his past ideals with a swiftly changing nation that makes him feel uncomfortable. At some point he picks up a promiscuous young hitchhiker who sporadically tags along with him during his journey and seems to represent a new generation without memory and unconcerned with the past, drifting from one place to the next, flitting between the blinking lights of motor vehicles, gas stations, diners, cheap hotels and traffic signs along the dark, wet glistening roadways of present-day Greece. He becomes obsessed by her. She both irritates and entices him. What he seeks in her is a contact with the future. But for her the future is a casual encounter with the next moment. In the impossibility of their relationship there is a profound despair of a man without a future. He senses a rupture, but it's not the traditional one of the conflict of generations. It's really a rupture of language. He cannot communicate, even with love, with the body. From that comes his crisis of despair. Toward his end, he takes refuge in an abandoned cinema called the Pantheon. There, mocked by the sterile white screen above him, he tries - and fails - to bring himself to life in an attempt to connect sexually with the young hitchhiker but there can be no connection between these people from different worlds, either physical or emotional. For Spyros the past is everything, for her it is nothing. In Angelopoulos' words, It's the conflict between memory and non-memory. In the long run she only reminds him of his loneliness and isolation. Unable to come to come to terms with the present, betrayed by the past, wary of the future, Spyros falls back into silence and isolation and returns to his hives, abandoning himself to the stings of his bees.
... the silence of love... Listen: doesn't it sound like a song? It's the virgins who want to be queens beating against the doors of their waxed prisons, trying to break them down but the guards stand watch and patch them up again. Why not let them out? Only the queen is allowed out, the others they keep in reserve in case something happens to the queen. Soon the drones will be going for water. They're waiting for the queen. She'll come and all
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together they'll dance and she'll choose one, only one, and they'll dance high up in the air, and that's the queen's dance. The Bee-Keeper
It is always a great thrill to watch this classical comedy drama made by one of greatest directors of the bygone Hollywood golden era, Raoul Walsh. You may also point out that The Strawberry Blonde in many ways reflect his own boyhood and youth memories of New York and in some ways that is also the case for the vibrant, arrogant and
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cocky James Cagney. The film has a wonderful turn of the century atmosphere and it is so highly professional made in all aspects of film-making, that is to tell a story with pictures.The actors are superb and of course you notice that Walsh was a no nonsense director. Someone said about him that Walsh's idea of a great love scene was to "burn down a brothel". But in The Strawberry Blonde you can see that he had many sides and abilities. All together a masterpiece of it's time and a tribute to American culture and the real golden era of film-making.
This film came highly recommended to me by my parents, so I was anxious to watch it. Again, I realized that my impression of Burt Lancaster is completely different from what he actually is as an actor. His portrayal of an alcoholic man who gets a visit from his ex-wife (Hayworth) at the hotel he resides is again different from the boisterous, oafish guy that I always believed him to be when I was younger. Also at the hotel are a varied group of characters including an oppressive woman who lords over her timid spinster daughter (Kerr) and a retired Army officer with some secrets, (Niven) who are all taken care of by the distant, yet sincere proprietress, Pat Cooper (the amazing Wendy Hiller). The film encompasses all of their separate plot lines, and interweaves them gradually until the climatic ending. There was no action in this film, just wonderful, straight melodrama and some great writing and acting. A year later, Lancaster and Hecht, the producers behind this film, went on to produce `Sweet Smell of Success', which is infinitely more searing and dark, but it was interesting to see the precursor to that film. I recommend this film for anyone who appreciates solid classic melodramas.
Laura (1944)
Mystery & Suspense, Classics Directed By: Otto Preminger This adaptation of Vera Caspary's suspense novel was begun by director Rouben Mamoulien and cinematographer Lucien Ballard, but thanks to a complex series of backstage intrigues and hostilities, the film was ultimately credited to director Otto Preminger and cameraman Joseph LaShelle (who won an Oscar for his efforts). At the outset of the film, it is established that the title character, Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), has been murdered. Tough New York detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates the killing, methodically questioning the chief suspects: Waspish columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), wastrel socialite Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price), and Carpenter's wealthy "patroness" Ann Treadwell (Judith Anderson). The deeper he gets into the case, the more fascinated he becomes by the enigmatic Laura, literally falling in love with the girl's painted portrait. As he sits in Laura's apartment, ruminating over the case and his own obsessions, the door opens, the lights switch on, and in walks Laura Hunt, very much alive! To tell any more would rob the reader of the sheer enjoyment of watching this stylish film noir unfold on screen. Everything clicks in Laura, from the superbly bitchy peformance of Clifton Webb (a veteran Broadway star who became an overnight movie favorite with this film) to the haunting musical score by David Raskin. Long available only in the 85-minute TV version Laura has since been restored to its original 88minute running time.
didn't do Silvers any harm, either. Cover Girl is an extraordinarily lavish Technicolor production from the usually parsimonious Columbia Pictures.
Events from the life of the author Jane Austen inspired this romantic historical drama, which speculates of a romance that may have had a significant impact on her life and work. Twenty-year-old Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) is the daughter of Rev. Austen (James Cromwell), a minister who looks after a flock in a small rural community in Southern England with his wife (Julie Walters). While her older sister, Cassandra (Anna Maxwell Martin), is engaged to be married, Jane resists her family's efforts to match her up with Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), the wealthy but dull nephew of Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), a minor member of the British nobility. Jane has the heart of an artist, and hopes to distinguish herself as a musician or a writer, though her parents don't think much of her prospects. When Jane meets Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), a young man her own age, she's intrigued; while he scoffs at her writing style, he clearly sees she has talent, and is eager for her to learn more of the larger world by exposing her to more daring literature and modern pastimes such as boxing. As Tom begins to court Jane, she finds herself increasingly attracted to this poor but keenly intelligent man, though she soon realizes her own ideas about love and marriage are sometimes at odds with the conventions of the society in which she lives.
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A film about Jane Austen, one of the greatest writers of English literature, will garner expectations and hopes, especially with a cascade of stars newly discovered (James McAvoy, Anne Hathaway) and well-established (Julie Walters, Maggie Smith, James Cromwell). That it focuses on her life before she becomes a writer certainly had not dulled my appetite. The 22 yr old Austen is played by the very pretty Anne Hathaway, who you'll know from Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada. We meet her family when her older sister is happily married. The cash-strapped parents have the pressing problem of finding eligible young Jane a husband. A promising offer is the stuck-up relative of wealthy Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), who Jane rejects. Let's meet Tom Lefroy. He's a penniless, charming, intelligent, apprentice lawyer. He also loves boxing, drinking and the fairer sex. These latter hobbies, mind you, do not endear him to his uncle, the imperious Judge Langlois, who promptly sentences him to a summer in Hampshire as punishment. In a rustic backdrop of dancing and matchmaking, Jane and Tom develop a teasing, flirtatious rapport. Unlike the other men in her life, Tom presents Jane with intellectual company as well as dashing good looks and a flair for the odd chat-up. As they grow more serious about each other, they become equally aware of how doomed their relationship is - something their elders twigged on page one. But Tom has given Jane something she needs - the knowledge of the heart that will impassion her writing. Firstly be warned. If you are expecting a nice feel-good movie, don't bother. This made me thoroughly miserable. Not just because a poignant lonely destiny is too much to bear, but because it's a wasted opportunity to bring a great life to the screen. Our ultimate theme Austen's writing, yet we see little to convince that this bland and photogenic girl has much between the ears. In Devil Wears Prada, an outstanding script enabled Hathaway to suggest hidden brainpower. In Becoming Jane, the occasionally erudite lines sound leaden and false. Her body language, meant to portray a rebel, seems a bit anachronistic. Although she looks quite resplendent, dashing across the hills in a billowing red dress to watch the lads skinny-dipping, the film is a sad disappointment in the development of Hathaway's otherwise promising career. Kate Winslet or Natalie Portman (who were apparently also considered for the role) might well have fared better: they have a depth and experience that could perhaps have compensated for such a clunky script. Maggie Smith and other strong actors are reduced to ciphers and little more than icing on a badly made cake. On the other hand, James McAvoy (fresh from The Last King of Scotland) is a revelation. In what seems like a flash of brilliance in the generally myopic casting, he shines in every scene. A talented actor, he also brings his skills in boxing and sport to imbue Lefroy with vibrancy and charisma. It is when he works his seductive charms on Jane that he also brings out the best in his co-star. After her first adult kiss, Jane trembles, wondering if she has done it well. Hathaway does gooey-eyed emotion much better than persuading us she is a genius about to happen. The film gathers pace as we are drawn into an emotional cat and mouse. Jane's 'experience of the heart' that will inspire her, is the one of the best things about the film, second only to the large and constantly moist dollops of budgetsaving Irish countryside. But how does the film reflect on Jane Austen the author? Austen's possible flirtations with Mr Thomas Langlois Lefroy are more speculative than fact. Historian Jon Spence worked as a consultant on the film and has written a book of the same name, which is probably a must-have for Austen fans. He gives attention to the inspiration he feels Lefroy gave to Jane, and this is developed into actual events in the movie. Austen is one of the most influential and revered novelists of the early nineteenth century and her social commentary is marked with a strong sense of irony. Devotees will no doubt enjoy scenes such as the one where she corrects Tom's uncle on the definition of the word 'irony'. But the transition from girlishness to mastery with words is so contrived that it could almost be two parallel scripts.
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There are many that will love Becoming Jane in spite of its imperfections. The rest of us might wish it had been told better.
Kym is released from rehab for a few days so she can go home to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. The home environment is always challenging for a recovering addict, no less so when the visit if only for a few days. While the sisters feel genuine affection for one another, there is tension in their relationship. Rachel feels that her father dotes on Kym far too much and Kym is upset to learn that Rachel has selected a friend to be her maid of honor. Their father is genuinely concerned about Kym's well-being but doesn't see the stress the relationship is causing. Both women also have to deal with their selfish mother who is clearly more concerned with her own well-being ahead of that of her children. Underlying the family's dynamic is a tragedy that occurred many years previously and for which Kym is held by some to be responsible. ####### Sitting through a movie about sibling rivalry at a wedding, especially one starring the doe-eyed and normally facile Anne Hathaway, sounds like a potentially painful way to spend an evening. However, as directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Jenny Lumet (Sidney's daughter), this 2008 drama is not a lightweight star vehicle la Julia Roberts circa 1997 but a darkly realistic look at the dysfunction within a family thrown into disarray. Using an almost cinma vrit style, Demme explores how a wedding reopens old wounds within a family in a naturalistic way made all the more palpable by the emotional acuity in Lumet's screenplay. The focus is on Kym, a chain-smoking former model who has spent the last several months in rehab. As a substance abuser whose only armor is cutting sarcasm, she is absurdly hopeful that her sister Rachel's wedding will be a harbinger for unconditional love from her upscale Connecticut family. Therein lies the problem as her narcissism provides the catalyst for long-simmering tensions that uncork during the preparations for a lavish, Indian-themed wedding weekend (the movie's working title was "Dancing with Shiva"). It soon becomes clear that Kym's link to a past tragedy is at the core of the unpredictable dynamics that force confrontations and regrettable actions among the four principal family members. Rachel appears to be Kym's sensible opposite, but their alternately close and contentious relationship shows how they have not full recovered from past resentments. Their remarried father Paul is a bundle of loving support to the point of unctuous for both his girls, while their absentee mother Abby is the exact opposite - guarded and emotionally isolated until she is forced to face both her accountability and anger in one shocking moment. Anne Hathaway is nothing short of a revelation as Kym. Instead of playing the role against the grain of her screen persona, she really shows what would happen if one of her previous characters say, Andy Sachs in "The Devil Wears Prada" - went another route entirely. The actress' studiousness and persistence are still very much in evidence, but the story allows her to use these traits under the guise of a self-destructive, often unlikable addict who gains attention through her outrageous self-absorption. As the put-upon title character, Rosemarie DeWitt realistically shows Rachel's sense of pain and resentment as the attention veers to Kym during plans for the most important day of her life. Bill Irwin is winning as the unapologetically grateful Paul, but it's really Debra Winger who steals her all-too-brief scenes by bringing the remote character of Abby to life. Now in her early fifties, the famously tempestuous actress seems to rein in her innate fieriness to play a woman who consciously disconnects herself from the family she raised. What remains is a crumbling faade of propriety masking this obvious gap. It's similar to Mary Tyler Moore's turn as the cold mother in "Ordinary People", but casting the normally vibrant Winger (who probably would have played Kym a quarter century ago) is a masterstroke. The film is not perfect. Demme's home-video approach, while novel at first, proves wearing over the 114-minute running time. Pacing is also a problem, especially when the focus turns to the minutiae of the wedding ceremony and reception. I wish Demme could have cut this part of the film, so we could get to the icy, unfinished resolution
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sooner. As a filmmaker who obviously enjoys making music concert films ("Stop Making Sense", "Neil Young: Heart of Gold"), there are quite a few musical performances presented in total. However, for non-aficionados, it may prove too much over time. While it's refreshing to see interracial marriages treated so casually (Lumet's grandmother is legend Lena Horne), Demme makes almost too big a point in presenting a global community though the diverse music and the wedding's multi-cultural themes. The movie starts to feel like a Putumayo collection of third-world performances. Still, Demme's intentions can't be faulted, and neither can the piercing work of Hathaway and Winger.
In New York, the simple and naive just-graduated in journalism Andrea Sachs is hired to work as the second assistant of the powerful and sophisticated Miranda Priestly, the ruthless and merciless executive of the Runway fashion magazine. Andrea dreams to become a journalist and faces the opportunity as a temporary professional challenge. The first assistant Emily advises Andrea about the behavior and preferences of their cruel boss, and the stylist Nigel helps Andrea to dress more adequately for the environment. Andrea changes her attitude and behavior, affecting her private life and the relationship with her boyfriend Nate, her family and friends. In the end, Andrea learns that life is made of choices.
Le Gout Des Autres (The Taste of Others) (It Takes All Kinds) (2000)
Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
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Directed By: Agns Jaoui Agnes Jaoui co-writes and directs this romantic comedy of manners set in France's rustic Provence. Unpolished and ultra-pragmatic industrialist Jean-Jacques Castella (co-scripter Jean-Pierre Bacri) reluctantly attends Racine's tragedy "Berenice" in order to see his niece play a bit part. He is taken with the play's strangely familiar-looking leading lady Clara Devaux (Anne Alvaro). During the course of the show, Castella soon remembers that he once hired and then promptly fired the actress as an English language tutor. He immediately goes out and signs up for language les`sons. Thinking that he is nothing but an ill-tempered philistine with bad taste, Clara rejects him until Castella charms her off her feet.
Description: When a movie can blend passionate social concern with good old-fashioned suspense, it must be doing something right. Maria Full of Grace scores high on both counts. Maria is a Colombian teenager who, for a large paycheck, agrees to be a mule for drug-runners: she has to swallow dozens of thumb-sized capsules of heroin and smuggle them When a movie can blend passionate social concern with good old-fashioned suspense, it must be doing something right. Maria Full of Grace scores high on both counts. Maria is a Colombian teenager who, for a large paycheck, agrees to be a mule for drug-runners: she has to swallow dozens of thumb-sized capsules of heroin and smuggle them into New York. This debilitating process is painstakingly described, and of course not everything goes as planned when Maria and her fellow mules land in America. Director Joshua Marston is working on a low budget, which explains the film's narrow, single-minded focus--but this may be a strength, not a weakness. The trump card is the lead performance of Catalina Sandrino Moreno, who won awards at the Seattle and Newport Film Festivals. Her empathetic face carries us along on Maria's journey, and humanizes a problem that is too easily relegated to a headline.
follows pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers who are racing to be the first to win FDA approval for their product - be it pill, patch, nose spray, or some other delivery device. The promised cure: "normal" sexual function and orgasm. The prize: billions of dollars in profits. Despite its serious agenda, Canner brings wry humor to her film. Featuring illuminating footage and interviews with activists, doctors and medical experts (including Chicago-based sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman, whose new show will debut on the Oprah Winfrey Network), ORGASM INC. is a powerful, timely and, yes, entertaining look inside Big Pharma and other medical companies with their often misleading marketing campaigns that literally and figuratively reshape our everyday lives. Upbeat, engaging, enlightening, and provocative, ORGASM INC. will change the way you think about sex. Filmmaker Liz Canner takes a job editing erotic videos for a drug trial for a pharmaceutical company. Her employer is developing what they hope will be the first Viagra drug for women that wins FDA approval to treat a new disease: Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Liz gains permission to film the company for her own documentary. Initially, she plans to create a movie about science and pleasure but she soon begins to suspect that her employer, along with a cadre of other medical companies, might be trying to take advantage of women (and potentially endanger their health) in pursuit of billion dollar profits. ORGASM INC. is a powerful look inside the medical industry and the marketing campaigns that are literally and figuratively reshaping our everyday lives around health, illness, desire and that ultimate moment: orgasm.
La riffa (1993)
Director: Francesco Laudadio Francesca, an incredibly beautiful woman, lost her husband. Only after his death she discovers his unfaithfulness and overall the huge amount of debts he left. Cesare is Francesca's best friend, he is a solicitor. Following his advices Francesca starts selling all her goods, like the house, jewels, furs and finally also the yacht. By doing this she is able to survive for the rest of the year, but has no perspective for the future. In fact she is unemployed and every plan to get a job fails. She finally takes a decision: she set up a lottery in which the prize is she. Twenty of the most influent man of the high society Bari (Italy), former Francesca's husband friends, accepts the rules and buy the tickets. The same day Francesca fall in love for Antonio and manage the situation becomes harder. A judge is investigating on the illegal lottery; a scandal is going to explode. Francesca has to find a way out of the strange but danger situation. After the untimely death of her husband in a car accident, she experiences financial hardships and is forced to find a job to support her young son. Her well to do male "friends" starts to circle around her. Her beauty is her down fall as it attracts the lecherous males and perverts out of the wood works. Its a pleasure to live vicariously through her affairs and encounters as she tries her best to adjust to life after her husband's death. Monica Bellucci really shines when she plays the role of beautiful and vulnerable damsels in distress. I guess this is the film that started her on other films like the iconic "Malena".
love of his life. Also on hand are the evil tyrant Marquis St. Evermonde (Christopher Lee), the treacherous informer Barsad (Donald Pleasence), and the fanatical Madame Defarge (Rosalie Crutchley), who denounces Lucie and her husband Charles Darnay (Athene Seyler) to the tribunal. Description: During the French Revolution, French national Lucie Manette meets and falls in love with Englishman Charles Darnay. He is however hiding his true identity as a member of the French aristocratic Evrmonde family, who he has denounced in private. The Marquis St. Evrmonde in particular was a cruel man, those he wronged who have vowed to see the end of the family line at any cost. Lucie's father Dr. Alexandre Manette, in fact, was imprisoned in the Bastille for eighteen years because of actions of the Marquis. Into their lives comes English barrister Sydney Carton, who enjoys his alcohol to excess. Carton earlier defended Darnay in a trial on trumped up charges of treason. Carton doesn't really like Darnay in part because Carton also loves Lucie, he realizing that that love is unrequited. But Carton does eventually learn of Darnay's true heritage at a critical time
village idiot leads to a full out attack on the couple and their home, when they harbor the idiot inside it. The nonsensical plot by David Zelag Goodman (Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)) and Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch (1969)) from a Gordon Williams novel is really just an excuse for (a controversial rape scene and) the over-the-top violence that makes up the last third of the movie, which earned Jerry Fielding an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score.
Watcher in the Attic (Edogawa Rampo ryoki-kan: Yaneura no sanpo sha) (1976)
Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense Directed By: Noboru Tanaka The landlord of a boarding house in 1923 Tokyo, is keen on spying on the bizarre close encounters taking place beneath his roof. One day he sees a prostitute killing a customer, and decides he's found his soulmate. Based on a story by well-praised Japanese writer Edogawa Rampo. In Tokyo, 1923, Saburo Gouda is exploring secrets of his fellow-occupants of an apartment building. All from above, using spy-holes bored in ceilings of his neighbors rooms. After he sees a meeting between aristocratic (and bored) Lady Minako and a clown, he realizes, that pursuit of Minako's blooming dark realm of senses is drawing themselves by the corruption they both experience and cause.
Sandifer). When Jo discovers that her home is wired for secret surveillance, she realizes that it is Steve who is watching her, and she is aroused by his voyeurism. An unhappy divorce moves into a new apartment. While she reflects on her life and how she's gotten into the situation she's in now, she doesn't know that her next-door neighbor, a security expert, has planted video cameras all through her apartment--especially in her bedroom--in order to get his kicks by watching her without her knowledge. She eventually catches on. Complications ensue.
Cast: Shabnam Toloui Munis Pegah Ferydoni Faezeh Arita Shahrzad Farrokhlagha Orsolya Tth Zarin Mehdi Moinzadeh Sarhang Navd Akhavan Ali Mina Azarian Zinat Bijan Daneshmand Abbas Rahi Daneshmand Soldier Salma Daneshmand Guest Shahrnoush Parsipour Madame Tahmoures Tehrani Sadri Essa Zahir Amir Khan Plot/Synopsis: Three women come together in a nation on the verge of a revolution in this drama from artist-turned-filmmaker Shirin Neshat. Its 1953, and political discord has gripped Iran as a military coup detat threatens to depose Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Munis is a thoughtful woman who has been following the news with great interest, though her brother Assad regards her interest in politics as foolish and unbecoming a woman. Munis friend Faezeh shares some of her views, but is ultimately more interested in trying to impress Assad. Elsewhere in Tehran, Fakhri is a woman who is well into middle age and married to a career military official who has lost interest in her both romantically and intellectually. And Zarin is a streetwalker who is looking for a life outside of selling her body to men who dont care about her. Eager to meet like-minded people, Fakhri tries to establish a literary salon for women, and Munis and Zarin join her in trying to find a satisfaction in the written word that has been denied them in life.
Auf der Anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven) (On the Other Side) (2007)
Drama Directed By: Fatih Akin The winner of the Best Screenplay award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, director Fatih Akin's deeply humanistic, multilayered drama follows the stories of six people -- four Turks and two Germans -- as they realize the meaning of love while facing the harsh realities of the world we live in. Nejat is a second-generation Turkish immigrant living in Germany. His father Ali is a retired widower. When lonely Ali invites pretty prostitute Yeter to move in with him, Nejat makes no attempt to mask his disapproval. Nejat's opinion of Yeter begins to soften a bit, however, when he learns that she regularly sends tuition money to her daughter Ayten in Turkey. Suddenly, Yeter is dead, the unfortunate victim of Ali's violent temper. In the wake of Yeter's death, Nejat is determined to do the right thing for Ayten, and prepares to travel to Turkey to find the girl. But Ayten is a political activist who has recently fled from Turkey to Germany, where she befriended a German student named Lotte. Lotte's conservative mother Susanne isn't comfortable with her daughter's decision to invite a fugitive to live with their family, and when Ayten is arrested by German police and deported back to Turkey, the rebellious daughter rejects her mother and sets out in search of her friend. Later, in Istanbul, Nejat and Lotte are brought together by fate and Susanne is prompted to reexamine her values while searching for her daughter and being confronted with life on the other side.
Art House & International, Drama Directed By: Feo Aladag In awarding the film Best Narrative Feature Award, and Best Actress Award for Sibel Kekilli, the Tribeca Film Festival Narrative Jury said of the film: "WHEN WE LEAVE examines one woman's struggle for personal freedom. It is a riveting and heartbreaking story of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, who must not only free herself from that marriage, but also the cultural prejudices and judgments that would keep her there. Feo Aladag built the nuances of her film over a six year period. She rehearsed her actors for seven months. She immersed herself in every detail of a culture that is revealed to us in remarkable detail. The result is a film that balances complex social issues with honest human yearnings. Through the brutality, WHEN WE LEAVE is also a story of tenderness, the struggle for compassion, the inexorable pull of family and the need to love and be loved." German-born Umay (Sibel Kekilli) flees her oppressive marriage in Istanbul, taking her young son Cem with her. She hopes to find a better life with her family in Berlin, but her unexpected arrival creates intense conflict. Her family is trapped in their conventions, torn between their love for her and the traditional values of their community. Ultimately they decide to return Cem to his father in Turkey. To keep her son, Umay is forced to move again. She finds the inner strength to build a new life for herself and Cem, but her need for her family's love drives her to a series of ill-fated attempts at reconciliation. What Umay doesn't realize is just how deep the wounds have gone and how dangerous her struggle for self-determination has become.
The Marriage of Maria Braun (Die Ehe der Maria Braun) (1979)
Art House & International, Drama Directed By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder The film that elevated German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder from domestic approbation to international acclaim, The Marriage of Maria Braun stars the director's on-and-off favorite actress Hanna Schygulla in the title role. During the allied siege of Germany in the last year of the war, Maria's new husband (Klaus Lwitsch) is shipped off to the Russian front before the marriage is consummated. As she struggles to survive wartime deprivations, Maria haunts the local train station, seeking out information concerning her husband. When it appears that she's a widow, Maria takes a job as a barmaid and befriends a black soldier (George Byrd) from the occupying allied troops, who sees to it that Maria's family receives vital food and supplies. The opportunistic Maria eventually takes a job with a wealthy importer (Ivan Desny), building herself up to a position of power and indispensability. Though she sleeps with her employer, Maria still carries a torch for her husband.
Vincere (2009)
Art House & International, Drama Directed By: Marco Bellocchio
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This unusual and offbeat historical drama rests on a little-known conceit. Though seldom discussed in history books (and reportedly undisclosed for half a century), fascist dictator Benito Mussolini conceived an illegitimate son by a woman named Ida Dalser -- a son Mussolini allowed to be born, acknowledged, and then promptly denied for the duration of his life. The tale begins in early 20th century Milan, with Benito (Fabrizio Costella) working as the socialist editor of a controversial newspaper called Avanti. His dream in life involves triumphantly leading the Italian masses away from monarchy and toward a "socially emancipated future." He met the young and wealthy Ida (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) once before, in Trento -- where they enjoyed a brief exchange; they re-encounter one another during Mussolini's period at Avanti and it becomes clear that Ida has fallen deeply in love with Benito. She believes wholeheartedly in his ideals and his future as the leader of Italy -- to such an extent that she sells everything she has (her apartment, furniture, jewelry, and the beauty salon she owns) to fuel the development of his newspaper, Il Popolo d'Italia.While the two become romantically entangled, with Ida positively magnetized by Benito's charisma and Benito hooked on a lust for power, Benito quickly switches spiritual and political allegiances overnight, changing from an atheistic socialist to a deeply Catholic fascist -- Catholic, because an allegiance with the Vatican will enable him to wrest and retain control over Italy's government. Benito and Ida marry and parent a son together, Benito Albino Mussolini (circa 1915), but the marriage certificate soon conveniently disappears and Ida learns, to her horror, that Benito has married someone else. She unwisely begins to protest the situation -- so loudly and persistently that she's first forced into house arrest and then shoved permanently into an insane asylum -- raising key questions about the fate and future of her young son. On a stylistic level, director Marco Bellocchio films this historical material with the passion, theatricality, lyricism, and tragedy of a classical Italian opera.
Notorious (1946)
Mystery & Suspense, Classics Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock Though Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious was produced by David O. Selznick's Vanguard Films, Selznick himself had little to do with the production, which undoubtedly pleased the highly independent Hitchcock. Ingrid Bergman plays Alicia Huberman, who goes to hell in a handbasket after her father, an accused WWII traitor, commits suicide. American secret agent Devlin (Cary Grant) is ordered to enlist the libidinous Alicia's aid in trapping Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), the head of a Brazilian neo-Nazi group. Openly contemptuous of Alicia despite her loyalty to the American cause, Devlin calmly instructs her to woo and wed Sebastian, so that that good guys will have an "inside woman" to monitor the Nazi chieftain's activities. It is only after Alicia and Sebastian are married that Devlin admits to himself that he's fallen in love with her. The "MacGuffin" in this case is a cache of uranium ore, hidden somewhere on Sebastian's estate. Upon discovering that his wife is a spy, Sebastian balks at eliminating her until ordered to do so by his virago of a mother (Madame Konstantin). Tension mounts to a fever pitch as Devlin, a day late and several dollars short, strives to rescue Alicia from Sebastian's homicidal designs. Of the several standout sequences, the film's highlight is an extended love scene between Alicia and Devlin, which manages to ignite the screen while still remaining scrupulously within the edicts of the Production Code. In later years, Hitchcock never tired of relating the story of how he and screenwriter Ben Hecht (who was nominated for an Oscar) fell under the scrutiny of the FBI after electing to use uranium as a plot device -- this before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A huge moneymaker for everyone concerned, Notorious remains one of Hitchcock's best espionage melodramas. In 1992, Notorious was remade for cable television; it goes without saying that the original is vastly superior.
Spellbound (1945)
Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Classics Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock As Alfred Hitchcock's classic psychothriller opens, the staff of a posh mental asylum eagerly awaits the arrival of the new director. When the man in question shows up, it turns out to be handsome psychiatrist John Ballantine (Gregory Peck). But something's wrong, here: Ballantine seems much too young for so important a position; his answers to the staff's questions are vague and detached; and he seems unusually distressed by the parallel marks, left by a fork, on a white tablecloth. Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) comes to the conclusion that Ballantine is not the new director, but a profoundly disturbed amnesiac--and, possibly, the murderer of the real director. But is she correct in her inferences? Scriptwriters Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht soon add to this the complication that Constance begins to fall in love with John. Director Hitchcock tapped surrealist artist Salvador Dali to design the visually arresting dream sequences in the film.
We open on Philadelphia socialite C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) as he's being tossed out of his palatial home by his wife, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). Adding insult to injury, Tracy breaks one of C.K.'s precious golf clubs. He gallantly responds by knocking her down on her million-dollar keester. A couple of years after the breakup, Tracy is about to marry George Kittridge (John Howard), a wealthy stuffed shirt whose principal recommendation is that he's not a Philadelphia "mainliner," as C.K. was. Still holding a torch for Tracy, C.K. is galvanized into action when he learns that Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell), the publisher of Spy Magazine, plans to publish an expos (C) concerning Tracy's philandering father (John Halliday). To keep Kidd from spilling the beans, C.K. agrees to smuggle Spy reporter Macauley Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) into the exclusive Lord-Kittridge wedding ceremony. How could C.K. have foreseen that Connor would fall in love with Tracy, thereby nearly lousing up the nuptials? As it turns out, of course, it is C.K. himself who pulls the "louse-up," reclaiming Tracy as his bride. A consistently bright, bubbly, witty delight, The Philadelphia Story could just as well have been titled "The Revenge of Katharine Hepburn." Having been written off as "box-office poison" in 1938, Hepburn returned to Broadway in a vehicle tailor-made for her talents by playwright Philip Barry. That property, of course, was The Philadelphia Story; and when MGM bought the rights to this sure-fire box-office success, it had to take Hepburn along with the package -- and also her veto as to who her producer, director, and co-stars would be. Her strategy paid off: after the film's release, Hepburn was back on top of the Hollywood heap. While she didn't win the Oscar that many thought she richly deserved, the little gold statuette was bestowed upon her co-star Stewart, perhaps as compensation for his non-win for 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Donald Ogden Stewart (no relation to Jimmy) also copped an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The Philadelphia Story was remade in 1956 with a Cole Porter musical score as High Society.
Fredric March
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Gary Cooper
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George Curtis
Miriam Hopkins
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Gilda Farrell
Edward Everett Horton Franklin Pangborn Isabel Jewell Jane Darwell Wyndham Standing
Max Plunkett Mr. Douglas, Theatrical Producer Plunkett's Stenographer Curtis' Housekeeper Max's Butler
Design for Living was based on the stage comedy by Noel Coward, though little of his dialogue actually made it to the screen. Playwright Fredric March and artist Gary Cooper both fall in love with Miriam Hopkins, an American living in Paris. Both men love the girl, and the girl can't make up her mind between the two men, so the threesome decide to move in together--strictly platonically, of course. As the men gain in success and prominence, the chasteness of the "menage a trois" begins to be threatened, and soon both March and Cooper clash over Hopkins. She reacts by marrying her wealthy but dull boss (Edward Everett Horton). Miriam is bored to tears until March and Cooper invade one of her husband's stuffy parties and chase the tiresome guests away. Miriam's husband huffily agrees to a divorce, and the girl returns to her unorthodox relationship with her two former suitors. The subtle homosexual implications of the Noel Coward stage original were dissipated by the presence of the aggressively masculine Gary Cooper and Fredric March in the film version of Design for Living. Replacing these implications were the equally subtle but more "mainstream" boudoir innuendos of director Ernst Lubitsch.
Nights of Cabiria opens with Cabiria (Giulietta Masina) and her boyfriend playfully embracing by the seaside -- and then he shoves her into the water and steals her purse. Cabiria is revived by some local boys and runs off by herself, shouting. What follows is a series of similarly humiliating episodes, in which the defiantly positive prostitute Cabiria is hurt, but never broken. She gets picked up by movie star Alberto Lazzati (Amedeo Nazzari, doing a self-parody) and taken to his palatial estate. However, his mistress shows up and Cabiria gets locked in the bathroom all night with the dog. She then joins her fellow prostitutes for a blessing from the Virgin Mary, and ends up getting drunk and wandering into a local show, where the hypnotist invites her to join him on-stage. The audience heckles her, and she toughly reminds them of her independence and that she owns her own house. There she meets Oscar (Franois Perier), an accountant who romantically pursues her. Despite the warnings of her fellow prostitute friend, Wanda (Franca Marzi), she prepares to sell all her belongings and accept Oscar's proposal of marriage. After being ruthlessly taken advantage of once again, Cabiria walks off alone with a smirk of hope.
C'est arriv prs de chez vous (Man Bites Dog) (It Happened in Your Neighborhood) (1991)
Drama, Horror, Art House & International, Comedy Directed By: Andr Bonzel , Benot Poelvoorde Man Bites Dog is a Belgian faux-documentary and high-concept satire of media violence which follows the lethal exploits of Benoit Benoit Poelvoorde, an affable, and very talkative, serial killer. He kills for money, and he kills for pleasure, and he talks all the while about philosophy and the proper technique for weighing a corpse down underwater. He is followed through his slaughter-fest by the filmmakers, R (C)my and Andr (C) (the actual filmmakers, R (C)my Belvaux and Andr (C) Bonzel), and the line between reporter and subject becomes blurred pretty quickly. The filmmakers become more and more involved in Benoit's actions, starting with the relatively innocent act of holding a flashlight for him. Eventually, when their funding runs out, Benoit hires them to continue making the film, and soon they are accomplices in a gang rape. While this film has the subtlety of a sledgehammer, its message rings true: the media tend to become part of the stories they report upon as surely as a physicist changes a wave by looking at it.
Alain Delon Paolo Stoppa Rina Morelli Romolo Valli Terence Hill Pierre Clmenti
Tancredi Falconeri Don Calogero Sedara Princess Maria Stella Salina Father Pirrone Count Cavriaghi (as Mario Girotti) Francesco Paolo
Lucilla Morlacchi ... Giuliano Gemma ... Ida Galli Ottavia Piccolo ... ...
Concetta Garibaldi's General Carolina Caterina Paolo Little Prince Mademoiselle Dombreuil, the Governess
Carlo Valenzano ... Brook Fuller Anna Maria Bottini ... ...
Arguably Luchino Visconti's best film and certainly the most personal of his historical epics, The Leopard chronicles the fortunes of Prince Fabrizio Salina and his family during the unification of Italy in the 1860s. Based on the acclaimed novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, published posthumously in 1958 and subsequently translated into all European languages, the picture opens as Salina (Burt Lancaster) learns that Garibaldi's troops have embarked in Sicily. While the Prince sees the event as an obvious threat to his current social status, his opportunistic nephew Tancredi (Alain Delon) becomes an officer in Garibaldi's army and returns home a war hero. Tancredi starts courting the beautiful Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), a daughter of the town's newly appointed Mayor, Don Calogero Sedara (Paolo Stoppa). Though the Prince despises Don Calogero as an upstart who made a fortune on land speculation during the recent social upheaval, he reluctantly agrees to his nephew's marriage, understanding how much this alliance would mean for the impecunious Tancredi. Painfully realizing the aristocracy's obsolescence in the wake of the new class of bourgeoisie, the Prince later declines an offer from a governmental emissary to become a senator in the new Parliament in Turin. The closing section, an almost hour-long ball, is often cited as one of the most spectacular sequences in film history. Burt Lancaster is magnificent in the first of his patriarchal roles, and the rest of the cast, especially Delon and Cardinale, become almost perfect incarnations of the novel's characters. Filmed in glorious Techniscope and rich in period detail, the film is a remarkable cinematic achievement in all departments. The version that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival ran 205 minutes. Inexplicably, the picture was subsequently distributed by 20th Century Fox in a poorly dubbed, 165-min. English-language version, using inferior color process. The restored Italian-language version, supervised by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, appeared in 1990, though the longest print still ran only 187 minutes.
Kap (1959)
Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International Directed By: Gillo Pontecorvo Stars: Susan Strasberg, Laurent Terzieff and Emmanuelle Riva The French/Italian/Yugoslav concentration camp drama Kapo stars Susan Strasberg, who several years earlier had originated the title role in the Broadway production The Diary of Anne Frank. Here, Ms. Strasberg is once again a European Jewish teenager victimized by the Nazis. Interred in a concentration camp, Strasberg is befriended by the camp's kindly doctor, who helps her hide her true identity and work as a camp guard, or "kapo." Unfortunately, Strasberg's new found power goes to her head, and her abuse of that power is very nearly on the same level as the Nazis. Brought down to earth by the death of a close friend, Strasberg spearheads an escape attempt, sacrificing her own life in the process. Nominated for a best foreign picture Oscar in 1960, Kapo nonetheless did not find an American distributor until 1964. ~
A career soldier is forced to choose between following orders and saving lives in this action thriller. Lt. A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) is a veteran Navy SEAL whose commander (Tom Skerritt) has given his team a special assignment. A Central African nation is expected to explode into war at any moment, and Waters and his cohorts are to escort any American citizens in the area to safety, most notably Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), a doctor from the United States who has set up a clinic in the jungle. Waters and his men find Kendricks, but she refuses to leave with them unless she can bring along 70 refugees who have been left to her care. Kendricks makes it clear that if they are left behind, the refugees will face certain death, but Waters's C.O. insists he bring back Kendricks -- but not her patients. Forced by his conscience to disobey orders, Waters and his team race against time to escort the refugees to a border town where they will find safe haven before invading troops can ambush them. Tears of the Sun (which was produced under the title Man of War) also features Cole Hauser and Fionnula Flanagan.
Manual of Love 2
Comedy Directed By: Giovanni Veronesi Monica Bellucci Riccardo Scamarcio
Four episodes. Nicola, paralyzed after a car crash, falls in love for his physiotherapist Lucia. Franco and Manuela, a young couple unfit to have child, fly to Barcelona for a specialized treatment for fertility. Filippo and Fosco, two gays, decide to marry. Ernesto, waiter in an important restaurant has a liaison with Cecilia the new young Spanish help in cuisine. It is just a romantic-comedy with the whole 'inter-twining'stories. It isn't anything original, and the plot is nothing unexpected. It was Monica Belucci though, she made the whole film for me. You are actually able to see her completely nude. I'm no pervert, but any film with Monica Belucci in it, is a film I like. Overall another romance film, that is a little bit more ' naughty' due to the non-american censorship.
Exodus (1960)
Drama, Classics Directed By: Otto Preminger , Preminger
Paul Newman Ari Ben Canaan Peter Lawford Maj. Caldwell Sal Mineo Dov Landau Hugh Griffith Mandria Ralph Richardson Gen. Sutherland Felix Aylmer Dr. Lieberman
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Lee J. Cobb Barak Ben Canaan John Derek Taha Jill Haworth Karen Gregory Ratoff Lakavitch David Opatoshu Akiva Ben Canaan
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Alexandra Stewart Jordana Ben Canaan Michael Wager David Ben Ami
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Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, Exodus is a 212-minute screen adaptation of the best-selling novel by Leon Uris. The film is concerned with the emergence of Israel as an independent nation in 1947. Its first half focuses on the efforts of 611 holocaust survivors to defy the blockade of the occupying British government and sail to Palestine on the sea vessel Exodus. Paul Newman, a leader of the Hagannah (the Jewish underground), is willing to sacrifice his own life and the lives of the refugees rather than be turned back to war-ravaged Europe, but the British finally relent and allow the Exodus safe passage. Once this victory is assured, 30,000 more Jews, previously interned by the British, flood into the Holy Land. The film is based on the events that happened on the ship Exodus in 1947 and dealing with the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Nurse Katherine "Kitty" Fremont (Eva Marie Saint) is an American volunteer at the Karaolos Internment camp on Cyprus, where thousands of Jews - Holocaust survivors - are being held, as the British won't let them go to Palestine. They anxiously wait the day they will be liberated. Ari Ben Canaan (Paul Newman), a Haganah rebel who previously was a captain in the Jewish Brigade of the British Army in World War II, obtains a cargo ship and is able to smuggle 611 Jewish inmates out of the camp for an illegal voyage to Mandate Palestine before being discovered by military authorities. When the British find out that the refugees are in a ship in the harbor of Famagusta, they blockade the harbor. The refugees stage a hunger strike, during which the camp's doctor dies, and Ari threatens to blow up the ship and the refugees. The British relent and allow the Exodus safe passage. Meanwhile, Kitty has grown very fond of Karen Hansen (Jill Haworth), a young Danish-Jewish girl searching for her father, from whom she was separated during the war. She has taken up the Zionist cause, much to the chagrin of Kitty, who had hoped to take young Karen to America so that she can begin a new life there. During this time, opposition to the partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states is heating up, and Karen's young beau Dov Landau (Sal Mineo) proclaims his desire to join the Irgun, a radical Zionist underground network. Dov goes to an Irgun address, only to get caught in a police trap. After he is freed, he is contacted by members of the Irgun and is interviewed by Ari Ben Canaan's uncle Akiva (David Opatoshu). Before swearing Dov in, Akiva forces the boy to confess that he was a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz and that he was raped by Nazis. Because of his activities, Akiva has been disowned by Ari's father, Barak (Lee J. Cobb), who heads the mainstream Jewish Agency trying to create a Jewish state through political and diplomatic means. He fears that the Irgun will damage his efforts, especially since the British have put a price on Akiva's head. When Dov successfully bombs the King David Hotel in an act of terrorism, leading to dozens of fatalities, Akiva is arrested and sentenced to hang. Meanwhile, Karen's father has been found, but he is suffering from clinical depression and does not recognize her. Karen has gone to live at Gan Dafna, a fictional Jewish kibbutz near Mount Tabor at which Ari was raised. (An actual kibbutz named Dafna is located near the present Lebanese border.) Kitty and Ari have fallen in love, but Uncle Akiva's imprisonment is an obstacle, and Ari must devise a plan to free the prisoners. Dov Landau, who had managed to elude the arresting soldiers, turns himself in so that he can use his knowledge of explosives to rig the Acre prison and plan an escape route. All goes according to plan; hundreds of prisoners, including Akiva, manage to escape. (For the historical incident on which this is based, see Acre Prison break.) Akiva is fatally shot by British soldiers while evading a roadblock set up to catch the escaped prisoners. Ari is also badly wounded. He makes his way to Abu Yesha, an Arab village where his lifelong friend, Taha, (John Derek) is the mukhtar. Kitty is brought there and treats his wound. An independent Israel is now in plain view, but Arab nationals commanded by Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, plot to attack Gan Dafna and kill its villagers. Ari receives prior warning of this attack from Taha, and he manages to get the children of the town out in a mass overnight escape. Karen, ecstatic over the prospect of a new nation, finds Dov (who was out on patrol outside the town) and proclaims her love for him; Dov assures her that they will marry someday. As Karen returns to Gan Dafna, she is ambushed and killed by a gang of Arab militiamen. Dov discovers her lifeless body the following morning. That same day, the body of Taha is found hanging in his village, killed by Arab extremists with a Star of David symbol carved on his body. Karen and Taha are buried together in one grave. At the Jewish burial ceremony, Ari swears on their bodies that someday, Jews and Arabs will live together and share the land in peace. The movie then ends with Ari, Kitty, and a Palmach contingent entering trucks and heading toward battle.
Cast
James Gandolfini Nick Murder Kate Winslet Tula Bobby Cannavale Fryburg Susan Sarandon Kitty Kane Steve Buscemi Angelo Mandy Moore Baby
Actor and filmmaker John Turturro wrote and directed this emotionally resonant blend of music and drama. Nick Murder (James Gandolfini) is an ironworker who has been married for years to Kitty (Susan Sarandon), who works as a seamstress and is the mother of Nick's three daughters. While Nick loves his wife, his head is turned by Tula (Kate Winslet), a sexy salesgirl at a lingerie shop, and soon they're having a passionate affair. When Kitty finds out about Nick's infidelity, she becomes enraged and kicks him out of the house, forcing him to decide what he really wants out of life and what is most important to him. Along the way, many of the characters in the film periodically turn to their favorite songs to explain and amplify their emotions, lip-synching along with the original recordings. Romance & Cigarettes also stars Steve Buscemi, Mandy Moore, Christopher Walken, Eddie Izzard, and Elaine Stritch.
Tangled (2010)
Animation, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy Directed By: Nathan Greno , Byron Howard
Cast
Mandy Moore Rapunzel Richard Kiel Vlad Delaney Rose Stein Little Girl, Young Rapu... Zachary Levi Flynn Rider Nathan Greno Guard 1, Thug 1 Byron Howard Guard 2, Thug 2
When the kingdom's most wanted-and most charming-bandit Flynn Rider hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel, a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn's curious captor, who's looking for her ticket out of the tower where she's been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs.
Cast
Alec Newman Paul Marc Warren Billy Lara Clifton Hole Sienna Guillory Juliette Julian Barratt Phillip Alexander Popplewell
A man must choose between a settled domestic life and wilder nights in The Principles of Lust from director Penny Woolcock. Paul (Alec Newman) is a struggling artist who starts a relationship with Juliette (Sienna Guillory). The same day they meet, Paul makes the acquaintance of Billy (Marc Warren) and Hole (Lara Clifton) whose lives are a long string of drugs, sex, and violence. Paul veers between life with Juliette and her son, and the debauched excesses of Billy and Hole. The Principles of Lust is adapted from a novel by Tim Cooke, and was screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
Cast
James Franco Aron Ralston Kate Mara Kristi Kate Burton Aron's Mom Amber Tamblyn Megan Clmence Posy Rana Lizzy Caplan Sonja
James Franco stars in director Danny Boyle's inspiring survival drama based on the incredible true story of Aron Ralston, who became trapped alone in a Utah canyon for days after slipping on a loose rock, and resorted to extraordinary measures in order to make it out of his dire predicament alive. An experienced hiker and climber, Ralston (Franco) is very much in his element when he parks his truck by a mountain near Moab, UT, hops on his bike, and peddles to the middle of nowhere. Later, when Ralston encounters a pair of young female hikers who have gotten lost while searching for a local landmark, he jovially shows them a sight that most casual hikers miss before bidding them farewell and continuing on his way. Drifting through the canyons alone, deep in thought, however, the explorer who presumed he was ready for anything quickly discovers just how fast things can spin out of control when a rock gives way as he shimmies down a crevice, and pins his hand to the unforgiving wall of stone. Over the course of the next 127 hours, Ralston tries everything he can think of to free himself, flashing back to small but memorable events in his life -- as well as forward to the future that he might enjoy should he manage to wiggle free -- as his body begins the slow process of shutting down. Eventually realizing that the only way out is to leave part of himself behind, the exhausted, delirious adventurer draws his cheap made-in-China multi-tool, and does what it takes to survive.
GoodFellas (1990)
Drama Directed By: Martin Scorsese Robert De Niro James Conway Joe Pesci Tommy DeVito Paul Sorvino Paul Cicero Ray Liotta Henry Hill Lorraine Bracco Karen Hill Frank Sivero Frankie Carbone
Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work.
The African Queen (1952) Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Classics Directed By: John Huston Cast
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Humphrey Bogart Charlie Allnut Robert Morley Rev. Samuel Sayer Walter Gotell Second Officer
Katharine Hepburn Rose Sayer Theodore Bikel First Officer Peter Bull Captain of Louisa
After years of wooing director John Huston via good reviews, film critic James Agee was given a chance to write the screenplay for a Huston picture. Adapted from a novel by C.S. Forester, The African Queen stars Humphrey Bogart in his Oscar-winning portrayal of Charlie Allnut, the slovenly, gin-swilling captain of a tramp steamer called the African Queen, which ships supplies to small East African villages during World War I. Katharine Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, the maiden-lady sister of a prim British missionary, Rev. Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). When Germans invade and Samuel dies, Allnut offers to take Rose back to civilization. She can't tolerate his drinking or bad manners; he isn't crazy about her imperious, judgmental attitude. However it does not take long before their passionate dislike turns to love. Together the disparate duo work to ensure their survival on the treacherous waters and devise an ingenious way to destroy a German gunboat. The African Queen may well be the perfect adventure film, its roller-coaster storyline complemented by the chemistry between its stars. The profound difficulties inherent in filming on location in Africa have been superbly documented by several books, including one written by Katharine Hepburn. Screenwriter Peter Viertel (who worked, on an uncredited basis, on the script of this film - assisting with some of the dialogue) incorporated some of the African Queen anecdotes in his roman a clef about a Huston-like director/adventurer, White Hunter, Black Heart.
Eliseo Subiela's Filmography :) 1) Hombre mirando al sudeste (Man Facing Southeast) [1986] 2) Ultimas imagenes del naufragio (Last Images of the Shipwreck) [1989] 3) El lado oscuro del corazon (The Dark Side of the Heart) [1992] (THIS FILM :) ) 4) No te mueras sin decirme adonde vas (Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going) [1995] 5) Despabilate amor (Wake Up Love) [1996] 6) Pequeos milagros (Little Miracles) [1997] 7) Las aventuras de Dios (The Adventures of God) [2000] 8) El lado oscuro del corazn 2 (The Dark Side of the Heart 2) [2001] 9) Lifting de corazn [2005] 10) El resultado del amor (The Effect of Love) [2007] 11) No mires para abajo (Don't Look Down) [2008]
Description ----------101 Short Cuts in Math Anyone Can Do will unlock the secrets of the art of calculation. It will increase your power of computation and thereby enable you to get more out of the mathematic you now know. You will soon be amazed at your ability to solve once complex problems quickly.
Enslow Elementary Rebecca Wingard-Nelson 2005 ISBN: 0766025128 48 pages PDF ENGLISH 6.62 MB Math is all around, and an important part of your life. You use math when you are playing games, cooking food, spending money, telling time,reading music, or doing any other activity that uses numbers. Even finding a television station uses math!...............................
THEC AREEPRR ESSIN C. Franklin Lakes, NJ BY Debm Anne Ross 368 pages Dec 12, 2007 ISBN:1564145271 PDF ENGLISH 19.7 MB Master Math: Trigonometry is written for students, teachers, tutors, and parents, as well as for scientists and engineers who need to look up principles, definitions, explanations of concepts, and examples pertaining to the field of trigonometry. Trigonometry is a visual and application-oriented field of mathematics that was developed by early astronomers and scientists to understand, model, measure, and navigate the physical world around them......................................