Category: foreign film

I Found “A Hero”, Asghar Farhadi Award Worthiest

I didn’t sleep well last night, but the movie viewing of A Hero was worth the sleep deprivation. While I’m sure this weakness is not solely Sagittarius, I especially related to the movie’s main theme of no good deed goes unpunished. As demonstrated recently in “Red Rocket”, an emotionally engrossing movie always provokes me into… Continue reading I Found “A Hero”, Asghar Farhadi Award Worthiest

Germans and Women win the weekend film contest: No Time To Cry

Sorry Cary Joji Fukunaga, Maria Schrader beat you in the writing and directing departments this weekend. In fact, let me count the ways… 1. Sex appeal: though the lead character of “I’m Your Man” (Maria Schrader’s film) wears librarian fashions, there is an actual passionate sex scene. Whereas James Bond, with the emotional range of… Continue reading Germans and Women win the weekend film contest: No Time To Cry

Undine, (Water)Mark her words

I discovered Christian Petzold after catching Transit one home cinema evening. I enjoyed how smart the story was and how it challenged me to pay attention. Likewise, with Petzold’s newest Undine, loosely based on the water nymph mythology. Petzold reteams the unrequited lovers in Transit, actress Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski as well as another… Continue reading Undine, (Water)Mark her words

Back to 2018 for one I missed: Transit

Transit, is based on a novel by Anna Seghers, whose other novels were also turned into excellent films like 1944’s The Seventh Cross. Christian Petzold, wrote and directed this modernized version of Seghers’ Transit and despite the confusing beginning, the film is a thought provoking and mind bending script of twists and turns. Franz Rogowski,… Continue reading Back to 2018 for one I missed: Transit

Limbo: an eye opening look at refugees

Limbo, written and directed by Ben Sharrock, is a BAFTA nominated and even more importantly, one of the first films debuted in the post Covid, reopened Burns Court Cinema! Limbo takes a granular look at individuals in refugee crisis, specifically four men stuck in limbo on a Scottish island awaiting asylum approval. The four men… Continue reading Limbo: an eye opening look at refugees

Sometimes ya gotta go back to a French classic…Purple Noon, not a typo for Rain, but there could have been a raspberry beret

I’ll take a movie recommendation from anyone who says one of his favorites is Before the Devil Knows Your Dead…SOLD. so I took in a couple of lazy stay out of the melanoma hours of sun to watch Purple Noon, directed by Rene Clement. Yes, it was in French with subtitles, but good for the… Continue reading Sometimes ya gotta go back to a French classic…Purple Noon, not a typo for Rain, but there could have been a raspberry beret

Three Summers, Like a Tres Leches Cake, Tres Veroes

Pardon my bad Spanish analogy, but since I love Tres Leches cake, I thought I’d compare Tres Veroes, a fine movie written and directed by Sandra Kogut. First the perfect three part structure: Decembers of 2015, 2016, and 2017. 2015 begins with Mada, played brilliantly by Regina Case, as housekeeper/family caretaker to a wealthy Brazilian… Continue reading Three Summers, Like a Tres Leches Cake, Tres Veroes

Easy Girl, Complex Plot, Halcyon Memories

When I was just a lass, there use to be Saturday matinees at 2 pm on channel ten (showing my age when there were 4 channels: ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS) that were mostly foreign films. And in the tiny town of Perry, New York, Rochester was foreign enough, let alone artsy films from the… Continue reading Easy Girl, Complex Plot, Halcyon Memories

You Can’t Handle “The Truth” (2019), especially if you like tight screenplays

I am really confused by “The Truth”. How can the same man (Hirokazu Koreeda) who wrote and directed the BRILLIANT “Shoplifters” move on to a follow up of circuitous drivel like The Truth? My guess is he has the bank to surround himself with the best actors, so he thought, let’s do this, even if… Continue reading You Can’t Handle “The Truth” (2019), especially if you like tight screenplays