RAPT

12/30/2011

 
Rich jerk is kidnapped: fascinating fall from grace, and, it's French!
Official Site: http://www.rapt-lefilm.com/
 
Ludivine Sagnier (The Devil's Double,) Kristin Scott Thomas: love them both in this suspenseful French pysch thriller. A remake is already in the works; DePalma: Passion.  
 
Violent, French, and only 76 minutes! Hollywood will remake someday.
http://www.magpictures.com/pointblank/

THE LOVELESS (1982)

12/26/2011

 
Kathryn Bigelow launches her career and partners with Monty Montgomery (where is he now?) to introduce Willem Dafoe as a bad ass biker straight out of the clink. Who's more civilized: the gang of leather clad ne'er-do-wells, or the small town folks they annoy? The film looks cool (late 1950s) features the adorable Marin Kanter, great, bikes, cars, art, but... Good first film, not great.

BENEATH HILL 60

12/23/2011

 
Australian miners tunnel out of the trenches and below enemy lines in this WWI drama. S'okay.
Official Site: http://www.beneathhill60.com.au/

THE TEMPEST

12/21/2011

 
Helen Mirren and Ben Whishaw in an incredibly cool Shakespearean film. Loved it.
http://tempest-themovie.com/

Kindle Madness

12/20/2011

 
The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Kimberly Cutter, and Outliers: The Story of Succes, by Malcolm Gladwell, plus a subscription to The Nation Mgz. and NYT Headlines, have conspired to keep me from movie viewing. Will post soon with The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975.

WINTER IN WARTIME

12/17/2011

 
Oorlogswinter: beautifully photographed Dutch WWII drama about a family coping with the German occupation and a wounded British pilot. Love it!
Official Site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/winterinwartime/
 
Jackie Chan has a small role, but this is entirely Andy Lau's Shaolin. High production value, violent, historical kung-fu drama about a warlord's fall and redemption in the temple of Shaolin.

LIFE, ABOVE ALL

12/12/2011

 
Based on the novel, Chanda's Secrets, this heartfelt drama illustrates the AIDS pandemic's impact on a humble South African family, and possibly an entire continent. Sad, but not brutal.
Official Site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/lifeaboveall/