Foreign Flicks Review: Some Good, Some Great.
The Girl From Paris is about a woman named Sandrine who has what many others desire, a good job, a life in the city of Paris-yet she dreams of nothing more than to be out of the claustrophobic hold that it all has on her. When she brings up the idea with her mother, she finds her family is disapproving of her notions to take up schooling in agriculture and to buy a farm in the country. Sandrine leaves Paris shaking the dust off of her feet and aims to show them all that she can make it where no single woman has ever been able or happy before-to a little dairy goat farm in the middle of nowhere where winters are harsh and lonely.
I enjoyed watching The Girl From Paris because there are some things I can relate to and enjoyed it as a whole, however it felt unresolved when the final credits crept by. I would recommend it, as it was interesting to watch, the setting was beautiful, the farming environment enticing and worth the watch. Rating: 2.5/5
Deets: The Girl From Paris (Une hirondelle a fait le printemps) 2001, France. Directed by Christian Carion.
In Mostly Martha (original German title: Bella Martha) Martha has always craved perfection and predictability. Life changes all too quickly when her niece comes to live with her, teaching Martha that life a lived predictably really isn't as important as she had thought, but Martha may not be able to do it. Another chef moves into her kitchen to help out while she is coping with taking full time care of her niece, but to her he is a threat not a help. Her rigidity and strictness are what drive her,they are what have made her who she is, but while she watches her competitor cook she sees he is driven by passion.
This is a spectacular flick that I think well worth the time. A complex, and yet simply delightful plot pull through the entire film with a satisfying conclusion. However you will need to have some good snacks to eat while this one rolls because the food if not will make you salivate, and even with snacks it still may. I recommend this one completely. Rating: 4.5/5
There is an American version of this flick that I also enjoyed, but was a remake of Mostly Martha, it is called No Reservations.
Details: German film, 2002. Directed by Sandra Nettelbeck.
Vitus is the story of how a gifted mind can be one's downfall if not tethered to reality in some way. Vitus is obviously a musical and intellectual genius at a very early age, however this causes his parents to desire performance from him. Vitus gift as a pianist continues to be his parent's focus as he battles with not developing peer relationships, finding the need to prove his professors wrong, and crushes on a much older girl- his babysitter.
As his parents pressures increase Vitus will find a way out of having to fit their mold and will choose to follow another route in a silent display of rebellion that will rock his parents world. The twists and turns in this flick are delicious to watch unfold. Vitus has one true ally throughout the film, his grandfather, who always treats him as a regular kid-letting him do things he could never do at home.
This is one of the best flicks I have seen, the acting is incredible (my favourites are Teo Gheorghiu, Bruno Ganz- LOVE THEM!!) and the storyline is brilliant. I give it a full %100 recommendation. You have to watch it. Rating: 5/5
Deets: Vitus (2006) Switzerland. Directed by Fredi M. Murer
Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) is about mother who crosses the border to make a way for her son. he is left in Mexico, taken care of by his grandmother still he only has eyes for his mom. She calls every Sunday and as much as he longs to believe that she will show up any day he knows she isn't coming for him soon. After a traumatic event he takes matters into his own hands and then it is up to love, luck and whole lot of hope to get him to his mother in the U.S.
Tender, true and heart wrenching, this flick has it all. Beautiful, completely. Passionate, intense...just so well done. I love this flick and recommend it. Another must see. Rating: 4/5
Deets: Under the Same Moon (2008) Mexico. Directed by Patricia Riggen
What flicks (foreign or otherwise) do you recommend I watch and review??Have you seen a great one recently you want to share?? I'd love to hear of it.
Flick Review: The Visitor
The Visitor
Directed by Tom McCarthy
Indie Drama
PG 13 (for brief strong language)
103 Min.
April, 2007
Awards:
Best Music - 2008 St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Associat
Best Original Screenplay - Tom McCarthy - 2008 San Diego Film Critics Association
Best Independent Film - 2008 National Board of Review
Best Director - 2008 Independent Spirit Awards
Go to The New York Times for the whole list of (tons) of awards The Visitor was nominated for as well as those which it received.
A grieving and bored-with-life professor (Richard Jenkins) is just getting by in life. He survives committing himself to nothing more than the minimum effort required to make it day by day- he eats, sleeps and works. When his boss sends him to represent a paper he co-authored he finds something waiting for him in his apartment. Unsure and very cautious he takes a full step forward, it is by mistake that he finds himself with the hope of human relationships. The need for family, for a human bond will make the widowed professor Walter Vale assess the real value of all that he has and has lost- and needs to get back.
This flick is the type where while (and after) you watch it you just can't imagine how it could have not been brought to your attention before. I only have the Netflix automated suggestions computer to thank that I have even seen it now. For me there are films, flicks and movies...those which you choose because you just want to veg and sit and watch- they aren't really worth the time, but they are just filler in a busy day. And then there are movies like The Visitor, which I watched almost two weeks ago and still I am thinking about it, chewing it, loving it. The actors, (Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira and Hiam Abbass) although not really bigwigs, they did some of the best acting I have seen in a long time. Plot, acting and cinematography all work together to make The Visitor a flick worth its weight in books. Yes, this is a must see, period.
The Visitor is a story of grief, of relationship, of family and the loss that is felt when people leave. Holes which we think can never be filled again. In truth that exact place cannot be perfectly matched. But because we fear moving on it is easy to be trapped in a place where our joy is limited- by no one else but ourselves. Choosing to live in the past so as not to forget, so as not to move on. Fear and love hold tight, only to be broken open when the grieving person allows for joy to come back in.
When life takes turns to drastically satisfy are we ready to jump with it, or is the choice of 'moving on' just as hard as living a life in mourning?
I have a new award, I think you will like it and I am honoured to give it to this flick before any other one, yes this movie is to cluck about!
This is The Visitor trailer, however I will caution you that if you already want to see it after the review that you NOT watch it....I wish I had expereienced the film for the first time while watching it. I feel like too much is given away in the trailer. But if you aren't convinced yet, after my review....check out the trailer, then you will be won over completely. Promise.
If you are a Netflix customer, you can view The Visitor as a "watch instantly" flick, and really you should head over and do that right now.
Check out The Visitor links:
The Visitor on Rotten Tomatoes. com
The Visitor: Netflix
New York Times Critics' Pick: The Visitor Review
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