BELLE DE JOUR---Splendid reissue of classic Luis Bunel film about a cold but beautiful Catherine Deneuve who can't have sex with her husband, so she becomes a prostitute, but her actions create problems for her and her husband. Restored in 4k with lovely color, sound and print. GRADE--------A
REPORTS ON SARAH AND SALEEM--Palestine and others--A married Israeli shop owner woman who is married to a military officer begins an sexual affair with a married Palestinian delivery man who has a pregnant wife, and things go badly for everyone concerned. An engrossing blend of sex, politics, and relationships. GRADE------------A-
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS--Triplets are seperated at birth. finally meeting each other at age 19, then discover the diabolical reasons for their separation. This true story is fascinating and heartbreaking and funny. GRADE---------A-
ANGELES WEAR WHITE--China/France---Three young women with similar hair styles made it difficult for me for 20 minutes to keep straight the three characters (I know--my problem) but this story of corruption and sexual abuse in power is stylish and heartbreaking. GRADE---------B+
AFGHAN CYCLES--USA, France, Afghanistan-- Young woman must fight prejudice and
cultural norms to ride a bike in repressive Afghanistan. When the small team gets a chance to ride in a French competition, she decides to defect to France, and her story morphs into the struggles of immigrants not having job, money or home. GRADE-----------------B+
THE CAPTAIN--Germany, Poland, France--Near the end of WWII, a German soldier running AWOL, discovers a Nazi Captain's uniform, and becomes a cruel participant in Nazi atrocities
-----against fellow Germans! The film is in black and white, shocking and grim, but unrelentlessly riveting. GRADE---------- B+
LOVE GILDA--Interesting documentary about life and death of Saturday Night Live comedienne Gilda Radner--a popular personality on the show and on movies and because of her death of cancer, her husband Gene Wilder created a cancer awareness clinic that has world wide recognition. GRADE----B
VILLAGE ROCKSTARS---Not much happens in this gentle slice of life of a small Indian village, but looking back, life happens big time here---rice paddies, monsoons, flooding, fake music, kid friendships, picking betel nuts, puberty.......a lovely little experience. GRADE-------B
LONG DUMB ROAD---Young man heading for art school picks up a wild, vulgar man child in this amusing, at times outrageously funny road movie that finally stops rather than ends. GRADE------------B
A MOMENT IN THE REEDS--Finland---A nervous, continuously hand held camera works against the gentle story of young man who finds love in the arms of a male casual worker his father has hired to work on a lake cabin. It didn't help that the voice soundtrack was out of sync for the entire film at my screening. Also, there was a loud gun like clap every 4-5 minutes throughout the leisurely running time. Still, some nice, erotic scenes and tension as their relationship builds. GRADE----------B-
ON HER SHOULDERS--Documentary about woman who became the human face of genocidal tragedy, suffering through illness, abuse and near death by Isis--she goes around the world trying to education governments, raising consciences to help her people. GRADE------B-
THE PLACE----Italy---Several characters drift into and out of a restaurant, visiting a character who seems to be playing (god? an angel? a prophet? a devil?) a mystery man who tells them what to do, in exchange for giving them something in return. It felt static and tiresome, and it felt like it should be a weekly TV show. I found out later it was based on a TV series. GRADE-------C+
LUK'LUK'l---Canada----Filmed in Vancouver and based on some true stories about down and outers living poorly on the streets and low income housing, this film uses some of those people who act as them selves--the acting is very mixed, and the issues include drugs usage, alcoholism, poverty, joblessness, mental illness---and in most cases, loneliness The film is not boring, but it is not edifying. GRADE-----------C+
FUTURE WAVE SHORTS---Program of short films from kids and teens were all a good idea, but the execution was mostly mediocre except for 3: an interview with a short man in Vietnam, an animated rumination rant about the problem with electronic devices in our life, and the last film, about an elderly man visited throughout the years by his (also aging) niece, until he doesn't remember her name. TOTAL AVERAGE--------------C+
THE BOLD, THE CORRUPT, AND THE BEAUTIFUL--Taiwan---The film looks good, if a bit slick with some hand held work, but I could not become engaged in the plot--a family of women seem to be involved in corruption, money laundering, scandal, and possibly mass murder. It was hard to follow who was doing what to whom, and I soon didn't care. GRADE-------C
BUTTERFLIES---Turkey---Possibly the most unfunny "comedy" I've ever seen----only one early laugh, then I sat stony faced until I finally left this boring--seemingly improvised film after the silly exploding chicken episode. To be honest, I was in the minority on this one, but I didn't notice many people laughing either. GRADE---------C-
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