July 7, 2008
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Délice Paloma (2008) *
Algerian film about a resourceful woman whose activities involve blackmail, prostitution and corruption.
Mala Moskwa (2008) *
Set in Legnica in 1968, it's a melodrama about an adulterous love affair between a Polish officer and a wife of a Soviet air force pilot.
Shadows In The Palace (2008) *
Very confusing Korean film about intrigues among servants in a royal palace. A cross between "Dangerous Liaisons" and Agatha Christie.
Los (2008) **
Belgian film about a young newspaper reporter from Antwerp and his love affair with a beautiful Pakistani immigrant.
May 18 (2008) **
A disturbing drama from South Korea, about the infamous Gwangju Massacre of May 18, 1980, in which soldiers opened fire on civilian protesters trying to prevent a military coup d'état. Similar to UK's "Bloody Sunday" (2002) by Paul Greengrass, and France's "Nuit noire, 17 octobre 1961" (2005) by Alain Tasma.
Empress And The Warriors (2008) *
Very boring Chinese historical epic set in Ancient China before its unification, during which countless kingdoms battle for supremacy.
Peaceful Times (2008) **
Drama about fucked-up family of East German refugees trying to adjust to their new life in West Germany in the late 60's. Warm and nostalgic.
Special Escort (2008) *
A German "Full Monty", about a bunch of unemployed men trying to become male escorts. No nudity.
Don't Think About White Monkeys (2008) ***
Wildly surrealistic Russian allegory about materialism and spirituality, starring Katarina Ksenyeva. It's a story of an ambitious young man who befriends three crazy bohemian artists who completely change his life.
Gigantes de Valdès (2008) *
Ridiculous film from Argentina, full of clichéd, one-dimensional caricatures. What at first looks like a South American remake of "Local Hero" (1983), with a very similar premise, soon degenerates into a contrived and inept melodrama full of cartoonish villains. Embarassingly bad.
Tokyo Sonata (2008) **
Japanese film that begins like Laurent Cantet's "L'Emploi du temps" and ends like a movie by Quentin Tarantino.
The Chicken The Fish And The King Crab (2008) *
Boring documentary about a Spanish chef competing in a culinary competition in France.
Die Welle (2008) **
Interesting German drama about an leftist teacher who tries to warn his student about the dangers of fascism by conducting a dangerous experiment.
The Shadow Spirit (2008) *
Lame Japanese horror movie. It begins on a Pacific island during WWII, but most of the action is set in 1952. Confusing and boring.
June 6, 2008
Satellites & Meteorites (2008) *
A weird romantic comedy from Ireland that desperately tries to imitate "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind", but fails miserably.
Run Fatboy Run (2008) **
Vaguely Hollywoodish British comedy about a lazy bum (Simon Pegg) who abandons his pregnant girlfriend (Thandie Newton) at the altar. Predictable story, but a very strong cast and a good ending.
Zimbabwe (2008) *
Embarassingly inept and totally inconvincing drama about a young girl from Zimbabwe trying to find work in South Africa. Full of stereotypical caricatures and boring clichés. Unlike many other white South African directors (like Gavin Hood or Jamie Uys), Darrell James Roodt ("Sarafina", "Cry The Beloved Country") has neither the sensibility nor the talent to tackle such a subject.
South Of the Moon (2008) *
Cliché-ridden melodrama about a relationship between a young boy and his uncle.
Cactus (2008) **
Tense and exciting Australian drama about kidnapping and murder, directed by Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan.
May 5, 2008
Cruising Bar 2 (2008) **
A sequel to one of the most popular comedies ever made in Canada, again starring Michel Côté (who again plays every one of the four major characters in the film). Quite funny.
Dans une galaxie près de chez vous 2 (2008) **
A science-fiction comedy from Quebec. Basically a parody of "Star Trek", with implicit references to the War on Terror and explicit references to the global warming.
Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (2008) **
Touching drama about an Inuit hunter suffering from tuberculosis.
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