36 HOURS - 1965
RATED - PG for mild language, non-graphic violence and tense moments. No nudity or sex.
RATINGS - 17 Amazon (4/5), 13,076 Netflix (3.6/5), 1,311 IMDB (7.3/10).
STARRING - James Garner (Rockford Files, etc), Eva Marie Saint (Oscar winner in On The Waterfront), Rod Taylor.
STORY - The story is set during WWII right before D-Day. Garner plays an Army intelligence agent who is assigned to make one more routine mission before the big invasion to keep the Germans thinking everything is still status quo. He has been in on the highest levels of planning and knows the Allied plans. In a surprise move, he is captured by the Germans who are aware of the knowledge he has and have come up with a most creative plan for getting it out of this well trained intelligence officer who can resist all the normal interrogation techniques. This is a psychological thriller with some very clever little twists. It's a plausible story and will keep you involved. Garner is terrific. While not in the category of a 'classic' it's worth watching if you like WWII and spy stories. Enjoy. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11-13-2010.
LINKS - NETFLIX, IMDB
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
WINTER'S BONE
WINTER'S BONE - 2010
RATED - R for language and violence and drug content. Certainly not the worst R rated movie by any means. No sex or nudity. Some killing and skinning of animals. Take it seriously for under 15.
RATINGS - 38 Amazon (4.5/5), 34,556 Netflix (3.6/5), 4,954 IMDB (7.6/10).
AWARDS - THE GRAND JURY PRIZE for DRAMA at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
THEMES - Justice, relationships.
STORY - The story takes place deep in the Ozarks. The people in the film would be commonly referred to as 'white trash'. Their homes are more like junk yards than homes and they live in a culture dominated by drugs and violence (or the threat of violence). Ree is a 17 year old young woman left with the responsibility of raising her 12 year old brother and 7 year old sister and taking care of her mother who suffers from depression and is there in body only. The father has been in and out of trouble with the law for 'cooking crank' and spent time in prison. They live in a shack of a home with a 100 acres of woods behind. One of the more poignant moments occurs early when Ree takes her brother & sister to school and as she's leaving she looks in the windows of the classrooms where her peers are learning to care for a baby or practicing ROTC drills or other things that a normal 17 year old girl would be doing in school. But Ree is no ordinary 17 year old no matter how you slice it. She's determined to make it (if only to survive) with the cards she's been dealt. When she finds out that her father used their property as collateral to post bail for his upcoming court appearance and they will lose the home in a week if he doesn't show, she becomes obsessed with finding him to protect the only material possession they have. No one seems to know (or is willing to tell if they do) where her father is. Finding him is the plot of the story. But it is also a social drama on this overlooked subculture in America. This is not a feel good, happy ending film. It's a very realistic and well done drama about people who seem to have very little hope in this world for a better life and spend their lives living on the fringe of society with drugs and their family feuds. The violence and the language are not overly graphic or gratuitous but caution in watching with anyone under 15-16. Well done and well written film about this subculture. Hard to watch and riveting at the same time. Jennifer Lawrence does a great job as Ree. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11-07-2010,
LINKS - AMAZON, NETFLIX, IMDB
RATED - R for language and violence and drug content. Certainly not the worst R rated movie by any means. No sex or nudity. Some killing and skinning of animals. Take it seriously for under 15.
RATINGS - 38 Amazon (4.5/5), 34,556 Netflix (3.6/5), 4,954 IMDB (7.6/10).
AWARDS - THE GRAND JURY PRIZE for DRAMA at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
THEMES - Justice, relationships.
STORY - The story takes place deep in the Ozarks. The people in the film would be commonly referred to as 'white trash'. Their homes are more like junk yards than homes and they live in a culture dominated by drugs and violence (or the threat of violence). Ree is a 17 year old young woman left with the responsibility of raising her 12 year old brother and 7 year old sister and taking care of her mother who suffers from depression and is there in body only. The father has been in and out of trouble with the law for 'cooking crank' and spent time in prison. They live in a shack of a home with a 100 acres of woods behind. One of the more poignant moments occurs early when Ree takes her brother & sister to school and as she's leaving she looks in the windows of the classrooms where her peers are learning to care for a baby or practicing ROTC drills or other things that a normal 17 year old girl would be doing in school. But Ree is no ordinary 17 year old no matter how you slice it. She's determined to make it (if only to survive) with the cards she's been dealt. When she finds out that her father used their property as collateral to post bail for his upcoming court appearance and they will lose the home in a week if he doesn't show, she becomes obsessed with finding him to protect the only material possession they have. No one seems to know (or is willing to tell if they do) where her father is. Finding him is the plot of the story. But it is also a social drama on this overlooked subculture in America. This is not a feel good, happy ending film. It's a very realistic and well done drama about people who seem to have very little hope in this world for a better life and spend their lives living on the fringe of society with drugs and their family feuds. The violence and the language are not overly graphic or gratuitous but caution in watching with anyone under 15-16. Well done and well written film about this subculture. Hard to watch and riveting at the same time. Jennifer Lawrence does a great job as Ree. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11-07-2010,
LINKS - AMAZON, NETFLIX, IMDB
Saturday, September 18, 2010
AMISH GRACE
AMISH GRACE - 2010
RATED - PG for mature themes. Closer to G. The violence at the center of the film is only implied. Nothing is shown.
RATINGS - 5 Amazon (5/5), 211 Netflix (4.2/5), 143 IMDB (7.1/10).
STARRING - Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Father of the Bride 1 & 2)
AWARDS - Highest rated original movie shown on Lifetime.
THEMES - Relationships, spirituality, justice.
STORY - Based on the true story of the murder of five innocent Amish school girls in 2006 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. The main family in the story is fictional, however. Great acting and screenplay. Emotional without being manipulative. Violent without showing any violence. Inspirational without being preachy. I have always been critical of faith-based films that are basically 'sermons disguised as films'. Faith-based films should be great stories where the message is an integral part of the story. This is one of those. At the heart of the story is a horrific crime. A lone gunman backs his pickup to a one room Amish school, walks in and proceeds to kill five young Amish girls and wound five others. What happens after that is almost as unbelievable. Three Amish men, including the father of one of the victims, visit the home of the killer to offer forgiveness and help to the gunman's widow. But not everyone finds it easy to forgive. Ida Graber (Paisley) isn't buying it. 'I will not betray my daughter by forgiving her killer'. What follows is for the most part the struggle between two women, both mothers & wives, struggling with forgiveness and their husbands from two totally different perspectives. While we may all have a tendency to see the Amish as stoic and and almost mechanical or robotic in their faith, this is not at all what comes thru in the film. While raising (but not answering) some inconsistencies in their practices, we see them as real humans struggling to deal with this horrific crime against their community. One of the most powerful scenes is at the funeral for the gunman. This is a movie that will haunt you and stick with you as you consider (at least I did) how to live out a live of forgiving with even just the most mundane grievances. What could this mean for communities, our nation and our world if forgiveness were truly practiced. I highly recommend this film. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/18.2010.
LINKS - IMDB, NETFLIX, AMAZON, The Power of Forgiveness
RATED - PG for mature themes. Closer to G. The violence at the center of the film is only implied. Nothing is shown.
RATINGS - 5 Amazon (5/5), 211 Netflix (4.2/5), 143 IMDB (7.1/10).
STARRING - Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Father of the Bride 1 & 2)
AWARDS - Highest rated original movie shown on Lifetime.
THEMES - Relationships, spirituality, justice.
STORY - Based on the true story of the murder of five innocent Amish school girls in 2006 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. The main family in the story is fictional, however. Great acting and screenplay. Emotional without being manipulative. Violent without showing any violence. Inspirational without being preachy. I have always been critical of faith-based films that are basically 'sermons disguised as films'. Faith-based films should be great stories where the message is an integral part of the story. This is one of those. At the heart of the story is a horrific crime. A lone gunman backs his pickup to a one room Amish school, walks in and proceeds to kill five young Amish girls and wound five others. What happens after that is almost as unbelievable. Three Amish men, including the father of one of the victims, visit the home of the killer to offer forgiveness and help to the gunman's widow. But not everyone finds it easy to forgive. Ida Graber (Paisley) isn't buying it. 'I will not betray my daughter by forgiving her killer'. What follows is for the most part the struggle between two women, both mothers & wives, struggling with forgiveness and their husbands from two totally different perspectives. While we may all have a tendency to see the Amish as stoic and and almost mechanical or robotic in their faith, this is not at all what comes thru in the film. While raising (but not answering) some inconsistencies in their practices, we see them as real humans struggling to deal with this horrific crime against their community. One of the most powerful scenes is at the funeral for the gunman. This is a movie that will haunt you and stick with you as you consider (at least I did) how to live out a live of forgiving with even just the most mundane grievances. What could this mean for communities, our nation and our world if forgiveness were truly practiced. I highly recommend this film. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/18.2010.
LINKS - IMDB, NETFLIX, AMAZON, The Power of Forgiveness
Sunday, July 18, 2010
CAPTAIN ABU RAED
CAPTAIN ABU RAED - 2008
RATED - NR but PG/PG-13 for some violence although almost all is off screen.
RATINGS - 13 Amazon (5/5), 5,729 Netflix (3.7/5), 518 IMDB (7.4/10).
THEMES - Relationships, justice.
AWARDS - 15 wins and 3 nominations at various film festivals including winner of AUDIENCE AWARD at Sundance Film Festival.
STORY - This Jordanian film, nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film division, is the story of an aging widower who is a janitor at the airport in Amman, Jordan. Mistaken by neighborhood kids as an airline pilot, he begins to tell stories of travel and far away places that awe these poor children. The story develops as "Captain" Raed gets to the know the kids and the challenges they are facing at home. What I like about so many foreign films is that they are built on character development not fancy dialogue or non-stop action. They actually make you think about the characters and what's going on in their lives and what the film is trying to say. At the end of the film, it leaves you wondering about some of the characters and what might have happened. Foreign films often do not have nice, neat, tidy endings like American films. There is some ambiguity. This is true of Captain Raed. If slick screenplay and unbelievable CGI's of action are your thing (nothing wrong with that) this will probably not interest you. If you enjoy realistic characters and a good story this is a worth watching. It is also a slice of life and humanity and geography in a country many of us don't know much about - Jordan. Highly recommend. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/18/2010.
LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER, NETFLIX
RATED - NR but PG/PG-13 for some violence although almost all is off screen.
RATINGS - 13 Amazon (5/5), 5,729 Netflix (3.7/5), 518 IMDB (7.4/10).
THEMES - Relationships, justice.
AWARDS - 15 wins and 3 nominations at various film festivals including winner of AUDIENCE AWARD at Sundance Film Festival.
STORY - This Jordanian film, nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film division, is the story of an aging widower who is a janitor at the airport in Amman, Jordan. Mistaken by neighborhood kids as an airline pilot, he begins to tell stories of travel and far away places that awe these poor children. The story develops as "Captain" Raed gets to the know the kids and the challenges they are facing at home. What I like about so many foreign films is that they are built on character development not fancy dialogue or non-stop action. They actually make you think about the characters and what's going on in their lives and what the film is trying to say. At the end of the film, it leaves you wondering about some of the characters and what might have happened. Foreign films often do not have nice, neat, tidy endings like American films. There is some ambiguity. This is true of Captain Raed. If slick screenplay and unbelievable CGI's of action are your thing (nothing wrong with that) this will probably not interest you. If you enjoy realistic characters and a good story this is a worth watching. It is also a slice of life and humanity and geography in a country many of us don't know much about - Jordan. Highly recommend. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/18/2010.
LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER, NETFLIX
Sunday, July 4, 2010
AMREEKA
AMREEKA - 2009
RATED - PG-13 for brief scene of teenagers smoking marijuana and some language. A pretty mild PG-13.
RATINGS - 11 AMAZON (4.5/5), 57,102 NETFLIX (3.5/5), 1,105 IMDB (7/10).
THEMES - Relationships, justice.
AWARDS - Nominee for BEST FEMALE LEAD & BEST FEATURE in the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. Winner at 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
STORY - What happens when your life is turned upside down by your husband divorcing you for a slimmer, younger woman and walls are built around where you live adding hours every day to your commute to work and you spend every penny to keep your son in a private school? You take the first best opportunity that comes along to get out of that situation. Muna, a Palestinian single woman, does just that when she receives an offer to relocate free to America. This begins the adventures and misadventures of someone immigrating to America with the hopes and promises of a better life. She lands in a small town in Illinois to live (temporarily is the plan) with her sister and physician husband and teenage children until she can establish herself and son. She has two degrees and has had professional experience in the work world so it shouldn't take long - wrong! Told with humor as well as heartbreak (it's just after 9/11and anyone from the Middle East is the enemy), this National Geographic film is a reminder of why people still come to AMREEKA and how easy it is to be misunderstood and to struggle to make a living no matter how hard you are willing to work. It is worth watching by families whose children may be finding it difficult to accept those who don't talk or dress or act just like us. Changing schools as an American teenager can be very difficult. Try coming from another country, especially one we see as an adversary. Highly recommend. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/04/2010.
LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER, NETFLIX.
RATED - PG-13 for brief scene of teenagers smoking marijuana and some language. A pretty mild PG-13.
RATINGS - 11 AMAZON (4.5/5), 57,102 NETFLIX (3.5/5), 1,105 IMDB (7/10).
THEMES - Relationships, justice.
AWARDS - Nominee for BEST FEMALE LEAD & BEST FEATURE in the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. Winner at 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
STORY - What happens when your life is turned upside down by your husband divorcing you for a slimmer, younger woman and walls are built around where you live adding hours every day to your commute to work and you spend every penny to keep your son in a private school? You take the first best opportunity that comes along to get out of that situation. Muna, a Palestinian single woman, does just that when she receives an offer to relocate free to America. This begins the adventures and misadventures of someone immigrating to America with the hopes and promises of a better life. She lands in a small town in Illinois to live (temporarily is the plan) with her sister and physician husband and teenage children until she can establish herself and son. She has two degrees and has had professional experience in the work world so it shouldn't take long - wrong! Told with humor as well as heartbreak (it's just after 9/11and anyone from the Middle East is the enemy), this National Geographic film is a reminder of why people still come to AMREEKA and how easy it is to be misunderstood and to struggle to make a living no matter how hard you are willing to work. It is worth watching by families whose children may be finding it difficult to accept those who don't talk or dress or act just like us. Changing schools as an American teenager can be very difficult. Try coming from another country, especially one we see as an adversary. Highly recommend. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/04/2010.
LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER, NETFLIX.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
PARIS 1919
PARIS 1919 - 2009 (TV)
RATED - NR but probably PG-13 for some graphic archival pictures of dead soldiers in WWI.
RATINGS - 7 AMAZON (4.5/5), 364 NETFLIX (3.2/5), 41 IMDB (7.2/10).
AWARDS- Winner of Banff World Television Award for BEST HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY.
THEMES - Justice, relationships.
STORY - This docudrama with both archival footage and drama tells the story of the peace talks in Paris in 1919 at the end of WWI which ended in the Treaty of Versailles. WWI was truly a world war and at the end dozens of nations wanted reparations or a piece of the spoils. They all convened in Paris for what they thought would be a 3-4 week conference to settle all the post war divisions. Nations' borders were being redrawn and people groups were being shuffled around like livestock. To Paris came kings and queens and caliphs and emirs and THEN the deity, Woodrow Wilson. The United States had entered the war and ended the war so everyone looked to the U.S. for answers and Woodrow Wilson was godlike, at least in the beginning. A large conference room was set up where nations could present their case in front of the representatives from Japan, Italy, Great Britain, France and Woodrow Wilson (U.S.). Japan was eliminated from the group after a short time and Italy had little influence in the end. This is a well done summary of a behind the scenes look at the Paris Peace Conference which stretched on for six months as countries jockeyed for position on the world scene, unknowingly setting the stage for WWII as they punished Germany into the ground, creating a backlash that produced evil like the world had never known and thought impossible. Even today we see and feel the effects of this peace treaty which spawned the League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations and the brainchild of Woodrow Wilson. Another slice of history which helps to understand the world we live in today. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/03/2010.
LINKS - IMDB, NETFLIX
RATED - NR but probably PG-13 for some graphic archival pictures of dead soldiers in WWI.
RATINGS - 7 AMAZON (4.5/5), 364 NETFLIX (3.2/5), 41 IMDB (7.2/10).
AWARDS- Winner of Banff World Television Award for BEST HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY.
THEMES - Justice, relationships.
STORY - This docudrama with both archival footage and drama tells the story of the peace talks in Paris in 1919 at the end of WWI which ended in the Treaty of Versailles. WWI was truly a world war and at the end dozens of nations wanted reparations or a piece of the spoils. They all convened in Paris for what they thought would be a 3-4 week conference to settle all the post war divisions. Nations' borders were being redrawn and people groups were being shuffled around like livestock. To Paris came kings and queens and caliphs and emirs and THEN the deity, Woodrow Wilson. The United States had entered the war and ended the war so everyone looked to the U.S. for answers and Woodrow Wilson was godlike, at least in the beginning. A large conference room was set up where nations could present their case in front of the representatives from Japan, Italy, Great Britain, France and Woodrow Wilson (U.S.). Japan was eliminated from the group after a short time and Italy had little influence in the end. This is a well done summary of a behind the scenes look at the Paris Peace Conference which stretched on for six months as countries jockeyed for position on the world scene, unknowingly setting the stage for WWII as they punished Germany into the ground, creating a backlash that produced evil like the world had never known and thought impossible. Even today we see and feel the effects of this peace treaty which spawned the League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations and the brainchild of Woodrow Wilson. Another slice of history which helps to understand the world we live in today. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/03/2010.
LINKS - IMDB, NETFLIX
Saturday, June 26, 2010
OFFSIDE
OFFSIDE - 2006
RATED - PG for relatively mild language throughout.
RATINGS - 8 Amazon (4/5), 24,109 Netflix (3/5), 2,254 IMDB (7.1/10).
THEMES - Justice, discrimination, religion.
AWARDS - 4 wins and 3 nominations at various international film festivals.
STORY - It's 2005 in Tehran and Iran is playing Bahrain for the chance to advance to the World Cup. There are 100,000 spectators cheering on the Iranian team. What's wrong with that picture? They're all men - or supposed to be. Iran doesn't allow women to attend sporting events. The official reason is they will be exposed to foul language and men's legs (the players presumably). The real reason, of course, is women are discriminated against in Iran. However, not all the fans are men at the game - they just all look like men. Some are young girls (who are allowed to play soccer) who want to see the game so badly they try to disguise themselves as men and buy a ticket. Some make it but the 'gender police' are out in full force and some are caught. This is a film (banned in Iran by the way) about those who are arrested. They are taken to a holding pen right outside the stadium where they can hear but not see the game. The film is mostly about the interaction between these young female fans and the young male guards who are assigned to make sure they are 'tortured' by hearing but not seeing. While making the point well about discrimination, the film is also a light hearted story about how young men and women in Iran see their roles and the lengths some young women will go to see a forbidden soccer match. Don't expect soccer action (actual game footage is measured in seconds) but a good story about culture and another opportunity to learn about a country we hear so much about but really don't know much about. Much of the film was shot at the stadium the actual day of the big match so it has an authentic feel - a kind of docudrama feel. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews.
LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER
RATED - PG for relatively mild language throughout.
RATINGS - 8 Amazon (4/5), 24,109 Netflix (3/5), 2,254 IMDB (7.1/10).
THEMES - Justice, discrimination, religion.
AWARDS - 4 wins and 3 nominations at various international film festivals.
STORY - It's 2005 in Tehran and Iran is playing Bahrain for the chance to advance to the World Cup. There are 100,000 spectators cheering on the Iranian team. What's wrong with that picture? They're all men - or supposed to be. Iran doesn't allow women to attend sporting events. The official reason is they will be exposed to foul language and men's legs (the players presumably). The real reason, of course, is women are discriminated against in Iran. However, not all the fans are men at the game - they just all look like men. Some are young girls (who are allowed to play soccer) who want to see the game so badly they try to disguise themselves as men and buy a ticket. Some make it but the 'gender police' are out in full force and some are caught. This is a film (banned in Iran by the way) about those who are arrested. They are taken to a holding pen right outside the stadium where they can hear but not see the game. The film is mostly about the interaction between these young female fans and the young male guards who are assigned to make sure they are 'tortured' by hearing but not seeing. While making the point well about discrimination, the film is also a light hearted story about how young men and women in Iran see their roles and the lengths some young women will go to see a forbidden soccer match. Don't expect soccer action (actual game footage is measured in seconds) but a good story about culture and another opportunity to learn about a country we hear so much about but really don't know much about. Much of the film was shot at the stadium the actual day of the big match so it has an authentic feel - a kind of docudrama feel. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews.
LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER
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