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Night WatchGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 09/11/2007 Rating R Production Year: 2005 Run Time: 105 mins Released By: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Cast: Vladimir Menshov, Konstantin Khabensky, Valery Zolotukhin, Maria Poroshina, Galina Tunina The first part of a trilogy, NIGHT WATCH is an old-fashioned good vs. evil parable that relies on some thoroughly modern special effects to ensnare its audience. Set in present-day Moscow, the movie begins with a quick skip back through the centuries to inform us how a delicate truce was struck between the forces of Light and Dark. These forces still exist in Moscow, with both sides keeping a close eye on each other as they attempt to disguise themselves from the earth's mere mortals. NIGHT WATCH's central character is Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky), who is defined as an "Other" by the legions of Light and Dark. Anton and his cohorts live as vampires, and await the arrival of a virgin who will announce the resumption of hostilities between the forces of Light and Dark; as the film progresses, it becomes apparent that an epic battle is just around the corner. One of the biggest films of all time in its native Russia, director Timur Bekmambetov's NIGHT WATCH positions itself somewhere in between THE MATRIX and BLADE in the pantheon of CGI-fueled sci-fi flicks. Although the plot is mind-boggling and occasionally verges on the incomprehensible, Bekmambetov is presumably using this first part of the trilogy to lure viewers into his wild cinematic world. Impressively, Bekmambetov's film was shot on a tiny budget, but it belies its meager origins. Even the English subtitles are integrated into several scenes, with words zipping across the screen and melting into the action as a heavy-metal soundtrack thumps away. Knowing he is set to film two sequels, Bekmambetov leaves his audience hanging as NIGHT WATCH nears its climax, with his second installment (DAY WATCH) promising further FX-laden feuding, and, in an intriguing twist, an English-language climax to the trilogy with DUSK WATCH. … more less -
Pan's LabyrinthGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 05/15/2007 Rating R Production Year: 2006 Run Time: 119 mins Released By: Warner Home Video Cast: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil, Doug Jones Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, PAN'S LABYRINTH is a thrilling, violent fairy tale set in post-Civil War Spain. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), into the home of Captain Vidal (Sergi López), in an abandoned mill in the middle of dark, dangerous woods. Vidal is leading his team of soldiers against resistance fighters--and he will do whatever is necessary to kill every last one of them. As Vidal bosses around the pregnant Carmen, a flying creature leads Ofelia through a garden labyrinth and into an underground cave ruled by Pan (HELLBOY's Doug Jones), who believes that Ofelia might be the lost princess of this strange yet magical place. To prove she is royalty, Ofelia must complete three tasks, each more difficult and terrifying than the previous one. Meanwhile, Vidal is becoming more and more paranoid, torturing and murdering seemingly at will. Del Toro (THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, HELLBOY, CRONOS) creates a marvelous battle between good and evil, between heroes and villains, in both the real world aboveground and the mystical land below. Baquero gives a compelling performance as the terrorized Ofelia, who is befriended by Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), a woman who harbors some secrets of her own. Stellar production design, superb special effects, and a stirring score by Javier Navarrete add to the scary fun. Selected as the closing-night entry in the 2006 New York Film Festival, PAN'S LABYRINTH is a captivating story that is not for the squeamish. … more less -
Protector, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 01/16/2007 Rating R Production Year: 2006 Run Time: 186 mins Released By: Weinstein Company/Genius Cast: Tony Jaa, Petchthai Wongkamlao This sequel to 2005's ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR sees director Prachya Pinkaew returning to tell an action-packed story that revolves around a missing elephant that turns up in Australia. … more less -
Lower CityGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 09/12/2006 Rating R Production Year: 2006 Cast: Alice Braga, José Dumont, Wagner Moura, Lazaro Ramos Steamy sex, glistening sweat, dark photography, grungy ghetto colors, and sudden violence pervade this Brazilian feature from director Sergio Machado. Alice Braga (CITY OF GOD) stars as Karinna, a traveling prostitute who trades her favors to lifelong friends Deco (Lazaro Ramos) and Naldinho (Wagner Moura) for a ride back to Salvador on their run down boat. After Deco is almost killed at a cockfight, the three form a temporary menage-a-trois friendship, but the intense love each man feels for Karinna coupled with their homophobic macho wariness threatens to destroy their once unbreakable friendship. The pair starts hanging out at the seedy strip club where she plies her trade, each trying to one up the other, raising money from a life of crime and crooked boxing matches respectively. Machado culls a lot of sweaty atmosphere from his locations and a grimy cast of authentic locals as extras. The three leads ably convey the passion and pain of living in itinerant, eternal adolescence, lost in a glowing fog of cigarette smoke, sex, sweat, and neon, struggling towards some sort of stability in the haze. A big Cannes favorite, the film should please fans of sexy art-house hits like Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN and AMORES PERROS. … more less -
Very Long Engagement, AGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/14/2006 Rating R Production Year: 2004 Cast: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Clovis Cornillac, Marion Cotillard, Jean-Pierre Darroussin This World War I mystery finds limitless beauty in the nostalgia of loss. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose whimsical AMELIE riveted audiences, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT also stars Audrey Tautou--the 21st century's Audrey Hepburn--in the stubbornly emotional role of a widow in denial. Here she is Mathilde, a waifish young woman with a pronounced limp from childhood polio. Living with her quirky aunt and uncle in a farmhouse by the sea, and waiting desperately for her fiance Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) to return from the war, she believes that if he were truly lost she would feel it in her heart. Thus, when the bad news arrives--Manech and five fellow soldiers were exiled to No Man's Land for shooting off their own fingers in hope of being discharged--Mathilde refuses to believe he is dead. Instead, she begins her own investigation into Manech's infantry, hiring a private detective and tracking down the wives and girlfriends of each of Manech's compatriots. Conducting countless interviews, Mathilde pieces together Manech's war stories--which are told in earthshaking flashbacks involving gruesome explosions, flying guts, and massive suffering. And yet, the all-in-this-together humanity of these awful scenes, and the heartfelt bravery with which Mathilde absorbs the details of each battle, is undeniably moving. Jodie Foster appears as Elodie, one of the widows, in a charismatic yet muted performance and with a flawless accent. However, the most intriguing of the widows is Tina Lombardi (Marion Cotillard), a thrilling dominatrix-assassin bent on avenging her lover. A timeless masterwork that raises the bar for breathtaking camerawork, vivid landscapes, and fantastical storytelling, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT is adapted from the novel by Sebastien Japriscot. … more less -
Ong-Bak: The Thai WarriorGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/07/2006 Rating R Production Year: 2005 Run Time: 101 mins Released By: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Cast: Tony Jaa, Petchthai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Rungrawee Borrijindakul, Chetwut Wacharakun Tony Jaa follows in the powerful martial arts footsteps of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li in ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR, one of the first films to center on the ancient fighting system of Muay Thai, which utilizes the body's limbs to potentially devastating effect. Jaa stars as Ting, a quiet young man who lives in the peaceful village of Nong Pradu. As the village's special celebration approaches, a Bangkok villain named Don (Wannakit Siriput) steals the head of the Buddha statue Ong-Bak, which is said to protect the village from bad luck. Ting volunteers to go to the big city to bring back the head of Ong-Bak, but remembers what he was taught by sage monk Pra Cru (Woranard Tantipidok): he must not use his Muay Thai skills to harm people. However soon after arriving in Bangkok, Ting, a peaceful fish out of water, finds that the only way to recapture the village's sacred treasure is by using his arms, his legs--and his head. Influenced by the films of Thai action star Phanna Rithikrai, director Prachya Pinkaew hired the Muay Thai expert to serve as martial arts and stunt choreographer for ONG-BAK, resulting in highly effective and believable scenes between Ting and a multitude of criminals and evil boxers out to get him. Pinkaew adds a fun sense of humor to the serious story, not only in some of the crazy stunts but also in the character of George, played by Thai comic Petchthai Wongkamlao. Jaa is charmingly fearless in the lead role, performing all his own stunts without any special effects, computer enhancement, or ropes. … more less -
2046Genre: Foreign Films Release Date: 12/26/2005 Rating R Production Year: 2005 Run Time: 128 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Tony Leung, Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Faye Wong, Maggie Cheung Director Wong Kar-Wai's style reaches its fullest expression in his stunning film 2046. Picture-perfect period sets and costuming, finely wrought atmosphere, languid shots, glamorous cigarette smoke, amber lamplight, and allusions to film noir. 2046 is a meditation on memory, eroticism, love, loss, and longing which surpasses the director's beautiful, widely acclaimed IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) in terms of formal ambition and visual sumptuousness. With its intriguing, layered structure, the film follows the adventures of Chow Wo Man (Tony Leung), a womanizer who is writing a science fiction novel about a future year in which all memories are suspended. The film shuttles between the BLADE RUNNER-like world of Chow's futuristic novel (complete with androids and other metaphors of emotional disconnection) and late-'60s Hong Kong--where Chow writes from a hotel room, and engages in relationships with a series of beautiful, complex women (including the luminous trio of Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, and Faye Wong). The film also journeys to Singapore and through the increasingly mysterious corridors of the protagonist's memory. 2046 resists tidy plot summaries with its disjointed, zigzagging construction. Yet, coupled with Wong's rich cinematography and dazzling formal techniques, it is as fluid, associative, and labyrinthine as memory itself. Sliding between keenly detailed realism (Wong's camera can capture the subtlest flicker of emotion in a characters' eyes) and lavish, expressionistic metaphor, the film is a deeply entrancing experience. Even given its jumbled, sometimes chaotic narrative, 2046 creates a poignant, emotionally charged, and richly rewarding experience. … more less -
Maria Full of GraceGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 09/06/2005 Rating R Production Year: 2004 Run Time: 101 mins Released By: Warner Home Video Cast: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Virginia Ariza, Yenny Paola Vega, Johanna Andrea Mora, Evangelina Morales This debut feature film by Joshua Marston tells the suspenseful and absorbing story of Maria, a poor, pregnant Columbian teenager (Catalina Sandina Moreno) with a soul-crushing job at a flower plantation and a rebellious streak. Her multigenerational, all-female family relies too much on her as the principle breadwinner, squandering her earnings on medicines of questionable value for her sister's baby. This drives Maria to quit, dump her immature boyfriend, and go to Bogotá where she tumbles into work as a drug mule. Like thousands of real-life Columbians, she earns money by flying to New York City with up to a kilogram of tightly wrapped heroin pellets in her stomach, risking prison or worse: instant death should even one of the pellets break open inside her. Marston based the film on actual interviews with airport customs agents and former mules; the result is an authentic, intensely cinematic experience. The camera wrings vivid color and mood from the many on-location settings and doesn't shy away from any aspect of Maria's journey, making this succeed as a suspense film, character study, and detailed examination of a rarely seen aspect of the drug wars. Thanks to the superb performance and charisma of lead actress Moreno--in her film debut--the audience stays riveted to her plight every step of the way. MARIA FULL OF GRACE made its debut at Sundance where it won the Audience Drama Award. … more less -
Celebration, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/08/2005 Rating R Production Year: 1998 Run Time: 106 mins Released By: Universal Studios Home Video Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen, Birthe Neumann Thomas Vinterberg's contribution to the Dogma 95 collective is an electrifying achievement, driven by powerhouse acting and hand-held digital camera work so realistic that one might forget they're watching a feature film. Friends and family gather to pay tribute to Helge on his sixtieth birthday, but when it's time for the eldest son, Christian, to give the opening toast, the fireworks begin. At times hysterical, at times tragic and heartbreaking, this is a film that has the ability to single-handedly reaffirm one's faith in cinema. Inspiring and brilliant. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. … more less -
WasabiGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 11/02/2004 Rating R Production Year: 2002 Run Time: 94 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Jean Reno, Michel Muller, Ryoko Hirosue, Carole Bouquet, Ludovic Berthillot This boisterous crime-cop dramedy is written and produced by Luc Besson and stars Jean Reno. Like THE PROFESSIONAL (the 1994 Besson-Reno film), it is the story of a man with a grim, lonely life and a penchant for violence who finds redemption in a needy, spirited young girl who forces him to have heart and save her from an ugly group of thugs. This time around, with WASABI, Reno plays Hubert, a Parisian cop who is handed a forced sabbatical when he accidentally beats up the chief's son. Simultaneously Hubert learns that his one true love, Miko, has died, leaving him her inheritance. He quickly travels to Tokyo to sign the papers, and learns that he has inherited Yumi (Ryoko Hirosue), his exuberant 19-year-old daughter, who is perpetually shopping, dancing, and laughing. Unfortunately, Yumi is being trailed by a tough bunch of Japanese mobsters who want access to her sizeable bank account. With the help of Maurice (Michel Muller) and an immense cache of weapons--grenades, rocket launchers, giant pistols, and golf clubs--Hubert uses some fancy footwork to bring Yumi to safety. Directed by Gerard Krawczyk with a thumping musical score from Eric Serra, WASABI is a bright, loud, fast-moving film. … more less -
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And SpringGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 09/07/2004 Rating R Production Year: 2004 Run Time: 103 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Kim Ki-Duk, Oh Young-soo, Kim Jong-ho, Seo Jae-kyung, Kim Jung-young Prayer, meditation, and appreciation of nature are the sacraments by which two monks live a simple life in Korean director Kim Ki-Duk's SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING. A wise old monk (Oh Young-soo) is master to a young student, and remains so throughout the changing seasons of the younger monk's life. In springtime the young monk is a 5-year-old boy, in summer he is a teenager, in fall he is a 30-year-old man, and in winter he is in mid-life. The master and his student live in a tranquil house that floats in the middle of a pond hidden in a vast woodland. Paddling their row boat to the edge of the pond, they roam the forest collecting herbs for medicine, observing animals, and learning deep lessons about life. When a woman brings her sick daughter to the monks to be healed, a lustful relationship results between the daughter and the teenage monk. Though sex is the appropriate cure for the girl, the affair is a harbinger of evil for the monk, whose innocence is replaced by corruption. After paying for his sins over the course of many years, the monk finds inner peace and is reborn. A spiritual soundtrack and superb nature photography make this film a joy to watch, and its story is rich with messages about forgiveness and inner peace. … more less -
8 WomenGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 08/24/2004 Rating R Production Year: 2002 Run Time: 111 mins Released By: Universal Studios Home Video Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Danielle Darrieux, Isabelle Huppert From French director Francois Ozon, 8 WOMEN is a character drama and musical set in a country home during Christmastime in the 1950s. Though the atmosphere seems light and festive, when the host, Marcel, is stabbed in the back, one of the eight women in the house must be the culprit. The youngest of the bunch, Catherine (Ludivine Sagnier), is a teenager who loved her Daddy and also loves police novels. Her sister, Suzon (Virginie Ledoyen), is a student in England who has traveled home for the holiday. Their mom is Gaby (Catherine Deneuve), the ungrieving wife of Marcel, who never reveals too much. Grandma, who goes by Mamie (Danielle Darrieux), is an alcoholic who reveals that she's not as innocent as she looks when she walks right out of her wheelchair. Marcel's sister, Pierrette (Fanny Ardant) arrives mysteriously just after the murder. The maids, Louise (Emmanuelle Beart) and Chanel (Firmine Richard), are obviously up to no good as their stories keep changing. And the neurotic and hilarious Augustine (Isabelle Huppert), Gaby's sister, is the aging virgin who is just plain unstable. As each of these women interrogate each other, each singing her own song as a type of encrypted confession, there are some very funny moments. 8 WOMEN unfolds like a demented CLUE, with absurd tidbits of information--Chanel is actually an exotic dancer; Gaby and Louise are lesbian lovers--coming straight from Ozon's quirky sense of humor. A magnificent set, a snowy backdrop, and candy colored costumes complete this wacky tongue-in-cheek affair. … more less -
Devil's Backbone, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 07/27/2004 Rating R Production Year: 2001 Run Time: 108 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Irene Visedo During the Spanish Civil War, newly orphaned Carlos is taken to a school for the children of those who died fighting against fascism. He is given the bed that formerly belonged to Santi, a boy who recently died during an attack in which a bomb dropped, landing in the school's courtyard undetonated, a reminder of impending danger. As the amputee headmistress (Marisa Paredes, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER) and the embittered caretaker, Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), engage in a love affair, the headmistress' cuckolded husband, the impotent but benevolent school doctor (Frederico Luppi) sits by passively. Meanwhile, after Santi's ghost repeatedly reveals itself to Carlos, another student spooks Carlos with a dark secret about the boy's death. War surrounds the school, violence infests it from within, and Carlos sets out to avenge the death of Santi. Taking on themes such as the brutality of war and the loss of innocence, Guillermo del Toro's (MIMIC) film skillfully combines elements of war, gothic horror, melodrama, and adventure to create a work that functions as both a genre film and a politically resonant piece of nostalgia. THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE uses history as a means of transforming what would otherwise be a routine ghost story into a powerful and affecting statement. … more less -
Spanish Apartment, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 06/01/2004 Rating R Production Year: 2003 Run Time: 122 mins Released By: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Cast: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Judith Godreche, Kelly Reilly, Cecile de France Xavier (Romain Duris), a wayward 25-year-old French guy, is encouraged by his father's friend to study Spanish and Economics--these skills will ensure his lucrative future, and since Xavier doesn't have much keeping him in Paris, other than his hippie mother and possessive girlfriend, he flies to Barcelona to participate in a study abroad program. Upon his arrival, Xavier meets a gregarious Parisian and his laconic but beautiful wife. Initially, Xavier rejects their friendship, but the couple bails him out when he cannot find an apartment, inviting him stay on their couch. Frantic to find his own lodgings, he interviews with an eclectic group of fellow exchange students, whose are from all over Western Europe. They find Xavier to be a suitable roommate, and the fun begins as the apartment becomes a hub of international activity. Xavier begins to shed his waywardness, becoming increasingly comfortable with his passions and pursuits. Set in the magnificence of Barcelona, the film is a nostalgic travelogue through Xavier's youthful and anxious wanderings. Politically, the film explores issues of ethnicity and international stereotypes, but for the most part its story is shot through a comedic lens. … more less -
So CloseGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 12/30/2003 Rating R Production Year: 2003 Run Time: 110 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Shu Qi, Zhao Wei, Karen Mok, Michael Wei, Seoung-Heon Song SO CLOSE is a high-energy, high-tech, visually arresting film by action director Cory Yuen, known for his collaborations with Jet Li. Sisters Lynn (Shu Qi) and Sue (Zhao Wei) are slick, fearless, and equipped with enough firearms and gadgetry to outwit an army. The girls were raised as assassins after witnessing their parents' murder by a group of ruthless businessmen who stole their father's ground-breaking invention: a way to control video security cameras via satellite. Now that they're all grown up, the super-sisters use their father's technology to mastermind their way into the guts of a corporate building. Once inside, they perform supernatural feats of martial arts and levitation (a la CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) to assassinate bigwig computer mogul Chow Lui. The sinister (but always lovable) sisters meet their match in Kong Yat Hong (Karen Mok), a whip-smart detective investigating Chow Lui's murder. Just before Hong can book them for the crime, all three women become the target of Lui's corrupt brother Chow Nunn, and the lines between law and lawlessness are pleasantly blurred. Lynn reconsiders a life of crime when old flame Yan (Seoung-Heon Song) shows up unexpectedly, but her tenacious younger sister, desperate for a promotion, is not about to let go of life on the edge. … more less -
Men With GunsGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 09/23/2003 Rating R Production Year: 1997 Run Time: 128 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Federico Luppi, Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn Grody, Damián Delgado, Dan Rivera Gonzalez Taking a vacation from his profitable private practice, a distinguished Latin American doctor (Federico Luppi) sets off on a quest to locate his former students, whom he trained and deployed throughout the disease-ridden rural regions of their unnamed country. Once he steps outside his comfortable milieu, he realizes the depths of despair rural villagers live in, as power-mad, gun-toting soldiers and guerrillas vie for control of the countryside. Gradually stripped of his former idealism, he collects a motley group of pilgrims in search of a legendary village untouched by men with guns. Director John Sayles, who had just finished LONE STAR, one of his most acclaimed films, shot the film in Spanish, a commercially risky maneuver. The decision pays off in the greater authenticity of the film, which captures the absurd circumstances in which the country's rural population must live. Partially inspired by Francisco Gold's novel THE LONG NIGHT OF WHITE CHICKENS, MEN WITH GUNS touches on the genre of magical realism to present a harrowing portrait of a war-torn Latin American country. … more less -
CharacterGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/04/2003 Rating R Production Year: 1997 Run Time: 125 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Jan Decleir Based on the popular classic 1938 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk, a drama about a timeless struggle between father and son - a struggle even the father knows the son is destined to win. Dreverhaven, the city's most feared bailiff, is dead, discovered with a knife through his heart. A self-taught lawyer who just passed his exams was the last person to see Dreverhaven alive. Now, the police want to know why he visited the old man, and the young barrister is ready to tell the story of a lifetime. Winner of the 1997 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. … more less -
Mad LoveGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 01/21/2003 Rating R Production Year: 2001 Run Time: 118 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Manuela Arcuri, Eloy Azorin, Rosana Pastor In 1496, eighteen year-old Princess Joan (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) is sent sent by her mother, Queen Isabella of Spain, to marry handsome young Philip (Daniele Liotti), the Archduke of Austria. What begins as a routine arranged marriage becomes insanely passionate when the two young people first lay eyes on each other. But the passion quickly fades for Philip as he becomes more focused on battle and the ascent to the throne. His rampant infidelities drive Joan into deep despair and he ultimately confines her to an asylum to get her away from him. Director Vincente Aranda's explosively passionate and beautiful period piece coaxes fine performances from two young newcomers Lopez de Ayala and Liotti and is sure to satisfy fans of European history--as well as those who like their costume dramas extra spicy. … more less -
Nine QueensGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 10/01/2002 Rating R Production Year: 2002 Run Time: 115 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Gaston Pauls, Ricardo Darin, Leticia Bredice, Tomas Fonzi, Graciela Tenembaun Fabian Bielinsky's directorial debut is an electrifying crime thriller that deserves to join the ranks as a classic of the genre--along with David Mamet's HOUSE OF GAMES and Bryan Singer's THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Set in a Buenos Aires that is on the verge of economic collapse, the film tells the story of Juan (Gaston Pauls), a con artist with a conscience. Trying to round up enough money to pay off his incarcerated father's debts, Juan stumbles into fellow swindler Marcos (Ricardo Darin), a far more confident, experienced criminal. When Marcos offers Juan the chance to team up for the day, his initial apprehension succumbs to the pressure of helping his father, and he agrees to the partnership. After a few minor cons, the pair unknowingly stumbles into a potentially lucrative score involving a wealthy businessman, Gandolfo, and a forged set of rare stamps, The Nine Queens. As new characters are introduced and the plot becomes more convoluted, it becomes unclear--to the audience, as well as Juan and Marcos--just who is conning whom. Bielinsky's debut feature is a magnetic, ingenious puzzle that features flawless performances by Darin and Pauls, in addition to the stellar supporting cast. … more less -
MeltdownGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 03/05/2002 Rating R Production Year: 1995 Run Time: 101 mins Released By: Sony Pictures Home Cast: Jacky Cheung, Jet Li, Chingmy Yau, Valerie Chow, Charlie Yeung A Hong-Kong DIE HARD starring international action star Jet Li, who stars as Kit Li. Li works as a stunt double and bodyguard for Frankie Laine (Jacky Cheung), a cowardly, tippling, flabby has-been action hero. During an exhibition of the Russian crown jewels in Hong Kong, a group of terrorists try to steal the jewels while taking over the building, Laine with the help of his skilled, brooding bodyguard, must get his act together in time to save a group of partygoers --and save his public image in the process. Plenty of Wong Jing's celebrated industry jabs. … more less
