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Tag Archives: Foreign Films

Favorite Films of 2015

27 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

"A Brilliant Young Mind", "About Elly", "Bridge of Spies", "Brooklyn", "Cargel Land", "Clouds of Silas Maria", "Cut Snake", "GHETT", "Ixanul Volcano", "Labrynth of Lies", "Love and Mercy", "Meru", "RAMS", "Selma", "Seymour", "The Fool", "The White Knights, Documentaries, Favorite Movies of 2015, Films, Foreign Films, Movies

Favorite Movies

Most of the end-of-the year lists of “Best” Films, “Best” Books, etc. come from critics who review films/books for a living.

I don’t claim any special film knowledge and just tend to write about how much I liked various films for whatever reasons. Here is a list of many (tho not all) of the films Ellen and I saw in 2015, largely ones that I rated four stars or higher (out of a system of 1-5 stars).

As I was posting this list, I thought of adjusting a few of the ratings (up or down) but decided to leave the ratings the way I made them a day or two after seeing each film.

Ellen’s ratings are in parentheses, some made at the time of seeing it, some as I’m constructing this post. Some she cannot remember. (I have the same memory problems on some of them, but I can refer to the mini-reviews I wrote.)

These starred categories are somewhat arbitrary, but generally the five and four and a half star films are pretty close, and I enjoyed those tremendously. The four star ones were all good, but I had some (minor) reservations. The three and half star ones were more problematical films but still may be worth checking out. Three starred ones were even more problematic.

If a film did not make it into one of these categories, I did not write a review.

A significant number, but certainly not all, of these films are either documentary, foreign, or small films, often only in the theaters for a few weeks, usually in one of the independent theaters in the DC area or in our DC Film Club. We did attend two film festivals in 2015 — one in Miami and one in Philly — where we saw a number of the films listed below. Note that some of the films mentioned are currently in the theaters.

If you click on any of the linked titles below, you will get to my mini-review of that film on MillersTime.

As always, I welcome your Comments about any of these or any others you saw this year which you particularly enjoyed.

Five Stars  *****

  • A Brilliant Young Mind (Ellen rated it a 4)
  • GETT (Ellen – 5)
  • Ixanul Volcano (Ellen rated it 4)
  • Love and Mercy
  • Selma (Ellen – 4)
  • Seymour (Ellen – 5)
  • Spotlight (Ellen – 5)
  • Testament of Youth
  • The White Knights (Ellen – 5)
  • The Fool

Four and Half Stars  ****1/2

  • About Elly
  • Bridge of Spies (Ellen – 4)
  • Brooklyn (Ellen – 4)
  • Cartel Land
  • Clouds of Silas Maria
  • Cut Snake
  • Labrynth of Lies (Ellen – 4)
  • Meru
  • RAMS (Ellen – 4)

Four Stars ****

  • Dheepan (Ellen – 4)
  • Gemma Bovery
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
  • Meet the Patels
  • Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
  • Mr. Holmes (Ellen – 4)
  • Mustang (Ellen rated it 5)
  • Phoenix
  • Remember (Ellen – 5)
  • Room (Ellen – 3 1/2)
  • Rosenwald (Ellen – 5)
  • Spy (Ellen – 3)
  • The Big Short (Not Reviewed, But Rated) (Ellen -5 )
  • The Club (Ellen – 5)
  • The Farewell Party
  • The Salt of the Earth (Ellen – 4)
  • Set Fire to the Stars
  • Warsaw 44
  • When Marnie Was There
  • Wild Tales (Ellen – 5)
  • Woman in Gold (Ellen – 4)

Three and a Half Stars ***1/2

  • Carol (Not Reviewed but rated) (Ellen – 4)
  • 45 Years (Not Reviewed, But Rated) (Ellen – 4)
  • Our Brand Is Crisis (Ellen – 3)
  • Soy Cuba (I Am Cuba)
  • (T)error (Ellen – 4)
  • Trumbo (Not Reviewed, But Rated) (Ellen – 3 1/2)

Three Stars ***

  • American Sniper (and a review by a friend – 5 stars)
  • Anomalisa (Ellen 3; then a 4)
  • End of the Tour
  • Flowers (Ellen – 4)
  • Paco de Lucia
  • Suffragette (Ellen – 3)
  • Where to Invade Next (Ellen – 2)
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Favorite Films from First Half of 2014

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

"MillersTime" Film Reviews, 2014 Film Reviews, Best Films in 2014, Documentaries, Films, Foreign Films, Movies

Compiled below is the list of films I saw between Jan. 1, 2014 and July 31, 2014 that I rated from three and a half to five stars.

These categories are somewhat arbitrary, but generally the five and four and a half star films are pretty close, and I enjoyed those tremendously. The four star ones were all good, but I had some (minor) reservations. The three and half star ones were more problematical films but still worth checking out.

If a film did not make it into one of these categories, I did not write a review.

The ones listed below I recommend for your consideration.

Continue reading »

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“Wadjda” – One of My Favorite Films of the Year (so far)

18 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

"A Separation", "Wadjda", Best Films of the Year, Films, Foreign Films

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Wadjda *****

This film is one that you will have to seek out as it is not in the main movie theaters and probably will not be around too long.

That’s too bad.

It’s another very good one, and I believe you will be ‘rewarded’ for making the effort to see it.

(No spoilers.)

Briefly, it is a gentle, charming film about a young girl in a suburb of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia who wants to buy a bicycle and to race a boy about her own age who has befriended her.

Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) is a 10 year-old girl who lives primarily with her mother who is worried about her daughter not conforming to society. Additionally, her mother is worried her own husband will take a second wife in order to have a male heir.

A bit of a tomboy whose behaviors draw the attention of a strict headmistress at her religious girls’ school, Wadjda comes up with a plan to earn the money for the bicycle she so badly wants.

The film is shot in Saudia Arabia and written and directed by a woman (Haifaa Al Mansour), quite an achievement in a society where cinemas are banned and women cannot vote or drive.

There are so many wonderful things about this film.  Wadjda herself is simply delightful. Her story is about being female in Saudi Arabia and at the same time it is a universal story about generational differences and adolescent urges to do things differently than parents and society ‘dictate’. Mansour lets it unfold slowly and in subtle ways without screaming anti-Saudi messages.

It is also a look inside a society that is barely familiar to most of us.  It reminded me of one of my favorite films last year, A Separation, which gave viewers an insight into a similarly unfamiliar society.

And I look forward to seeing it a second time as I (mistakenly?) saw it last week when my wife was out of town.

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Two Good Films

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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Tags

Foreign Films, Hermano, The Kid with a Bike


The Kid with a Bike ****

Another good foreign film, another one in French with subtitles, another one which offers some hope amidst times and circumstances that are troublesome (See Le Havre, Monsieur Lahzar).,

This one is about an 11 year old boy, Cyril, who has been abandoned by his father and misses him terribly. Living in a children’s home, Cyril desperately wants to find his father. While searching for his father, he literally runs into a kindly young woman, Samantha, who decides to try to help.

The 88-minute film traces Cyril’s search for his father and the growing relationship he has with Samantha. So as not to spoil the film, I’ll refrain from outlining what happens, but the boy and his bike and the woman who is helping him become individuals you will not easily forget.

(Note, wife Ellen did not like The Boy with a Bike as much as I did, but the film was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize ag Cannes and a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.)


Hermano *****

This Venezuelan film may be the best film we’ve seen this year in our Sunday morning Cinema Club. Maybe the best we’ve seen anywhere so far this year.

It’s the story of two brothers raised in the barrios of La Ceniza. The younger brother, Daniel, “Gato,” was found and rescued by Julio and Julio’s mother. Then raised as brothers, Gato and Julio become inseparable. They also become rising soccer stars and are presented with the opportunity to play professional soccer. What happens then I will leave to when you see the film.

There are so many good aspects to this film, the acting, which almost doesn’t seem like acting, the filming, which while slightly jarring to some folks, I thought was superb, music that adds another layer of interest, and a story line that is much more than the usual sports as a metaphor for life film.

The film has not been shown yet in this country but has won some prizes outside of the US. It will be shown here, opening within the next couple of months after several benefit performances around the country.

Do put it on your list to see.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Monsieur Lahzar
, which I reviewed earlier, got a rating of 100% (good or excellent) from our film club when we saw it several weeks ago. Apparently that high a rating has only happened one other time in the 20 years of the movie club (“The Piano” was the other one.). It opens in Washington April 27th.

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If You Love Sushi…or Even If You Don’t…

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Foreign Films, Jiro, Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Shushi ****1/2

I don’t know for sure how long this 81 minute film, documentary, is going to be around in DC (it’s here now), but if you like sushi, then definitely make time to see it.

It’s the story of a sushi restaurant in a Tokyo subway station that has earned a three star Michelin review.

Actually, it more about its owner and chef, 85-year old Jiro Ono. His 10-seat, sushi only restaurant, apparently made famous by a restaurant reviewer(s), is a very expensive, call-a-month-in-advance sushi bar that folks come from far beyond Tokyo to ‘dine.’

This man, this chef, is the definition of a perfectionist, and, even at his current age, apparently continues to work at perfecting his sushi offerings.

It is also the story of his two sons. His elder one will one day succeed him but has ‘apprenticed’ for at least 30 years. His younger son has established his own restaurant elsewhere in Tokyo.

The film is fascinating as a study of Jiro, what he has created, what drives him, and how and why he continues to develop his restaurant. It is also fascinating from the point of view of the father-son(s) relationship(s).

Even if you don’t like sushi, the film will make your mouth water and give you an appreciation for someone who does his craft well.

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Another Film to See

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Boy, Foreign Films, Monsieur Lahzar, Movies

Monsieur Lazhar **** ½

This Canadian film is another one that was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category (A Separation won the award and A Footnote was also a contender for the prize).

Continue reading »

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