Last Movie Watched: October 2014

La Jetee (Chris Marker, France, 1963)

SYNOPSIS: Chris Marker’s La Jetée is one of the most influential, radical science-fiction films ever made, a tale of time travel told in still images. (SOURCE: Criterion)

WRITER: Chris Marker

STARS: Jean Négroni, Davis Hanich, Hélène Chatelain

RATING: 5/5


Frank (Lenny Abrahamson, UK/Ireland, 2014)

SYNOPSIS: A young wannabe musician, Jon, who finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant-garde pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank, a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head, and his terrifying bandmate Clara. (SOURCE: Rotten Tomatoes)

WRITER: Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan

STARS: Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal
RATING: 3.5/5


Pina (Wim Wenders, Germany/France/UK , 2011)

SYNOPSIS:  A tribute to the late German choreographer, Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations. (SOURCE: IMDB)

WRITER: Wim Wenders

STARS: Pina Bausch, Jorge Puerta, Regina Advento, et.al

RATING: 4/5


A New Man (Hughes William Thompson, USA, 2013)

SYNOPSIS: After his wife leaves him, Charles begins to assume the identities of strangers at a local coffee shop to avoid being alone. (SOURCE: Short of the Week)

If you want to watch this short, just click here.

WRITER: Etgar Keret

STARS: Russell Saylor, Caitlin Mehner, Vince Bandille

RATING: 4/5


The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, US, 2001)

SYNOPSIS:  An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when their father announces he is terminally ill. (SOURCE: IMDB)

WRITER: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

STARS: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Houston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson

RATING: 4/5


Amazing Grace (Michael Apted, UK, 2006)

SYNOPSIS:  The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade. (SOURCE: IMDB)

WRITER: Steven Knight

STARS: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney, Youssou N'Dour

RATING: 3/5


Ne le Dis à Personne (Tell No One) (Harlan Coben, France, 2006)

SYNOPSIS:  The pediatrician Alexandre Beck misses his beloved wife Margot Beck, who was brutally murdered eight years ago when he was the prime suspect. When two bodies are found near where the corpse of Margot was dumped, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes suspect again. The mystery increases when Alex receives an e-mail showing Margot older and alive. (SOURCE: IMDB)

WRITER: Harlan Coben, (novel) Guillaume Canet, Philippe Lefebvre (screenplay)

STARS: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier

RATING: 3.5/5

Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, UK, 1996)

SYNOPSIS:  Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends. (SOURCE: IMDB)

WRITER: John Hodge

STARS: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin Mckidd, Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald,

RATING: 5/5


Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (Peter Capaldi, UK, 1993)

SYNOPSIS:  While trying to decide what Gregor Samsa wakes up as, Kafka's constantly being interrupted by knife-selling strangers, party noise, girls, fancy dress costumes, and other strange, dreamlike visions. (SOURCE: IMDB)

If you want to watch this short, just click here.

WRITER: Peter Capaldi

STARS: Richard E. Grant, Crispin Letts, Ken Stott, Elaine Collins, Phyllis Logan

RATING: 3.5/5
 
 
 36 (Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Thailand, 2012)

SYNOPSIS:  Location scout Sai gets into a relationship with an art director Oom. After the guy moves on, she struggles to reconstruct those memories after a hard-drive crash erases the photos she took with him. Nothing, it seems, is the way she remembers. The film is comprised of 36 scenes, each a single-camera set-up, preceded by a title card. (SOURCE: Thai Movie Blog)

WRITER: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit

STARS: Vajrasthira Koramit, Wanlop Rungkamjad

RATING: 5/5
 
Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, US, 1924)
 
SYNOPSIS:  A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch. (SOURCE: IMDB)
 
WRITER: Jean Havez, Joe Mitchell, Clyde Bruckman
 
STARS: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Ward Crane
 
RATING: 4/5

Kaïrat (Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan, 1992)

SYNOPSIS: Living in Almaty, Kazakhstan, a young man is preparing to become a bus conductor. One day, in between wandering the city streets, and going to the movies, he makes the acquaintance of a female student. (SOURCE: IMDB)

WRITER: Darezhan Omirbayev

STARS: Samat Beysenbin, Baljan Bisembekova, Indira Jeksembaeva, Kariat Mahmetov

RATING: 3/5

 

When the Tenth Month Comes (Đặng Nhật Minh, Vietnam, 1984)

 

SYNOPSIS: A vivid portrayal from the point of view of a young Vietnamese widow of the legacy of the Vietnam war. It was released internationally under the name “The Love Doesn’t Come Back.” (SOURCE: MUBI)

 

WRITER: Đặng Nhật Minh

 

STARS: Van Le, Luu Viet Bao Dang, Phu Cuong Lai, Huu Muoi Nguyen

 

RATING: 4/5
 

Ang Dagat Na Nalulunod (The Drowning Sea) (Khavn de la Cruz, Philippines, 2008)

SYNOPSIS: A short film directed, written, and produced by Khavn de la Cruz. If you want to watch the short, just click here.

WRITER: Khavn de la Cruz

STARS: Mei Bastes

RATING: 3.5/5