Film Reviews

Gaspard Dassonville may be 63 but he stubbornly refuses to show his age. A well-known television producer, he amuses himself with women who are half his age, and life has never felt so good. Then, one day, his age catches up with him with a vengeance, when he is forced to take care of his elderly father Hubert. An indomitable oldster, Hubert soon manages to unsettle his son’s illusory youth, but things take an unexpected turn when a care assistant with a colorful imagination comes between them...

When a science experiment goes horribly wrong, gigantic fish gain appetites for human flesh.

Four children enter a high-stakes lottery. If they win, they can attend one of the best schools in New York. A look at the crisis in public education, The Lottery makes the case than any child can succeed.

While vacationing at a beachside resort, a single mother faces inevitable separation anxiety when her 15-year-old son — who is also her best friend — discovers magical chemistry with a girl his own age.

One morning, California wakes up to find that one-third of its population -- the Hispanic third -- has disappeared. A strange pink fog envelops the state, and communication outside its boundaries is completely cut off. The economic, political and social implications of this disaster threaten California's way of life, and for a group of disparate people (all white, except for one Latina), the cracks in their private lives are forced wide open.

Since his untimely death from pancreatic cancer in 1994, Bill Hicks has become a comedy legend. Now fans who may have never had the opportunity to see his act live on-stage will finally be able to experience Hicks' unique and confrontational brand of comedy.

A darkly humorous short documentary about a preschool-age boy ostracised from interactions with his classmates until a girl who has become interested in his pet crow provides the link to social acceptance.

Winner of a Best Documentary Academy Award, Marcel Ophuls' riveting film details the heinous legacy of the Gestapo head dubbed "The Butcher of Lyon." Responsible for over 4,000 deaths in occupied France during World War II, Barbie would escape--with U.S. help--to South America in 1951, where he lived until a global manhunt led to his 1983 arrest and subsequent trial.

'Dalla nube alla resistenza (From the Cloud to the Resistance ) (1978), based on two works by Cesare Pavese, falls into the category of History Lessons and Too Early, Too Late as well. It, too, has two parts—a twentieth-century text and a text regarding the myths of antiquity, each set in the appropriate landscape. Pavese's The Moon and the Bonfires looks back on the violent deaths of Italian anti-Fascist resistance fighters; Dialogues with Leucò is a series of dialogues between heroes and gods, connecting myth and history and returning to an ambiguous stage in the creation of distinctions, such as that between animal and human, which are fundamental to grammar and language itself. Such a juxtaposition of political engagement with profoundly contemplative issues such as myth, nature, and meaning points to the characters of Empedocles and Antigone in the Hölderlin films.' (From "Landscapes of resistance. The German Films of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub" by Barton Byg)

Maine Congressman Charlie Winship has had a bad day. After being caught on video failing to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance, he knocks out another House member, confronts his angry ex-wife, and faces denunciation by the media for attacking one of the most cherished patriotic symbols in America. As his life spirals out of control, Charlie embarks on a journey to a remote island in the Atlantic whose eccentric inhabitants are in the middle of a shooting war over their fishing grounds. Treat Williams stars as The Congressman in this humorous and moving film that raises the important question of what it means to be an American.

Mumbai-based Kabir Dhiman, who comes from a wealthy building construction family, proposes to his long-time girlfriend, Natasha, much to the delight of both their respective families. He then gets together with one of two of his close friends, Imran Habib, a writer by profession, and they contact their London-based financial broker friend, Arjun, to remind him of a pact of traveling to Spain. The trio commence their long overdue trip not fully realizing that Arjun has still not forgiven Imran for his break-up with Sunani, while he himself regrets being dumped by Rohini, and must also compete with Imran for the affections of gorgeous Deep Sea Diving Instructor, Laila; Kabir struggles to accept life as Natasha's husband; and Imran must ready himself to meet his biological father, Salman, who had abandoned him at birth.

Jean Reno, Benoit Magimel and Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Star Wars Trilogy) star in the riveting action-packed sequel to Crimson Rivers. No one is safe when seemingly random killings emerge as a deadly pattern intended to usher in the end of the world. A murder victim with the same DNA as Christ. A serial killer mimicking the deaths of the 12 Apostles. Inspector Niemans (Reno) and a young, rebellious detective team up with a beautiful expert in religion to crack the case before their elusive suspect completes the cycle of terror, paving the way to an even bigger bloody catastrophe.

Alexia travels with her friend Marie to spend a couple of days with her family in their farm in the country. They arrive late and they are welcomed by Alexia's father. Late in the night, a sadistic and sick killer breaks into the farmhouse, slaughters Alexia's family--including their dog--and kidnaps Alexia. Marie hides from the criminal and tries to help the hysterical and frightened Alexia, chase the maniac, and disclose his identity in the end.

There was a time, as recently as the 1980s, when storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards and even street signs were all hand-lettered with brush and paint. Today, the proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our landscape. Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade. SIGN PAINTERS is a history of the craft and features the stories of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States.

When a tough western town needs taming, the mild-mannered son of a hard-nosed sheriff gets the job.