Film Reviews

The Ethiopian intellectual Anberber returns to his native country during the repressive totalitarian regime of Haile Mariam Mengistu and the recognition of his own displacement and powerlessness at the dissolution of his people's humanity and social values. After several years spent studying medicine in Germany, he finds the country of his youth replaced by turmoil. His dream of using his craft to improve the health of Ethiopians is squashed by a military junta that uses scientists for its own political ends. Seeking the comfort of his countryside home, Anberber finds no refuge from violence. The solace that the memories of his youth provide is quickly replaced by the competing forces of military and rebelling factions. Anberber needs to decide whether he wants to bear the strain or piece together a life from the fragments that lie around him.

Estranged from his father, college student Jake is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie, does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie.

Bok-Soon (Kim Go-eun-I) runs a street stall while taking care of her younger sister. Bok-Soon may not be the brightest girl but what she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in uncontrollable rage. She’s infamously known as the “psycho bitch” in her neighborhood. Bok-Soon’s relatively peaceful life with her sister is disrupted when they cross paths with a serial killer named Tae-Soo (Lee Min-ki). Tae-Soo kills Bok-Soon’s sister because she may have stumbled upon the truth of his murderous lifestyle. Bok-Soon’s rage consumes her completely, leading her to plot her revenge on Tae Soo.

Americans Jeff and Tommy, hunting in Scotland, stumble upon a village - Brigadoon. They soon learn that the town appears once every 100 years in order to preserve its peace and special beauty. The citizens go to bed at night and when they wake up, it's 100 years later. Tommy falls in love with a beautiful young woman, Fiona, and is torn between staying or going back to his hectic life in New York.

CENTRAL PARK is a film about the famous New York City landmark and the variety of ways in which people make use of it: running, boating, walking, skating, music, theatre, sports, picnics, parades and concerts. The film also illustrates the complex problems the New York City Parks Department deals with in order to maintain and preserve the park and keep it open and accessible to the public.

Documentary presented by Rageh Omaar which reveals the lives, hopes and fears of the young generation of Tehran, the most intriguing, talked about but least understood city in the world today. Omaar and director Paul Sapin spent a year arranging the permissions and contacts for the film, who include a renowned female photojournalist, a woman who is the CEO of an international transport company, the editor of a youth magazine, the staff at a drug rehab centre and a pop star.

Nasser-Ali, a talented musician, loses the will to live after his wife breaks his beloved violin during an argument. He searches for a replacement, and finding none that sounds quite the same, he vows to die. Eight days later, he does. This is the story of his last week of life, where we see flashbacks and flash forwards of his previous life and his children's futures. We also see appearances of a nude Sophia Loren as well as the angel of death, Azarel. As we see his life, we realize exactly why he chose to end it and the profundity of this choice.

The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle -- a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

1943. In the midst of World War II, a serial murderer appears in the Blue Division, volunteer body of Spanish soldiers who fought on the Russian front with German troops. After finding the body of a Spanish soldier who has been stuck in the shoulder and has a knife inscription ("Look at God looking at you"), an investigation is initiated by the soldier in charge Arturo Andrade (Juan Diego Botto ), police inspector who takes the job with precision and professionalism, aided by Sergeant Estrada (Carmelo Gómez). They begin to suspect that behind this murder dark secrets of the past are hidden .

Through intimate interviews, provocative art, and rare, historical film and video footage, this feature documentary reveals how art addressing political consequences of discrimination and violence, the Feminist Art Revolution radically transformed the art and culture of our times.

Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who had gotten himself involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.

WHO KILLED CHEA VICHEA? is a highly charged murder mystery, a political thriller, and a documentary like no other. In 2004, Cambodian union president Chea Vichea was assassinated in broad daylight at a newsstand in Phnom Penh. As international pressure mounted, two men were swiftly arrested and convicted of the crime, each sentenced to twenty years in prison. Filmmaker Bradley Cox’s five-year investigation reveals an elaborate cover-up that reaches the highest echelons of Cambodian society. Winner of a 2011 Peabody Award among many other honors and banned by the Cambodian government, WHO KILLED CHEA VICHEA? uncovers the face of dictatorship behind the mask of democracy.

In this gothic tale, a housekeeper tries to juggle taking care of a retired actress and keeping an eye on her two sisters.

Sam Von Schamm The Hessian and Bugs Bunny fight it out in the little known American Revolutionary War Battle of Bagel Heights.

In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.