Latest – Page 683
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Reviews
Foreign Language Oscar submissions
National submissions for Best Foreign Language OscarClick on the underlined titles to read the Screen International reviewAfghanistan FireDancer- Jawed WasselAlgeria Rachida - Yamina Bachir-Chouikh Argentina Kamchatka - Marcelo PineyroAustria Gebirtig (Gebuertig)- Lukas Stepanik and Robert SchindelBangladesh The Clay Bird (Matir Moina) - Tareque MasudBelgium The Son (Le Fils) - Jean-Pierre ...
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Reviews
Deathwatch
Dir: Michael J Bassett. UK. 2002. 95 mins.The old maxim that war is hell gets dusted down yet again for Deathwatch, a horror film set in the trenches of World War I which will attract attention as Jamie Bell's first role since his applauded and awarded performance in Billy Elliott ...
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Reviews
Eight Crazy Nights
Dir: Seth Kearsley. US 2002. 71 minutesAdam Sandler has been extending his acting range recently but Eight Crazy Nights, an animated film in which he voices most of the key characters, is not likely to be confused with Punch Drunk Love. Comedies are always a tough sell abroad and Sandler ...
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Reviews
I'm Taraneh, 15
Dir: Rassul Sadr-Ameli. Iran. 2002. 110 mins. A young single mother's struggle for survival is the theme of a compelling story that's both universally recognisable and packed with revealing detail unique to contemporary Iran. The country's official candidate for the Foreign Language Oscar and a critical and popular hit there, ...
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Reviews
Out
Dir: Hideyuki Hirayama. Japan. 2002. 119 mins.Every once in a while a Japanese movie comes along that translates well across borders, whether as an original or a remake. Hideo Nakata's Ringu was one, Hideyuki Hirayama's Out, a black comedy about three women who chop up bodies for cash, is another, ...
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Reviews
Solaris
Dir: Steven Soderbergh. US 2002. 99 minutes For a film which purports to be about the deepest recesses of the human heart, this sci-fi romance is curiously lacking in emotion. It is a fatal flaw and, while the marquee value of international heartthrob Clooney and wunderkind film-maker Soderbergh promises encouraging ...
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Reviews
Treasure Planet
Dir: John Musker & Ron Clements. US. 2002. 95 mins. Walt Disney Feature Animation follow up the delightful Lilo & Stitch with a more conventional holiday programmer in Treasure Planet, an entertaining, but perfunctory animated adventure which will come third on kids' wishlists after live-action family movies Harry Potter And ...
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Reviews
Wild Bees (Divoke Vcely)
Dir: Bohdan Slama. Czech Republic. 2001. 94minsThis good-natured countryside romp has already secured a place in a number of film festivals, from Rotterdam onwards. While there is no denying its unspoilt natural flavour and its light, insouciant charm, it is also difficult to ignore its lack of a real story, ...
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Reviews
Gebirtig
Dirs: Lukas Stepanik, Robert Schindel. Austria 2002. 115minsAdapted from Robert Schindel's own successful novel of the same name, this Austrian candidate for the 2002 foreign Oscars delivers one of the more intelligent, caustic and lucid films made on the country's share in Nazi guilt, an issue that has been repeatedly ...
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Reviews
Adaptation
Dir: Spike Jonze. US. 2002. 114mins "The best script I've ever read" is a line oft spoken, by star Meryl Streep among many others, of Adaptation, the eagerly awaited reunion of writer Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze after 1999's Being John Malkovich turned American movies on their head. The ...
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Reviews
See How They Run (Embrassez Qui Vous Voudrez)
Dir: Michel Blanc. France. 103minsFrench comedy writer-actor Michel Blanc has struck critical and commercial pay dirt with his fourth directing effort in two decades. See How They Run is a darkly funny, sometimes farcical comedy of manners during a traditional summer holiday at the French seaside. Tart comic portraiture and ...
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Reviews
Crackerjack
Dir: Paul Maloney. Australia. 2002. 92mins.Relying heavily on the shambling amiability of its co-writer/co-producer/ star, this easy-going comedy will register with local audiences familiar with comedian Mick Molloy's unkempt persona, developed during a decade of TV, radio and stand-up appearances. With Roadshow investing in a wide Australian release (it opened ...
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Reviews
Kamchatka
Dir: Marcelo Pineyro. Argentina-Spain, 2002. 104m.Argentina's selection for the foreign-language Oscar, Kamchatka has good worldwide potential for arthouse and foreign-language theatres thanks to hot lead actor Ricardo Darin (Nine Queens, The Son Of The Bride) and universal themes of family, childhood, love and loss. A heartfelt, intelligent and well-intentioned film ...
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Reviews
Die Another Day
Dir: Lee Tamahori. UK/US. 2002. 129 mins. Die Another Day has a lot to live up to: the hoopla surrounding the fortieth anniversary of the James Bond franchise, a box office track record that has seen each of the last three entries gross around $350m worldwide, and the expectations of ...
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Reviews
Mon-Rak Transistor
Dir: Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Thailand. 2002. 120 mins. Monrak Transistor may win a few friends on the strength of its ingenuous charm and attractive performances, but the shapeless direction and meandering story make this dark musical comedy unlikely to have much impact on arthouse audiences outside its home turf. Its best ...
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Reviews
In This World
Dir: Michael Winterbottom. UK 2002. 87mins.It's a road movie to end road movies: two Afghan refugees' long, life-threatening overland journey from Pakistan to London, shot with a small DV camera but a big wide-screen sweep. World premiered at the London Film Festival - where it played as a last-minute addition ...
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Reviews
Anita And Me
Dir: Metin Huseyin. UK. 2002. 93mins. With its blend of elements from the successful recent comedies East Of East and Bend It Like Beckham, Anita And Me is intent on riding on the current public appetite for all things Asian-British. In the UK, where it world premiered at the London ...
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Reviews
Nobody's Life (La Vida De Nadie)
Dir: Eduard Cortes. Spain. 2002. 103 mins.The only Spanish film in competition at last week's Valladolid International Film Week, Nobody's Life (La Vida De Nadie) marks the impressive feature film debut of Catalan TV director Eduard Cortes. A suspenseful adult drama anchored by strong performances from lead actors Jose Coronado ...
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Reviews
Bus 174 (Onibus 174)
Dir: Jose Padilha. Brazil. 2002. 150mins.Jose Padillha's excellent documentary about a gunman holding up a bus in Rio de Janeiro boasts extraordinary footage and tells a remarkable story. While it covers some of the same ground as Fernado Mereilles much acclaimed slum drama City Of God, it also stands on ...
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Reviews
House Of Fools (Dom Durakov)
Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky. Russia-France. 2002. 104mins.Released from the strict disciplines of Hollywood film making, to which he adhered during his Western exile, veteran Andrei Konchalovsky, now firmly re-established back in Moscow, lets his hair down and plunges into a very personal exploration of the Russian experience with House Of ...