Love Birds (2011) Doug (Rhys Darby) is dumped by his longtime girlfriend and falls into a tailspin of depression. When he finds an injured duck and nurses it to health, he emerges from his depression and falls in love with veterinarian Holly (Sally Hawkins). This New Zealand romantic comedy is not very imaginative, but Rhys… Continue reading Hijacking love birds
Tag: Foreign films
In prison; escaping from prison; going to prison
Caesar Must Die (2012) This film about prisoners in an Italian suburb staging a production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar won the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. The director used actual prisoners in the cast, which makes the film interesting, but it didn’t do anything for me. The Last Stand (2013) Ray… Continue reading In prison; escaping from prison; going to prison
The priest of Wall Street
Leon Morin, Priest (1961) A communist rabble-rouser (Emmanuelle Riva) goes to confession to pick a fight with a priest (Jean-Paul Belmondo); they develop a friendship and meet regularly to discuss issues of faith. Like the philosophical movies of Carl Th. Dreyer or Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre (1981), this film by Jean-Pierre Melville is basically a two-hour… Continue reading The priest of Wall Street
Joyful and embarrasing
Swades: We, the People (2004) NASA engineer Mohan Bhargava goes to India to visit his grandmother after his parent’s death where he discovers a passion for his heritage and falls in love with an old childhood friend. Eventually, he must choose between his homeland and his work . India film culture is almost like an echo of classic Hollywood… Continue reading Joyful and embarrasing