Archive for the 'Foreign' Category

The Counterfeiters

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 12, 2008
in Based on a book, Based on a true story, Drama, Foreign, Germany, Jewish, WWII and War
. 0 Comments

Fälscher, Die, or The Counterfeiters is based on the true story of Operation Bernhard, the largest counterfeiting operation in history.  During WWII, the Nazis had a great idea in 1936 to destroy the economies of their foes by counterfeiting large amounts of currency and flooding the markets.  By 1945 the Germans had successfully created 8,965,080 British banknotes valued at £134,610,810.  Their efforts were then turned towards the US dollar, but due to some sabotage on the part of the Jewish prisoners and Allied Forces winning the war, large amounts of US currency were never printed.

This film follows the story of Salomon Sorowitsch, the best counterfeiter at the time, and Adolf Burger, an expert printer, as they simultaneously try to stay alive and foil the Germans plans.  Housed at Sachsenhausen, these special prisoners were kept apart from the rest of the camp.  They were given nice clothes, plenty of food, real beds to sleep in, showers, and even had music playing all day long.  I am by no means an expert on the Nazi camps, but I had never heard of this kind of treatment before.

Towards the end of the war the countfeiters at Sachsenhausen were moved to Ebensee, but the operation was never started back up again before the camp was liberated.  Many of the banknotes were thrown into a nearby lake and were recovered by divers years later.

This is another great film for any history buff.  Very interesting and enjoyable.  Some of the special features even include interviews with Adolf Burger.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Host

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 5, 2008
in Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Foreign, Horror, Korea, Sci-fi and Thriller
. 0 Comments

I can’t say I’ve seen too many Korean films, but this one is top-notch in my book. When I saw the previews for this a couple years ago I was looking forward to seeing it. I don’t think it ever came my way though. In classic Japanese-Godzilla-style, a strange mutated fish thing is created in a river due to toxic waste being poured down the drain. Eventually this creature gets big enough to start terrorizing the local population and eating people.

The film centers around the Park family. The grandfather runs a food stand in a park next to the river. Mr. Park is helped by one son, his daughter is an Olympic archer, and his other son is a bit of a drunk. His granddaughter is currently in the 7th grade and is one of the many victims on the day of the attack. That fateful day, and the death of the granddaughter, brings the whole family back together as they try to deal with the tragedy.

While The Host is definitely science fiction and suspenseful, there’s also some witty humor thrown into the mix amongst some of the more tense scenes. I found it quite hilarious when these sarcastic remarks were thrown in during the scenes when you shouldn’t be laughing.

I would highly suggest this for anyone who even thought of maybe seeing it. While this movie is about a monster, it’s not a scary horror movie that will leave you jumping out of your seats. It’s also not cheesy and boring like many of these can be.

Rating: ★★★★½

Persepolis

Published
by
nathanshorb
on July 5, 2008
in Adolescence, Animation, Autobiography, Based on a graphic novel, Coming of age, Foreign, French and War
. 1 Comment

Persepolis is the animated film adaptation of the autobiographical graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi. It’s her coming of age story, living through the turmoil, wars, and revolts of Iran in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s

Simply put, it’s a lovely little film that really catches the viewer’s attention. Its animation is simple but thoroughly heartfelt and extremely effective. While few of us have lived through wars, seeing our relatives fight for their beliefs and die in the process, we can somehow relate to this story, perhaps because it’s told so candidly. The innocence of childhood, the ups and downs of adolescence, and trying to make sense of it all in adulthood are something each of us experience. Satrapi has said that this was one aim of the film, to show how much of growing up is a universal experience.

In the process of the film, though, we are treated to a little bit of a history lesson of the country of Iran. And while you don’t get all the ins and outs of the history, it makes you eager to learn a bit more.

My only complaint is that the storytelling at times seemed too fragmented. It felt rushed, each segment was brief before jumping to the next event at hand. Satrapi, obviously, is a talented and poignant storyteller, and I would have appreciated a more in-depth, detailed look at some parts of the story

So, this film comes highly recommended. It’s an enlightening and personal story that is absolutely beautifully told. I hope more animated works like it start coming our way.

Rating: ★★★★½

Appleseed: Ex Machina

Published
by
Chalupa
on March 11, 2008
in Action, Animation, Anime, Based on a comic, Based on a graphic novel, Conspiracy, End of the world, Foreign, Future, Japan, Martial Arts, Sequel and War
. 1 Comment

This is my first-ever sponsored review. I haven’t done anything like this before. If you’ve never heard of Appleseed: Ex Machina before, you should know it’s an Anime sequel to Appleseed. This film does come from Japan, but the Region 1 DVD release has been dubbed into English. Directing this film is the legendary Shinji Aramaki. I say legendary because this man has been very influential in the world of animation and the drawing of cartoon machines. This guy worked on the drawings and designs of the first Transformers toys, MASK, the Genesis series, and Fullmetal Alchemist. Producing this film is John Woo of action and martial arts fame.

If you know anything about Anime, you know it’s a style of animation from Japan. John Woo happens to be from China. The two of them working together, in a creative manner, is nothing short of amazing due to the long history of being at odds that their two countries have. The fact Woo is involved leads a lot of credibility to the project and puts the film on the radars of many potential fans. Even though Woo is known for his fight scenes, there’s the element of emotion that many miss. The emotion and depth to the characters and story turns a film like this from being just eye-candy into a truly wonderful work of art. You’ll definitely see his influence in scenes where slow motion, creative fighting styles and lots of bullets are used.

The word Anime is really just an abbreviation of the English word animation and has its roots in Japanese Manga. Anime is traditionally hand drawn, but computer animation is becoming more and more common. Having majored in computer science as an undergrad, I know a tiny bit about the work and processing power it takes to make cartoons and animated films. The 3-D animation is this film is nothing short of amazing. Everything looks so realistic from the body movements, facial expressions, fully animated jaws, backgrounds, sceneries and landscapes. The visual aspects of this film are breathtaking.

I haven’t seen the original film, Appleseed, so I may be a little clueless to the story. I think this is a good thing when it comes to a review because I have no pre-conceived notions of what’s happening. Ex Machina takes place in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world. At some point in the past there was a global, non-nuclear war which took out pretty much everything. Olympus is a Utopian-like city where peace and order stand with the help of its elite fighting force, the ESWAT. This isn’t the only city in the world though. There are still other countries and governments. There are also three types of people: humans, cyborgs, and bioroids. I’m going to assume you already know what humans and cyborgs are. Bioroids are clones, genetic copies, of real people made with the best technology available. They also lack some of the bad qualities that seem to contribute to the not-so-great aspects of humanity.

The three main characters are Deunan, a human, Briareos, human turned cyborg, and Tereus, a bioroid that is a copy of Briareos when he was human. I’m sure you’re already imagining the drama between the main trio. Deunan and Briareos were partners back in the day and continued to be after he was severely injured and turned into a cyborg. As far as I can tell, they exist in the original film. In Ex Machina we find ourselves in another classic, Confuscist battle of good versus evil; there are organized terrorist attacks trying to bring down the peace and order of Olympus.

In the midst of peace talks between all the countries and governments of the world, humans and cyborgs are being turned into mindless zombies. These remotely controlled drones are being made to massively attack anything of strategic value in the city. At first it is thought the cyborgs are just susceptible to rogue, controlling frequencies, but humans are being affected too. Are Deunan, Briareos, and Tereus susceptible to this mind control? Will they be able to take down a terrorist mastermind that makes Dr. Octopus look like a distempered man-child? Well, I couldn’t really tell you or I’d be ruining the movie for you.

I highly recommend this film. I think it will be dearly loved by existing Appleseed fans. It is a great addition to the already wonderful Anime genre and there’s enough story, action and drama to keep everyone else wanting to find out what happens next. Rent it or buy it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Rating: ★★★★½

Madame Tutli-Putli

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 25, 2008
in Animation, Canada, Foreign, Puppets, Short, Stop-motion and Trains
. 0 Comments

I don’t think I would have watched Madame Tutli-Putli if I hadn’t noticed it was nominated for Best Animated Short Film last night while watching the 2008 Oscars. Besides being animated and a short, this film is also done with stop-motion and utilizes puppets or marionettes.

The story line was kind of confusing. There’s no dialog, but there is a soundtrack/score to it. We start off seeing a woman waiting at a train station with a huge pile of suitcases and stuff. Next thing we know, she’s on the train and every time she looks up, we are introduced to more people in the train car with her. Eventually it’s nighttime and some weird guys board the train and things get really strange. I figured there had to be some sort of message to this because everything seemed pretty symbolic. I found this description on IMDB.

Madame Tutli-Putli boards the Night Train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past. She travels alone, facing both the kindness and menace of strangers. As day descends into dark, she finds herself caught up in a desperate metaphysical adventure. Adrift between real and imagined worlds, Madame Tutli-Putli confronts her demons and is drawn into an undertow of mystery and suspense. The National Film Board of Canada presents a stunning, stop-motion animated film that takes the viewer on an exhilarating existential journey. The film introduces groundbreaking visual techniques and is supported by a haunting and original score. Painstaking care and craftsmanship in form and detail bring to life a fully imagined, tactile world unlike any you have seen. Jungian thriller? Hitchcockian suspense? Artistic tour de force? The Night Train awaits you. Written by courtesy of National Film Board of Canada

Hopefully I’ll be able to see some of the other shorts. I wouldn’t say shorts are always great just because, however, they usually pack a punch if they’re done well. They don’t have 90-120+ minutes to beat around the bush while getting their point across.

Rating: ★★★½☆

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 20, 2008
in Action, Adolescence, Drama, Foreign, Martial Arts and Samurai
. 0 Comments

This was kind of a weird movie. If you’re familiar with both Yojimbo and the Zatoichi story, then you can probably figure out what the movie is.

Yojimbo is a classic Samurai film written and directed by the great Akira Kurosawa. A story that has been used for other films like Last Man Standing and A Fistful of Dollars. It’s in the Criterion Collection and is a must-see for any fan of the Samurai genre.

Zatoichi is the classic character of a blind swordsman. There are many, many movies out there about this character. I saw Zatôichi from 2003 and really enjoyed it.

I wouldn’t rank this movie as a favorite by any means. I also wouldn’t urge you to rush out there and rent it. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo is interesting because both stories are meshed, but that’s about it. I don’t know how interesting it would be if you weren’t already familiar with what this movie is based off of.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Lives of Others

Published
by
nathanshorb
on January 29, 2008
in Communism, Drama, Foreign, German and Socialism
. 0 Comments

The Lives of Others is a German film about a Stasi spy who is assigned to monitoring a famous playwright and his lead actress girlfriend. Without giving away too much, the film shows how all of these characters and the decisions they make end up changing each others lives in very dramatic ways.

Something about how this film was advertised made me think it would be all about voyeurism and full of awkward sex scenes. (It doesn’t help that the DVD cover, of all things, features the couple in an intimate moment–a picture which, as far as I can remember, wasn’t even included in the film itself.) I decided it was something I could do without. But after it won the Oscar for best foreign film and received rave reviews from all sorts of trusted sources, I finally decided to give it a try. And I was glad I did.

It was thankfully nothing close to what I expected. Instead, it was a compelling story with surprising twists and turns, intelligently written and excellently performed. With conspiracies and coverups, it could almost be classified as a psychological thriller.

The film gives a unique and interesting portrait of life under communism. As the plot slowly unfolds, it becomes a story about courage, standing up for one’s beliefs, and inspiring others towards change. In the end, it forces you to ask yourself: “Am I living a life that inspires others?”

The Lives of Others was excellent.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Dinner Game

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 25, 2007
in Based on a play, Comedy, Foreign, France and French
. 0 Comments

The Dinner Game is a French movie that was recommended by a friend. The premise sounded pretty funny and it turned out to be a pretty good film. A group of stuck-up professionals get together once a week for dinner. One stipulation is the regulars have to bring an “idiot” to exploit and make-fun of.

Pierre finds such a man on a train who loves to make models of monuments, etc from matchsticks. Pierre just knows this guy is the king-of-all-idiots and invites him to dinner by making Francois think the other dinner guests are interested in making a book about his hobby. However, before Pierre and Francois can make it to dinner, everything seems to go terribly wrong. Wrong for Pierre that is. Everything from an injured back to his wife leaving him are all caused by the one man he was going to exploit and belittle. You might say Pierre got just what he deserved.

Filled with slapstick comedy and cheesy one-liners, this probably won’t be at the top of everybody’s comedy list. It’s definitely light-hearted and fun. It’s also in French so you’ll get to read some sub-titles. I’m no expert on french film, but I really felt like I was getting a taste of the french-film culture. I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who considers themself a movie-fan.

L’Auberge Espagnole

Published
by
Chalupa
on December 10, 2005
in Comedy, Coming of age, Drama, Foreign and Romance
. 1 Comment

If you’re like myself and don’t speak the French, this movie is also called, The Spanish Apartment. At first I really didn’t like this movie and had no intentions of writing anything about it. Turned out to be not that bad in the end.

This movie is about a French guy, Xavier, that goes to Spain for a year. He ends up living in a large apartment with 5 or 6 other people. Almost everybody is from a different country - England, Germany, Belgium, etc. This movie reminded me a little bit of Ghostworld. Xavier is trying to find himself and I think he truly does figure out who he is by the end. At the start of the movie he is crying on the plane to Spain because he doesn’t want to leave everything behind. His family, his school, his job, his girlfriend (Audrey Tautou)…then by the end of the movie he’s crying because he doesn’t want to leave Spain.

Okay, so I hope I’m not making this guy out to be too emotional or something like that. Anyways, I think this movie has a little to say about getting along with people, relationships in general, growing up, etc. The only reason I queued this movie up is because I decided I should see every Audrey Tautou movie. She actually has a minor role in this film so if you’re looking to see something she has a major role in, you might want to pass.

Kung Fu Hustle

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 11, 2005
in Action, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Foreign, Independent, Martial Arts, Philosophical and War
. 0 Comments

I never really knew what to think of this movie when I saw previews for it and when it was in the theater. A couple friends of mine said it was really good, but I sorta forgot about it. Well I put in on my Netflix list and low and behold, I gave it a 5/5 rating.

The only way I can describe this movie is to say it combines some of the surrealness of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers with some of the martial arts of The Matrix, Hero and previous movies, along with a touch of the hilarity I’ve come to know as the one and only, Jack Black along with a dash of Looney Tunes. Confusing? I hope so. I’m trying to entice you to go out and actually watch this.

This movie starts off innocent enough with an all well too familiar story of a gang oppressing the poor and helpless. However, it’s the way that the silent heroes unmask themselves and save the day that makes this movie unique and oh so cool. What starts out as a small grudge between one gang and a small community soon turns into something much bigger as long retired masters step up to the plate and a long-ago locked away criminal is brought out as a trump card. Yes, this certain aspect is a lot like Boondock Saints.

Even though this movie is full of revenge, violence, grudges, and the poor and weak being trampled upon, there is still redemption. True Kung Fu is not about big muscles and kicking the crap out of people. In fact it has so much more to do with balance, continuity, peace and not having to fight. This goes so much against our high school gotta-impress-the-ladies and prove our alpha-maleness mentality.

The special effects in here were awesome. A lot of wire-acrobatics were employed along with blue screens and CGI. All of it seemed very appropriate to me. None of it came off as cheesy and over the top. There was even a very obvious reference to Bruce Lee’s greatness when the heads of the Axe Gang are being warned to step off. I loved it!

One other thing I’d like to highlight is the use of Chinese music in this film. So many foreign films these days use Western music when it just doesn’t seem to fit. Kung Fu Hustle uses only Chinese music played on the traditional instruments. It just fits so well with everything.

If you haven’t been able to guess already, I highly recommend this film. So get out and watch it if you haven’t seen it already.