Film synopses

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS "><IMG SRC="04378b20.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="155" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 26th Season">Our </A><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 26th Season"><I><B>2</B></I></A><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 26th Season"><I><B>6</B></I></A><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 26th Season"><I>th</I></A><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 26th Season"> Season</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Subscribe to FLICS">Subscribe to FLICS</A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS FAQs">FLICS FAQs</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS policy">FLICS' Policy</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where we screen">How to find us</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS MEGA film list">FLICS MEGA Filmlist</A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Win a FLICS Season pass!">FLICS Oscar Contest</A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links we like">Links we like</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="film_synopses.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Film synopses">Film synopses</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="149"><div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact us</A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>FLICS </B></FONT>    |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS ">home</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our 26th Season">Our 26th Season</A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Subscribe to FLICS">Subscribe to FLICS</A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS FAQs">FLICS FAQs</A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS policy">FLICS policy</A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where we screen">Where we screen</A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FLICS MEGA film list">FLICS MEGA film list</A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Win a FLICS Season pass!">Win a FLICS Season pass!</A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links we like">Links we like</A>   |   <B>Film synopses</B>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A></div> <div> Film synopses</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="841" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER ROWSPAN=2 COLSPAN=2 BGCOLOR=#FFFF00 HEIGHT= 1 WIDTH="833"><div> <B>Here are the films that we screened this season.  </B></div> <div> <B>Click on the poster to visit the film's official site.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 153 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0444112/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0444112/"><IMG SRC="18864920.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="146" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><B>9/14/07 </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_avenue_montaigne_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><B>  Avenue Montaigne</B></FONT><B>  </B>Dir. Danièle Thompson, France, 2006, 106 min, PG-13 </div> <div> Avenue Montaigne, French titled "Orchestra Seats", offers an outsider's perspective of an insular world. After bidding adieu to her grandmother, sunny Jessica moves from Mâcon to Paris. Upon securing a job as a waitress in a popular café, she meets high-strung soap star Catherine , burnt-out pianist Jean-François, and secretive art collector Jacques, who comes equipped with a pretty girlfriend and a handsome son. Though the tousled Jessica has little in common with these posh Parisians, she affects each of their lives in ways both big and small. Though the idea of a sympathetic look at the upper class will surely strike some as off-putting, director Thompson makes it work. The genuine affection she feels for her characters-privileged and underprivileged alike-and the grace with which she keeps several plot strands going at once proves that the spirit of Robert Altman lives on in the most unlikely of places. In French with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 156 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.sonyclassics.com/thelivesofothers/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.sonyclassics.com/thelivesofot"><IMG SRC="18a64960.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><B>9/21/07</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="lives_of_others_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Lives of Others  </B></FONT>Dir. Florian von Donnersmarck, Ger, 2006,  137 min, R</div> <div> This first feature of Donnersmarck starts in 1984, in East Berlin. A successful playwright and his girlfriend, who have been trusted by the state, are placed under Stasi surveillance.  Their investigator, a lonely ascetic by the name of Wiesler, is told to entrap them, instead of which, little by little, he lets them off the hook. Given the movie’s cross-weave of envy, paranoia, and endangered principle, the director might have been expected to tie himself in knots; yet the outcome remains taut and clear. This Oscar-winning film is an intricate and deeply satisfying movie, a tightly plotted tale of both state surveillance and personal betrayal that ultimately becomes an ode to the transformative power of art. The acting is superb as is the music and the closing moment is so perfect that it will stay with you long after the closing credits. In German with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 154 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/confetti/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/confetti/"><IMG SRC="18c64940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><B>10/5/07 </B></FONT><B> <A NAME="confetti"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><B>Confetti  </B></FONT>Dir. Debbie Isitt, UK, 2006, 94 min, R</div> <div> Confetti, a British bridal magazine, is holding a contest for the year’s most original wedding.  Aided by the two expert planners, the three finalist couples struggle with logistics, family and their own foibles. The finalists’ weddings are based on three themes:  tennis, Hollywood musicals and “naturist” culture.  One of the planners gushes, “It’s a three-ring circus of love!”  We are in Christopher Guest territory as this film is a mockumentary which the director has skillfully helmed into a work of farce and empathy.  Theater veteran Debbie Isitt directs deftly as she succeeds in building empathy for a ragged bunch of folks with unusual dreams.   Confetti has a sweet center.  Comic timing, themes of tolerance and commitment lift the film well above the mockumentary pack.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 153 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.hostmovie.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.hostmovie.com/"><IMG SRC="18e648c0.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>10/19/07 </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="host"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT>   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Host (Gwoemul)  </B></FONT>Dir: Joon-ho Bong, S Korea, 2006,119 min, R</div> <div> Seoul's River Han is the watery birthplace of a giant mutant creature determined to destroy the city and devour all of its residents. The film’s main character, Hie-bong, is a man in his late 60s who lives with his small family, owns a snack bar, and leads an ordinary life… until he finds himself intermingled with this hungry creature in a most unfortunate way--his granddaughter, Hyun-seo, is stolen away by the murky beast. The family agonizes over the loss of Hyun-seo until they receive a scratchy cell phone call from inside the creature’s lair from Hyun-seo herself. After discovering that she’s alive, the family bands together and is determined to make their way through the labyrinth to save the girl. The action is pure high camp, a mix of fear and humor that hits a few slap-sticky skids along the way. The effects are uber-cool (thanks to the team that gave us the Lord of the Rings movies), and offers an interesting mix of suspense, comedy, and political satire. </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 152 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.kino.com/ladychatterley/#Scene_1" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.kino.com/ladychatterley/#Scen"><IMG SRC="19064920.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="146" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>11/9/07</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="lady_chatterly"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>Lady Chatterley</B>  </FONT>Dir: Pascale Ferran, Belg/Fra, 2007,168 min, Not Rated</div> <div> A French adaptation of the second (and much less well-known) version of D.H. Lawrence's erotic tale. Constance Chatterley is a lovely woman in her mid twenties who is married to Sir Clifford Chatterley, a wealthy British nobleman many years her senior who is paralyzed from the waist down due to an injury sustained during World War I. While Constance loves her husband, she has grown weary of her life as a bird in a gilded cage, as well as her husband's lack of affection. When she begins an affair with the gamekeeper, Parkin, she discovers herself opening up physically and emotionally in ways she never imagined possible. Winner of five 2007 Cesar awards including Best Picture and Best Actress.  In French and Belgian with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 154 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.edithpiafmovie.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.edithpiafmovie.com/"><IMG SRC="19264940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>11/30/07</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_la_vie_en_rose"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>La Vie en Rose</B></FONT>  Dir: Olivier Dahan, France, 2007, 142 min, PG-13 </div> <div> Marion Cotillard and Gérard Depardieu star in this exploration of the life and career of the famous French singer, Edith Piaf, whose passion for her music saw her through a life filled with tragedy. Raised in poverty, Edith Piaf's magical voice and her passionate romances and friendships with some of the most eccentric personalities of her generation -- Yves Montand, Marcel Cerdan, Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour, Marlene Dietrich, and others -- made the "Little Sparrow" a star all around the world. From her forlorn childhood in a brothel to her big break at a nightclub and her premature death at the age of 47, director Olivier Dahan creates a loving portrait of the legendary chanteuse. In French with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 155 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.sonyclassics.com/paprika/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.sonyclassics.com/paprika/"><IMG SRC="19464950.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="149" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>12/7/07</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_paprika"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>Paprika  </B></FONT>Dir: Satoshi Kon, Japan, 2006, 90 min, R </div> <div> Groundbreaking animator Satoshi Kon (whose credits include Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, and Perfect Blue) directed this visually spectacular adaptation of a science fiction novel by Yatsutaka Tsutsui. Atsuko is a psychiatrist who uses advanced technology to study the human mind. Atsuko has developed a machine that will allow her to enter the dreams of her patients and study their psyches from the inside. Atsuko also does double duty as Paprika, a high-tech detective who uses this invention to discover what the people she is trailing really think. When a thief steals the one-of-a-kind machine from Atsuko, Paprika sets out to find it as a wave of psychological instability tears through the city. In Japanese with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 170 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thenamesake/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thenamesak"><IMG SRC="19664940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>1/4/08</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="namesake"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Namesake</B></FONT>  Dir: Mira Nair, India, 2006, 122 min, PG-13</div> <div> From the director of Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair, The Namesake is a coming-of-age story about an Indian boy born in America who is trying to find a place in his life for both the traditions of his Indian heritage and the modern American lifestyle. Gogol Ganguli, named after the Russian writer, is born to parents joined by an arranged marriage in India. They move to New York before Gogol’s birth and at his birth they are forced to select a name for their son before leaving the hospital, contrary to Bengali tradition, so the name of the father’s favorite author is chosen. As a young person, Gogol realizes that his name is distinctive and decides that he wants to change it to Nikhil (which can be westernized as “Nick”). This name conflict is a symbol of Gogol’s dual identity. During his quest to understand his core values… his desires, Gogol struggles with which path to take; that which his family wishes for him, including marrying an Indian woman; or that which he wants, which involves dating a well-to-do American girlfriend. Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 203 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.gaumont.com/DVD/fiche_dvd.cfm?id_dvd=205" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gaumont.com/DVD/fiche_dvd.cfm"><IMG SRC="19864940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>1/18/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_valet"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Valet</B></FONT>  Dir: Francis Veber, France, 2006, 85 min, PG-13</div> <div> French titled "La Doublure", marks the return of one of Francis Veber’s most popular characters, the always-in-earnest if somewhat clueless François Pignon, a personage so durable he has been played by four different actors over the years. This film lets us know at once that Pignon's job this time around is parking cars at a fancy Parisian restaurant. Pignon dreams of marrying his childhood sweetheart Emilie. But, immersed in the financial difficulties of running her own bookstore, she has no time to think of Pignon as anything but a brother. Soulless billionaire Pierre Levasseur has romantic problems of his own. Because his icy wife Christine is a major stockholder in his company, he lives in fear that she will discover his relationship with the leonine Elena, who just happens to be the world’s highest-paid supermodel. As always happens in Veber films, Pierre's worst nightmare comes to pass. A paparazzo grabs a shot of the mogul and his mistress together and, confronted by his wife, Pierre tries a desperate ploy. Elena is not with him, he tells a  dubious Christine, she is with Pignon who, in reality, was simply walking by and is in the picture by accident. "The Valet" continues the tradition of the classic French farce. In French with English subtitles. </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 169 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.memory-catcher.net/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.memory-catcher.net/"><IMG SRC="19a64930.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="147" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>2/1/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="away_from_her"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>Away From Her</B></FONT>  Dir. Sarah Polley, Canada, 2007,110 min, PG-13</div> <div> Fiona and Grant are a bookish, childless couple in their 60s living alone in a storybook cabin in Ontario, where they spend their days cross-country skiing and reading aloud to each other.  After being married 44 years, Fiona (Julie Christie) begins to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.  Fiona has decided to check herself into an assisted living facility before becoming a burden or a danger to her husband, Grant opposes the idea because he cannot imagine his life without her.  Complicating this transition is the facility’s policy of not permitting visits or phone calls for the first 30 days.  What takes place after the month has passed comes as a surprise and has long-term effects on the characters.  The ephemeral nature of love and of memory are explored as Grant makes new acquaintances and tries to come to terms with how his life has changed.</div> <div> Away From Her is all the more remarkable for having been written and directed by Sarah Polley, a Canadian actress not yet out of her 20s making her first feature film. </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 154 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/"><B><IMG SRC="19c64940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>2/15/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_once"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>Once</B></FONT>  Dir: John Carney,  Ireland, 2006, 85 min, R</div> <div> This modern-day musical is set in Dublin and tells the story of a street musician (the guy) and a street hawker (the girl) who spend a busy week writing, rehearsing, and recording songs that tell the story of their developing love. The key players are “the guy” who works at his father's vacuum repair shop and plays music on street corners for extra cash and “the girl” who is an Eastern European Immigrant with musical aspirations of her own.. The twist in this film is that the main characters aren’t played by big-name actors; they’re played by musicians who are acting. “Once” delves into the personal journey that is song-writing and performance. The actors that star in this film wrote the songs that are performed. This film accomplishes two things: it pays homage to the musicals of old Hollywood and it reinvents the musical.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 154 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.aftertheweddingmovie.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.aftertheweddingmovie.com/"><IMG SRC="19e64940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>2/29/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="after_the_wedding"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>After the Wedding</B></FONT>  Dir. Susanne Brier, Denmark, 2006,119 min. R</div> <div> Far from home, Jacob, runs a struggling orphanage in one of India’s poorest regions. Desperate to save the orphanage from closure, he returns to Denmark to meet Jorgen, a wealthy businessman and potential benefactor. What appears to be nothing more than a friendly gesture to attend a wedding sets in motion an increasingly devastating series of surprises. Thanks to a tight script, sharp direction and excellent cast After the Wedding which could have come across as melodrama manages to be both emotional and engaging. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Brier unveils layers of revelations and confessions that will forever change the lives of her marvelously realized characters. In Danish with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 153 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.sonyclassics.com/theitalian/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.sonyclassics.com/theitalian/"><IMG SRC="1a064930.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="147" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>3/14/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_the_italian"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Italian</B></FONT>  Dir. Andrei Kravchuk, Russia, 2005, 99 min,  PG-13</div> <div> For most Russian orphans, the chance to be adopted is a dream come true. But six-year-old Vanya Solntsev has other hopes. After discovering that his mother is still alive, the abandoned boy teaches himself to read so he can learn her address from his personal files. Before a wealthy Italian couple can claim him for their own, Vanya sets off on a perilous journey to find his only remaining family. Pursued by corrupt orphanage staff and the police, the determined runaway must face the most difficult challenges of his young life in this incredible story inspired by true events. For all it’s gritty surfaces, The Italian is really a fairy-tale. Vanya’s quest is primal and his heart is pure Kolya Spiridonov as Vanya commands attention without pandering or appealing to pity. In his feature film debut, director Kravchuk addresses with intelligence and poignancy the urgent issue of illegal adoption in Russia.  In Russian with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 154 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0473709/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0473709/"><IMG SRC="1a264940.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>3/28/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_the_tv_set"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The TV Set</B></FONT>  Dir: Jake Kasdan, USA, 2006, 87 min, R</div> <div> This film tells the story of an idealistic writer named Mike Klein (David Duchovny) who has a pregnant wife and two children. When a network wants to purchase his script for a TV series, he’s elated. As the TV pilot goes through the process of casting, production, and airing, Klein becomes increasingly upset that his vision is being turned into a completely different show. Lenny (Sigourney Weaver) is the station president who has different opinions about casting and even the theme of the show, which was “suicide”. The prime time programmer assures Mike that his views on various issues will prevail, but they do not. Ioan Gruffudd, Justine Bateman and Lucy Davis co-star in this hilarious look at what goes into creating the TV shows that Americans come to love.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 169 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.tanki-senri.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tanki-senri.com/"><IMG SRC="1a464930.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="147" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>4/11/08</B></FONT>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="_riding_alone"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles</B></FONT>  Dir. Zhang Yimou, China, 2005, 108 min, PG</div> <div> This film represents the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream of China’s master film maker Zhang Yimou to make a film with his childhood idol Ken Takakura, an iconic yakuza star but also an actor of much range and depth.  This is a gentle film for Zhang, whose most famous works remain such politically and socially critical pictures as Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern and To Live. </div> <div> Takakura plays an old man, Takata, who travels to Tokyo to visit his estranged and now gravely ill son.  Takata decides to fulfill his dying son’s fondest wish: to film and record a virtuoso Chinese folk opera singer performing the classic story-song Riding Alone for Thousand of Miles.  Takata’s journey to China turns into a series of mishaps and fiascoes which have a special, humane humor like that of Charlie Chaplin or Anton Checkov.  The succession of comic disasters and mounting problems reveal Takata’s character and inner feelings.  In Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 152 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofsand/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofsand/"><IMG SRC="1a664920.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="146" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>4/25/08</B></FONT>   <A NAME="_thehouse_of_sand"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" ><B>The House of Sand(Casa de Areia)</B></FONT>  Dir: Andrucha Waddington, 2006, Brazil, 103 min, R</div> <div> A winner at the Sundance Film Festival, this is a mythic tale that explores the mother-daughter relationship which has been called “hypnotic” and “dreamlike”. The story begins in Maranhao in Northern Brazil in 1910 when a pregnant woman and her insane husband arrive in the desert to start life anew. Accompanying them is the wife’s mother. After workers abandon the family and the husband dies, the two women must learn how to survive in the desert… alone. The three generations of women find other desert dwellers who help them survive. For years the wife yearns to return to the city.  After spending many discontented years in the desert, can she finally adapt to her surroundings? In Portuguese with English subtitles.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 99 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.tadrart.com/tessalit/indigenes/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tadrart.com/tessalit/indigene"><IMG SRC="1a87c5d0.jpg" border=0 width="124" height="93" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="702"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="99" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="702" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>