Black Book (Zwartboek)

This 2006 Dutch film (Netherlands) was directed by Paul Verhoeven
(Basic Instinct) and tells the story of an Jewish woman who has survived
countless German attacks going undercover to exact revenge.
Full of spirit and courage and tenacity, it is a tremendous underdog tale.
Puts  Valkyrie and others to shame.

I included a non-English trailer because the US trailer was frankly boring
and didn't encapsulate the explosiveness of this film. "Black Book" is
filled with sex, violence, depravity, language, music, and all the things
that movies were made to show. It's raw and real and frightening and
inspirational. (It is of course available with English subtitles, however the
performances are so powerful that translation is almost moot.)

The leads by Carice van Houten and Sebastian Koch have smoking
hot chemistry and gave me extremely conflicting emotions. More
twists and turns than an episode of Law & Order make this a must-see film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389557/


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All Over the Guy

Quite possibly my favorite relationship movie of all time!

No matter who you're attracted to, you'll find yourself
or someone you know in this hilarious and moving
romantic comedy starring Richard Ruccolo, Dan Bucatinsky,
Sasha Alexander, and Adam Goldberg.

Biting and witty dialogue, fast-paced scenes, believable
characters all make for a treasure. There is not a single
moment of wasted space or speech in this film. Julie
Davis does a phenomenal job directing, and there are a
host of incredible cast scene-steals from Andrea Martin,
Doris Roberts, Christina Ricci and Lisa Kudrow.

The best part of this movie, besides being genuinely funny
and uniquely honest, is that there is no sugar coating the
relationships in this flick. Everybody is unavoidably,
absolutely messed up beyond compare. Sometimes
tragically so, sometimes endearingly so, but it's real.
Watch it alone with a bucket of ice cream, watch it
with a new date, watch it with friends, or watch it with
a spouse. If you've ever had a broken heart or a bad
experience dating, you'll laugh your ass off!

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RENT, the movie

("Seasons Of Love" from the opening credits)

RENT can be described any number of ways, but for me it
is the timeless tale of disaffected artists struggling against
the world at large. It is the story that any underdog can find
a voice in.

Based on the wildly successful Broadway musical of the
same name (returning soon!), RENT looks in on the lives
of a band of mostly homeless artists during  the Christmas
season.

The cast features a variety of people from stage,
screen, and both fields; Tracie Thoms and Idina Menzel in
particular are phenomenal as Joanne and Maureen, but
the entire cast explodes with talent. (Another fave is
Rosario Dawson, and I was oh-so pleasantly surprised
to discover that Jesse L. Martin had a singing voice!)

Great musical,  great story, great acting. Hopeful and
inspiring while looking at a bleak subject matter which
will probably become more of a reality for many of us
as the months wear on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(musical)


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Once

'Once' is the simple and spell-binding story of how fragile and
exhilarating new friendship, romance, and creativity is.

This is the story of A Guy, A Girl, their lives, and their music.
It's deceptively simple, yet rich and complex. There's a depth
of pain and need in the characters...a hopefulness that seems
to thrive in spite of circumstance. These are real people, not
one-dimensional movie characters.

This could have been just another "Will they or won't they?"
Moonlighting entanglement, but it blossoms into so much more.

The music laced throughout the film (by real life musicians
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) is genuine and absolutely
riveting. There is soulfulness and truth in these Irish original
songs that will haunt and move you.

The tale is not a traditional Hollywood romantic fare, but
it is an honest and compelling examination of love and  life,
and the unpredictable nature of both.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/ for the mini-site

and

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/ for imdb info

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Movin' On Up

The Trip

 

Miles Swain's 2002 epic about a friendship

and love affair between two men over the course of several

turbulent years and life changes is a captivating story.

"The Trip" blends comedy, drama, romance, and politics effortlessly

and keeps audiences wrapped up in the realistic view

of real love; messy, imperfect, sad, and ultimately rewarding.

It's a bittersweet love story with great dialogue and

standout performances from leads Larry Sullivan and Steve Braun.

The cast is rounded out by several quirky and fun

performances including Jill St. John, Ray Baker, Sirena

Irwin, and Alexis Arquette. A truly great ensemble

that pulls off a difficult and poignant film.

If you like 'period pieces' (1970s and 1980s,)

unrequited love, realistic romances, bold humor,

and great stories, do yourself a favor and check out

"The Trip."

I sort of imagine fans of "The Notebook" would

love this, even though "The Trip" is far superior, IMHO.

It has all those elements of missed opportunities and

dashed hopes..the makings of real life love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzdhrY_jxoY

(If ordering it, be sure it's the 2002 film; there are

several with this name.)

Across the Universe

"Across the Universe" is a movie named after The Beatles song of
the same name. The film is a lush and haunting love letter to the
music of The Beatles from the mind and eye of story-teller Julie
Taymor (with story and script-writing from Ian La Frenais and Dick
Clement.)

In a nutshell--but not really, since the film defies apt summarizing--
more than a dozen songs of The Beatles were taken and meticulously
crafted together to form a powerful story that follows the lives of a
disparate group of young soul travelers during the Vietnam War. It
is gorgeous, provocative, eccentric, moving, and captivating.

The music blends directly into the salient story points and creates
an incredible experience. If you have never been a fan of the movie
musical, you still should see this film. It is a unique experience, indeed.

The cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson,
T.V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs, and Martin Luther as the primaries, each
struggling to find their place in the world in that pivotal time of social
change. There are also some outlandish cameo spots that steal the
show from Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Joe Cocker.

My expectations were low going in, as this movie had some steep
obstacles to overcome. Making a musical appear natural, using a
cast of mostly unknowns, making this many different plots intertwine
seamlessly, and giving proper respect to the material just a few. They
blew me out of the water.

The musical numbers are amazing, the feel and tone
of the music was remarkably captured, the rhythm
of the story pace was perfect, and the visuals were
mind-boggling.

(Yeah, it's totally theatrical and over-the-
top; it's a musical inspired by music produced during
the Age of drug experimentation! If that doesn't even
sound good to you, well, I dunno what to tell ya!
But the choreography and blending of story/music/art
was astounding!)

Definitely worth a check if you'd like a good laugh,
cry, and ultimately uplifting tale about the strength of
the human spirit.

Check these links for a few favorite scenes to get an idea
of what a superb job the cast does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShNnEDb4wFA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j7Z5Q7ZDs4