Archive for the '' Category
Alastair Fothergill’s nature documentary Deep Blue consists of 90 minutes of footage of undersea creatures — living, surviving, fighting, and dying. Similar to like-minded documentaries such as Winged Migration and MicroCosmos, Deep Blue features footage from locations throughout the world. The great British actor Michael Gambon provides the narration, which favors involving the viewer emotionally over providing enlightening factual information on the creatures. The 22 segments of the film conclude with footage of how man has affected life under the sea. This film was originally produced for the British television series The Blue Planet. According to the filmmakers, some of the creatures seen here have never been previously recorded on film.
Posted in 2003, Documentary, Germany, UK | No Comments »
From the producers of the comedy smash Deuce Bigalow comes The Animal, about a small, wimpy Marvin, who doesn’t have what it takes to fulfill his lifelong dream to be a cop. But his luck changes when he’s critically injured in a car accident and a deranged scientist secretly uses animal organs to rebuild him. Energized by his new parts, Marvin leaves his weakness behind and achieves instant fame as a supercop. Now a hero, life is going great for Marvin until his animal instincts start taking over his body at all the wrong times. Marvin struggles to remain civilized and be a perfect gentleman with his new love, Rianna in a series of hilarious situations that would drive any animal crazy.
Posted in 2001, Comedy, USA | No Comments »
The biography of Charlie Chaplin, filmmaker extraordinaire. From his formitive years in England to his highest successes in America, Charlie’s life, work, and loves are followed. While his screen characters were extremely hilarious, the man behind “The Little Tramp” was constantly haunted by a sense of loss.
Posted in 1992, Biography, Drama, France, Italy, UK, USA | No Comments »
In 1910, acclaimed Russian novelist ‘Leo Tolstoy’ (qv), in the later stage of his life, works rather than a writer but as the leader of the Tolstoyan Movement, whose basic tenets are brotherly love and world peace through pacifism, and a denouncement of material wealth and physical love. His chief follower is Vladimir Chertkov, who does whatever he requires to advance the cause. Chertkov hires a young man named Valentin Bulgakov to be Tolstoy’s personal secretary in carrying out this work. Once ensconced in the life on the estate where much of the work is taking place, Bulgakov quickly learns that many there take from the movement only what he/she wants/believes. Also chief amongst the movement’s wants is the deeding of all Tolstoy’s writings to the people so that after his death it will become public domain. Tolstoy’s wife, the Countess Sofya Andreevna Tolstoy, believes that her husband’s writings are rightfully hers after he passes, as she wants and believes she deserves the monetary benefits derived from such. This places a strain between those in the movement, especially Chertov and the Tolstoy’s daughter Sasha, and the Countess. Bulgatov acts as the mediator between the parties, he who feels he needs to do what is truly in Tolstoy’s heart regardless of what Tolstoy may say or do.
Posted in 2009, Biography, Drama, Germany, History, Russia, UK | No Comments »
Charmingly simple story of The Little Tramp who meets a lovely blind girl selling flowers on the sidewalk who mistakes him for a wealthy duke. When he learns that an operation may restore her sight, he sets off to earn the money she needs to have the surgery. In a series of comedy adventures that only Chaplin could pull off, he eventually succeeds, even though his efforts land him in jail. While he is there, the girl has the operation and afterwards yearns to meet her benefactor. The tear-inducing closing scene, in which she discovers that he is not a wealthy duke but only The Little Tramp, is one of the highest moments in movies.
Posted in 1931, Comedy, Drama, Romance, USA | No Comments »
During the last days of the First World War, a clumsy soldier saves the life of devoted military pilot Schultz. Unfortunately, their flight from the advancing enemy ends in a severe crash with the clumsy soldier losing his memories. After quite some years in the hospital, the amnesia patient gets released and reopens his old barber shop in the Jewish ghetto. But times have changed in the country of Tomania: Dictator Adenoid Hynkel, who accidentally looks very similar to the barber, has laid his merciless grip on the country, and the Jewish people are discriminated against. One day, the barber gets in trouble and is brought before a commanding officer, who turns out to be his old comrade Schultz. So, the ghetto enjoys protection from then on. Meanwhile, Dictator Hynkel develops big plans, he wants to become Dictator of the whole world and needs a scapegoat for the public. Soon, Schultz is being arrested for being too Jewish-friendly, and all Jews except those who managed to flee are transported into Concentration Camps. Hynkel is planning to march into Osterlich to show off against Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria, who already has deployed his troops along the other border of the small country. Meanwhile, Schultz and the barber manage to escape, guised in military uniforms. As luck would have it, Schultz and the barber are picked up by Tomanian forces and the barber is mixed up with Hynkel himself. The small barber now gets the once-in-a-lifetime chance to speak to the people of Osterlich and all of Tomania, who listen eagerly on the radio.
Posted in 1940, Comedy, Drama, USA, War | No Comments »
Un’altra grande prova di attore per Robin Williams nell’ultimo film di Tom Shaydac, nel quale si racconta l’incredibile storia (vera) di Patch Adams, prima studente di medicina, poi paziente ed infine medico in un istituto per malattie mentali, convinto della necessità di dover curare le persone, prima delle malattie. Il film è ispirato alle autentiche vicende del Dr Hunter Patch Adams, fondatore del Gesundheit Institute, nel North Carolina, una clinica specializzata nella cura emotiva e psicologica del paziente, prima che medica. La storia parte dalle esperienze studentesche di Patch. Il preside della facoltà, Walcott, si oppone alle sue idee strampalate, ma l’entusiasmo di Patch contagia comunque altre persone, fra le quali l’infermiera Joletta e i compagni di corso Truman e Carin. Intanto Patch, con il suo atteggiamento divertente ed eccentrico riesce ad aprire un varco nelle paure dei più piccini. Combattendo contro la medicina ufficiale con la convinzione che “una risata è la miglior cura” il giovane rischia la propria carriera, ma riesce, alla fine, ad ottenere appoggi e validi risultati. Arriva anche a fondare l’Istituto che ancora dirige con successo e pubblica, nel 1993, un libro in cui spiega la propria esperienza e le strane ricette che prescrive, a base di travestimenti e palloncini colorati : l’importante è riuscire a stabilire un contatto di simpatia e di fiducia con i piccoli pazienti per poter ottenere positivi risultati clinici. Questa la storia. E pensiamo che non ci poteva essere altro attore in grado di vestire i panni di questo personaggio folle, ma estremamente deciso e motivato nelle proprie scelte di aiutare il prossimo.
Posted in 1998, Biography, Comedy, Drama, USA | No Comments »
A copy editor in her early 20s gets her chance to become a reporter at a Chicago daily. She’s sent to do a feature on what cool high schoolers are doing. To really find out, she goes undercover as a student. Back at school, she gets to repair her own scarred teen psyche, as she was a total geek in her first go-around.
Posted in 1999, Comedy, Drama, Romance, USA | No Comments »
Samuel Faulkner panics when he learns that his girlfriend of five years, Rebecca Taylor, is pregnant. Samuel is a child psychiatrist who is frustrated by children. Samuel doesn’t want the baby, but Rebecca wants to settle down, even if she has to be a single mother. After a breakup and a makeover by Samuel’s friend Sean, he realizes that he loves Rebecca very much, and he will love his child. Samuel proposes to Rebecca, and learns to love his child, and life.
Posted in 1995, Comedy, Romance, USA | No Comments »
George and Nina seem like the perfect couple. They share a cozy Brooklyn apartment, a taste for tuna casserole dinners, and a devotion to ballroom dancing. They love each other. There’s only one hitch: George is gay. And when Nina announces she’s pregnant, things get especially complicated. Vince – Nina’s overbearing boyfriend and the baby’s father-wants marriage. Nina wants independence. George will do anything for a little unqualified affection, but is he ready to become an unwed surrogate dad?
Posted in 1998, Comedy, Drama, Romance, USA | No Comments »