Goodbye Lenin!

Pros: excellent performances, very funny, yet dramatic
Cons: a tad too long, not for those who hate subtitles

If there was any justice in the world, Goodbye, Lenin! would have become a sleeper hit, subtitles be damned, and the film's profile would have been raised dramatically for the next round of Oscar nominations. Unfortunately, this wasn't the ...

Pros: Acting, score, direction, special effects. Has a documentary feel without soppiness.
Cons: Slight issue with pacing, but this is only minor.

I recently read a story about a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan who became comatose after a traffic accident in Japan during October, 2004. Given the events that followed, you cannot help but feel sorry for him. When he finally awoke, not only had his ...

Pros: Captivating story, fine humor, excellent dialogue, strong acting.
Cons: None that I can think of.

At last, the era of Eastern Europe's "velvet revolutions" is far enough behind us, that people are starting to make movies about it -- good movies, which are as much about art as about documenting important historical events. Good-bye Lenin, a ...

Pros: Strong and imaginative story-line.
Cons: It's in German, sub-titles needed.

This German movie did very well on the international festival circuit, and for good reason. It's quite a charmer, funny and bittersweet. The year is 1989, and the place is East Germany. Alexander Kerner (Daniel Bruhl) is a disillusioned youth whose ...

Pros: Well told, original, touching, intelligent
Cons: Full frontal male nudity for no apparent reason

I saw this film with my mother for mother's day. In Seattle, you only see indie or foreign films at three theatres, and you only see previews for those kinds of movies if you see those kinds of movies, so it's a closed community. My mother and I saw a ...

Pros: Skilfully handles a potentially difficult subject in an appealing and unorthodox manner.
Cons: Maybe a little bit lightweight.

"It's shown the competition just how to mix drama, comedy, characterisation and poignancy without becoming too cynical, or mawkish." These were the words TV critic Ian Sparham (of www.offthetelly.co.uk, for those of you who are interested) used ...

Pros: Dialogue and script.
Cons: cinematography and it did at few instances drag.

West Germany is on the verge of democracy when the main character’s mother has a heart attack. The thing is that she’s a supporter of the communist party, plus she a valued political member. However, when she sees her son in a rally against the communist Germany she gets a heart attack. Feeling guilty he tries everything possible for her not to notice that Germany has dissented in a democracy. In her unstable if she experiences a sudden change it could be the end for her. Feeling guilty, her son does everything possible to accommodate her and make sure she doesn’t know the wall has come down. A very light heartfelt movie about love for a mother and the sacrifices a son has to make.
PS> What is it with people complaining about subtitles. DEAL WITH IT. I'd rather watch subtitles because it's truer than what is dubbed.