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| The Road Home CAST Zhang Ziyi, Sun Honglei, Zheng Hao DIRECTOR Zhang Yimou SYNOPSIS City businessman Luo Yusheng returns to his home village in North China for the funeral of his father, the village teacher. He finds his elderly mother insisting that all traditional burial customs be observed, despite that fact that times have changed so much. Observing his mother’s intransigence, Yusheng thinks back over the stories he heard as a boy about his parents’ courtship. His father, Luo Changyu, came to the village as the new teacher and soon fell in love with Zhao Di, considered the prettiest of local girls. But their developing romance was curtailed when Changyu was ordered back to the city for obscure political "mistakes", and the would-be lovers were kept apart for more than two years. When finally reunited, they married and never separated again. Yusheng realizes that his mother’s wishes for the funeral must be respected, and so he provides money to hire men to carry his father’s coffin the many miles from the hospital to its final resting place in the village. On the day of the funeral, though, more than one hundred of Changyu’s former pupils turn up to carry the coffin -- and none of them will accept payment. Before returning to the city, Yusheng symbolically honors his father’s dearest wish: he spends one day teaching in the village school. -- © 2000 Sony Pictures Classics |
| The Unbearable Lightness Of Being CAST Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Derek De Lint DIRECTOR Philip Kaufman SYNOPSIS THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING is a sensual and sensitive adaptation of Milan Kundera's tragicomic existentialist novel that follows the story of Thomas (Daniel Day Lewis), a womanizing Czech doctor in 1968 Prague, prior to the Soviet invasion, whose sexual appetite is never fully satisfied. Thomas believes in keeping sexual gratification separate from love and finds true understanding and erotic bliss with Sabina (Lena Olin), a seductive and elusive artist. However, Thomas's understanding of love and commitment is challenged when he meets Tereza (Juliette Binoche), a sexually naive and innocent young woman who captures Thomas's fancy on an out-of-town business trip. When Tereza appears on his Prague doorstep, Thomas lets down his guard and allows the young woman to stay with him, breaking all his rules regarding the dangers of seductive entanglement. Despite his numerous affairs, Thomas falls deeply in love with Tereza, and they eventually marry. Sabina accepts Thomas's marriage to Tereza, but Tereza cannot accept Thomas's many lovers and is deeply hurt by her sly husband. Tereza's own sexual awakening and creative spirit is at the core of the film, as she is undeniably captivating to both Thomas and Sabina, who becomes her friend and artistic mentor. The three become involved in an intense love triangle that is eventually shattered by the violent Soviet invasion of 1968. Tereza's burgeoning photographic passion is documented in a creative black-and-white montage of the invasion, beautifully crafted by cinematographer Sven Nykvist. This captivating and brilliant literary adaptation is a subtle and complex character study in which Daniel Day Lewis, Lena Olin, and Juliette Binoche give magnificent lead performances. (synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Lawrence of Arabia CAST Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn DIRECTOR David LeanSYNOPSIS David Lean's masterpiece, perhaps the greatest of screen epics, stars Peter O'Toole in one of the most electrifying debuts in film history. The film is less an ordinary adventure than an experience that leaves an overwhelming sense memory of the struggle between two powerful forces: the Arabian deserts, immense, intractable, ever-shifting, punishing; and T.E. Lawrence, humble as a monk, flamboyant as a rock star, protean, polymathic, heroic, enigmatic, mad. While working on the staff of British Intelligence in Cairo in 1916, Lawrence's fluency in Arabic earns him a post on a mission sent to establish contact with Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness), leader of the Arab revolt and ally of the British against the German-sponsored Turks in WWI. Impressed by Lawrence's knowledge of their culture, the prince allows the young officer to join his staff, and Lawrence quickly earns the Arabs' respect after he executes acts of extraordinary heroism. As the Englishman's genius for guerrilla warfare becomes evident, he assumes the role of de facto leader of the Arab revolt, uniting the heretofore warring tribes into a devastatingly effective weapon. But the chaos of war also unleashes the repressed officer's powerful need for self-abasement and mortification of the flesh. A visionary work that unfolds one indelible image after another, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA fuses the conflict of man against man, man against nature, and man against himself into a sublime poem of force. The film features a literate script by Robert Bolt and an outstanding cast, which also includes Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins, Arthur Kennedy, Anthony Quinn, Jose Ferrer, and Omar Sharif in his unforgettable desert-crossing debut. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Shall We Dance? CAST Koji Yakusyo, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka DIRECTOR Masayuki Suo SYNOPSIS From his seat on a commuter train, a respected but downtrodden Tokyo office worker espies a beautiful woman in the window of a dance studio. Mesmerized, he signs up for ballroom dance instruction at the school, despite the threat of losing face by participating in such an "undignified" public spectable. However, he soon discovers that he has a natural aptitude--and a natural love--for dancing, much to the dismay of his perplexed wife and daughter. |
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| Chocolat CAST Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp DIRECTOR Lasse Hallström SYNOPSIS It is the late 1950s, but it might as well be the late 1850s in a small French town where everyone behaves as they should (supposedly), and attends church regularly. When a strong North wind blows through town, it brings the vivacious and mysterious Vianne (Juliette Binoche) and her young daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol). Vianne is soon the talk of the town: an unwed mother who declines to go to church and opens up a chocolate shop in the midst of Lent. Her good-natured, honorable personality and psychic ability (she can predict what kind of sweets best suit each person, and magically cures each of them of their particular maladies) make her as irresistible as her delectable treats. However, Vianne and her daughter are resented by the conservative mayor, the Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), and by the pious Caroline (Carrie-Anne Moss), who has disowned her own spirited mother (Judi Dench, who plays Vianne's landlady), refusing the elderly woman access to her beloved grandson.This touching fairy tale, based on the novel by Joanne Harris, was filmed on location in rural France. An intelligent, exquisitely filmed fable that deals with the idea of 20th Century paganism rising up against a closed-minded church and a persevering aristocracy, CHOCOLAT is enjoyable, romantic, and entertaining, with affecting performances by both its stars and its supporting actors (Lena Olin and Johnny Depp.) (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
| Ullee’s Gold CAST Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson, Jessica Biel DIRECTOR Victor Nunez SYNOPSIS Ulee, a Florida beekeeper, must struggle not only to earn a living, but to keep his two grandchildren from falling into the same self-destructive paths blazed by their parents. With a son in prison and the children's mother having long abandoned the family, he has his work cut out for him. But when he receives news that his daughter-in-law has been found, drugged out and hitting rock bottom, he dutifully shoulders the burden--only to find that in so doing, he has unwittingly opened the door to the world's dark side which he had tried so desperately to keep closed. Fonda won a Golden Globe as Best Actor for his turn as the Zen-like patriarch. Academy Award Nomination: Best Actor--Peter Fonda. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Key Largo CAST Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall DIRECTOR John Huston SYNOPSIS Army veteran Frank McCloud visits the family of an army buddy who was killed in the war, only to find that their Key Largo hotel has been taken over by a bunch of exiled gangsters who are orchestrating their own comeback. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Chihwasan CAST Choi Min-Suk, Ahn Sung-Ki DIRECTOR Im Kwon-Taek SYNOPSIS Jang Seung-eup is a Korean painter who lived in the late 19th century (Chosun Dynasty), famed as much for his brilliant artwork as for his irreverent lifestyle. Born into the lower classes, he never felt at ease amidst the nobility who grew to covet his work, and his reputation for drinking and womanizing make up some of the few known details about his life. Only a fraction of his artworks remain, but, although, he is not as famous as some other Korean painters, art experts continue to hold his work in high regard. This movie is beautifully filmed and won Im Kwon-Taek a best director's award at the Cannes Film Festival. |
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| Failan CAST Cecillia Cheung, Choi Min-Suk DIRCTOR Song Hae-sung SYNOPSIS There are a number of wonderful things about this film, the greatest of which is the structure. Telling a love story between two people who've never met, and so realistically, is a great feat in itself, but even more impressive is how the director brings together the framing story and the romance. The film has the kind of conclusion that sends chills down one's spine for its poetic perfection. The little bits of flashback scenes showing Failan falling in love with Kan-jae are also memorable and touching. |
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| My Heart CAST Kim Yu-mi, Kim Myeong-Gon, Yun Yu-Seon DIRECTOR Bae Chang Ho SYNOPSIS "My Heart" depicts the trouble-filled life of one woman. From the beginning of the movie, which shows 16-year-old Soon-I's wedding ceremony to a child, viewers have a hunch that this woman is going to be unhappy and the movie will be very sad. And they would be right. Considering that the movie takes place between 1910 and 1960, when the Korea when through great economic difficulties, it's no wonder Soon-I's life is tough. However, as the movie goes on, viewers can amuse themselves with many unexpected humourous moments. The movie also provides a glimpse of every noteworthy aspect of Korean traditional way of life, such as pottery-making and marriage customs, and is filled with beautiful sound and images, as well as human relations. The movie drew awards from many international film festivals. This movie is titled "Jeong" in Korean. "Jeong" is one of those difficult to explain aspects of Korea, but it has been decribed as an unspoken but heartfelt feeling of goodwill that ceases to exist the moment people start displaying their affection for each other in an open manner. |
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| Oasis CAST Moon So-ri, Sol Kyung-gu DIRECTOR Lee Chang-dong SYNOPSIS Oasis is a melodrama about a socially maladjusted man falling in love with a woman suffering from cerebral infantile paralysis. The director seems to to tell the audience to open their eyes to the truth which is at the same time all too obvious and unseen by those who are blind at heart. |
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| Himalaya CAST Gurgon Kyap, Thinlen Lhondup, Karma Wangiel, Lhapka Tsamchoe DIRECTOR Eric Valli SYNOPSIS Himalaya is a stunningly photographed movie that offers an intimate look into the lives of a Dolpo tribe. It is caravan time in Dolpo, high in the Himalayas of Nepal. The villagers must trek for days across the mountains with laden yaks to trade their salt for grain. But when Karma returns to the village with the body of Lhakpa, leader of the caravan and son of the old chief Tinle, the new chief blames Karma for the death and will not allow him to lead in Lhakpa's place. Though Tinle's grandson, Tserin is far too young to lead the tribe, Tinle simply renames him Passang - a chief's name - and prepares him to lead the caravan. Karma challenges Tinle, threatening to take away the yaks, Lhakpa's widow Pema, and Passang before the day that the caravan begins. Old Tinle in turn visits the monastery to gather his son, Norbou, a fresco-painting monk, to join him on the caravan. But Norbou refuses to join his father, and Tinle returns to the village to discover that Karma has left early, taking most of the caravaneers with him. Tinle, Pema, Passang, and the late-arriving Norbou, and the old men of the village leave on the scheduled day, and leading their own caravan in an effort to end the rivalry that threatens every resident of Dolpo. |
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| English Language Movies |
| Casablanca CAST Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains DIRECTOR Michael Curtiz SYNOPSIS World War II Morocco springs to life in Michael Curtiz's classic love story. Colorful characters abound in Casablanca, a waiting room for Europeans trying to escaped Hitler's war-torn Europe. Humphrey Bogart plays Richard "Rick" Blaine, a cynical but good-hearted American whose cafe is the gathering place for everyone from the French Police to the black market to the Nazis. when his long-lost love, Ilsa, surfaces in Casablanca with her Resistance leader husband, Victor Laszlo, Rick is pulled into both a love triangle and a web of political intrigue. Ilsa and Victor need to escape from Casablance, and Rick may be the only one who can help them. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| The English Patient CAST Ralph Fiennes, Julliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas DIRECTOR Anthony Minghella SYNOPSIS Set during World War II, this film adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel concerns a horribly scarred, amnesiac mapmaker (Ralph Fiennes) who is found by Bedouins in the desert and then transported to Italy. When Allied nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) devotes herself to caring for the mysterious patient in an abandoned monastery, his story of an intense love affair with a colleague's wife (Kristen Scott Thomas) begins to unfold in a series of flashbacks. Hana, meanwhile faces her own demons and explores her attraction to a Sikh bomb expert (Naveen Andrews). Tensions escalate at the monastery following the appearance of Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), a thumbless thief who knows the identity of the mysterious patient. Anthony Minghella's award winning epic is beautifully filmed with awe-inspiring scenery that includes sweeping desert vistas, crowded village markets, and serene Tuscany roads. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Chinese Box CAST Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, Reuben Blades DIRECTOR Wayne Wang SYNOPSIS In the Chinese Box, Jeremy Irons plays John, an English journalist moving among the Chinese business elite and British officials at expensive nightclubs. However, the politics of transition are seen through the prism of his personal relationships. He is in love with Vivian (Gong Li), a woman he met in Beijing, who's now working at a club owned by Chang (Michael Hui), the mans she want to marry. But Chang wants to become respectable and won't marry her because of her checkered past. After a personal crisis, John goes out with a camcorder to capture images of the last days of British rule. He becomes fascinated by Jean, a mysterious woman who hides half her face behind a scarf as she darts through the streets aggressively selling strange items. Played with a manic verve by martial arts star Maggie Cheung, Jean comes to represent everything that is strange and enigmatic about Hong Kong. Taken from a story by Paul Theroux and written by Jean-Claude Carriere, a frequent collaborator with Louis Bunuel, CHINESE BOX is a thoughtful, realistic blend of individul lives set against a large historical backdrop. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Korean Language Movies |
| Japanese Language Movies |
| The Seven Samurai CAST Toshiro Mifune, Takeshi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba DIRECTOR Akira Kurosawa SYNOPSIS Set in 16th Century Japan, the Seven Samurai follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested, the thugs will attack, so four men go to town in hopes of employing samurai to fight for them. However, the poor villagers can merely offer payment in the form of shelter a daily bowl of rice, and initially, only Kambei (Takashi Shimura), a brave elder samurai, and his eager young apprentice, Katsushiro (Isao Kumura), take up their cause. Encountering various nomadic warriors on the streets, they slowly put together his team of swordsmen...However, upon reaching the village, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much as the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his men slowly train the peasants to defend their village. Eventually, the warriors launch a preemptive strike against the bandits, and begin a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle - without a doubt one of the most stunning sequences in cinema history. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Chinese Language Movies |
| Hero CAST Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Jiyi DIRECTOR Zhang Yimou SYNOPSIS Zhang Yimou, the director of such Chinese epics as RED SORGHUM, RAISE THE RED LANTERN, JU DOU, and SHANGHAI TRIAD, takes his first stab at a period martial arts film and succeeds wildly, making an intelligent, carefully crafted drama that pays tribute to the genre while taking it to another level. The story is set 2,000 years ago, during the time of the Warring States, when seven kindgoms were battling for dominance, and one leader--the king of Qin (Chen Dao Ming)--was determined to end up victorious and unite all of China as one nation. The proud king is forced to live trapped alone in his palace as a remarkable trio of villains--Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk), and Sky (Donnie Yen)--are out to kill him. But one day a simple country prefect (Jet Li) shows up, announcing that he has killed all three assassins. Identifying himself as Nameless, the prefect tells in great detail how he got rid of the king's sworn enemies. However, once Nameless is finished, the king has some interesting questions for him, pointing out holes in his tale. The cat-and-mouse story continues as Nameless and the king seek to find out the truth about the assassins and the future of China. Zhang Yimou's marvelous film is enhanced by Christopher Doyle's lush photography, Tan Dunn's percussive score (with Itzhak Perlman adding violin and fiddle), exciting special effects from SHAOLIN SOCCER veteran Tony Ching Siu-Tung, and excellent acting. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
| Tampopo CAST Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho DIRECTOR Juzo Itami SYNOPSIS Billed as the "first Japanese noodle western" this comedy offers a satirical view of the relasionship between food and sex, one of the director's favorite topics. Watch as a widow running a Tokyo restaurant and a cowboy hat-wearing truck driver try to make the perfect bowl of ramen. Highly acclaimed film from director Itami. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Iron Monkey CAST Yu Rong Guang, Donnie Yen, Tsang Sze-Man, Jean Wang, Yuen Shun-Yee, James Wong DIRECTOR Tsui Hark SYNOPSIS Yuen Woo-Ping's exhilarating martial arts film stars Yu Rong Guang as Dr. Yang, a kind family doctor who charitably provides medicine and care to impoverished villagers, along with his assistant, Orchid (the lovely Jean Wang). Yang, however, also masquerades as the crime-fighting Iron Monkey, who robs gold from the rich and gives to it the poor, much to the dismay of the corrupt local governor (James Wong). When famed fighter and physician Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son, Wong Fei-Hung (crossdressed actress Tsang Sze-Man), wander into town, the cowardly ruler captures the boy and pits his father against the elusive Iron Monkey. Eventually, the heroes must unite to face an even greater foe--a renegade Shaolin master (Yen Yee Kwan) and his treacherous lackeys. This Chinese variation on the legend of Robin Hood is a good-natured (and often funny) action movie that features numerous outstanding fight scenes (including a battle fought on poles over a raging fire) and a surprising amount of cooking (yes, cooking). The film is the prequel to Tsui Hark's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA series, which follows the adventures of folk hero Wong Fei-Hung as an adult. IRON MONKEY is particularly revelatory due to the amazing action sequences directed by Woo-Ping, who went on to choreograph the intricate fights of THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon CAST Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen, Zhang Ziyi DIRECTOR Ang Lee SYNOPSIS Known for making films about familial relationships, director Ang Lee surprised everyone with his martial arts epic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Based on a novel by Wang Du Lu, CROUCHING TIGER starts with the revenge plot common in the wuxia stories that Lee loved as a child, then adds a feminist twist. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a legendary martial artist who has decided to pass on his sword, the Green Destiny, to a friend. Soon afterward, the sword is stolen by a masked female, setting in motion events that test the bonds of family, love, duty, and sisterhood. Chow appears with three generations of female stars: Cheng Pei Pei, a 1960s action heroine; Michelle Yeoh, the beauty queen turned 1980s action goddess; and newcomer Zhang Ziyi, who smolders as the princess who wants more than domestic tranquillity. Famed action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (THE MATRIX) stages jaw-dropping zero-G fights across rooftops, rivers, and bamboo trees, while Yo-Yo Ma punctuates the fisticuffs with dramatic cello solos. Described by Lee as "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with martial arts," CROUCHING TIGER recalls the best wuxia films of the 1960s and pushes the genre in new directions. |
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| Others |
| Monsoon Wedding CAST Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Vasundhara Das DIRECTOR Mira Nair SYNOPSIS Combining traditional ideas of marriage and family with the realities of modern life, MONSOON WEDDING is a lighthearted film from director Mira Nair (SALAAM BOMBAY!). The majority of the film takes place inside the home of an extended Punjabi family living in New Delhi who has gathered together for the arranged wedding of Adita (Vasundhara Das). She is to marry Hemant (Parveen Dabaas), a man who works in the United States. This means leaving her family home to go live with him, and though Adita says she welcomes the new opportunity, it is clear that she already feels homesick. Also at issue is the fact that she is still in love with her former boss, Vikram (Sameer Arya), a television producer who promises to divorce his wife but never does. Though Adita is careful to hide her true feelings from her family, her sister Ria (Shefali Shetty) worries that she is marrying for the wrong reasons. Ria has issues of her own. She wants to go to school in the United States and become a writer, but her family would prefer her to follow a more traditional path, and they claim that money is the reason. Meanwhile, the rebellious wedding planner, P.K. Dubey (Vijay Raaz) is falling in love with the family maid, Alice (Tilotama Shome). Sparks also fly between two of Adita's cousins, Ayesha (Neha Dubey) and Rahul (Randeep Hooda), who meet at the wedding and find that their conflicting values are a good challenge for each other. A festive film, MONSOON WEDDING is a swirling family comedy. (Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes) |
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