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Dakota Fanning is tremendous in this emotional film that deals with a troubling childhood in the deep American south. Elvis, a boy neighbor, and a sage-like older friends provide solace for this girl, who confronts daily doses of a challenging and some times depressing life. See this movie for its outstanding acting, deft handling of touchy subjects, and a setting that transports you to a different place.

The Stasi employed 100,000 East Germans, who maintained a network of 200,000 informers, in a country of 16 million people. So roughly 1% of the population controlled the other 99%. Ring any bells America? ¹

The Lives of Others, a Stasi romantic drama, was the first perfect movie about the tragedy of communism. Along with "Mr. Jones":https://www.viewguide.com/movie_reviews/5040-mr-jones, it dominates the wee pantheon of utopian exposés, not to mention being one of the greatest movies ever made. If you've never seen it, you must. If it's been more than a decade, view it again.

Eve…

A very engaging thriller filmed in a dark style about a murderer who fashions his craft after the Seven deadly sins. This is not for the faint of heart, as the killer's work is particularly gruesome. Freeman is outstanding playing the part of the tired, nearing retirement old cop dealing with the energetic and up and coming Pitt. The chemistry between them works well, and the story pulls you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through to an ending that surprises. And Kevin Spacey? The perfect psycho…..

Lola Rennt, or, in English, Run Lola Run, is my favorite German movie ever. Period. Run Lola Run is mindblowingly original. It's essentially a red haired woman trying to get money for her boyfriend in time before "bad people" get him. It's no spoiler when I say…. she dies. Yes, she dies, and when she does, the movie restarts, but a few things have changed. I think this is the most creative way to make a movie ever- re-doing the same thing three times. It works with the butterfly effect.
I also have to mention the intensity of this movie. Let me say… this movie is so intense, I almost …

Payback is a b*tch, especially if you mess with boys from the Hell's Kitchen hood. This movie follows an all star cast from childhood in a tough neighborhood through abuse at an upstate reform school to an engaging tale of revenge. Three different and uniquely engaging segments to a powerful story — this film will appeal to all types of fans: fans of mob films, fans of drama, fans of good con-capers, and fans of great actors. Add to it all that this is supposedly a true story (some controversy about that), and you will be engrossed.

A surprisingly good movie about Missouri guerrilla fighters called the Bushwackers (now I know where this term comes from) who hide in the woods and skirmish against Union soldiers and loyalists called Jayhawks. The film has plenty of fighting, including an impressive gathering of rebels to avenge an attack in Kansas, but the movie is more about the trio of Jake (Tobey Maguire), Jack (Skeet Ulrish), and Daniel the slave (Jeffrey Wright). Tobey’s character is the one that eventually stands out, marries the pretty sue (Jewel Kilcher) and does right by Daniel. This movie will reward you wi…

Gripping movie about Simon Yates and Joe Simpson’s climb up Siula Grande in the Andes. But the ascent wasn’t the gripping part. The incredible story was about how Joe breaks his leg and how Simon lowers him down – an incredibly treacherous maneuver, which fails when Joe goes over a ledge forcing Simon to cut him loose. Nevertheless, this would normally mean death, but instead, it marked the beginning of an incredible story of survival that should not be missed.

Stanley Tucci narrates this look at the famous Ken Keasey and the Merry Pranksters trip across the US. The trip itself was exactly that — a long strange trip. Looking at it from the outside, I don’t know whether to label it as something meaningful and defining for the 60’s, or just a bunch of kids partying and having a good time. You be the judge. It sure was fascinating to watch though. There was a bit more than the trip itself, as some of the other events of the times are discussed, most notably the acid tests in the SF bay area. In the end, I felt a bit exhausted – how could they…

Let’s take a walk, shall we? How about on the Camino Santiago with Martin Sheen as he pays tribute to his son (Emilio Estevez) who died on his first day out in the Pyrenees. The Way ends up being an endearing tale of a dad (Martin Sheen) who follows in his son’s footsteps both to pay tribute to him as well as discover some sort of meaning from it all. As you’d expect – this is a drama to the hilt, and well acted by Martin's trail buddies among some magnificently beautiful places. Now I want to go.

How did I miss seeing Ronin for so long? DeNiro is really great as an ex intelligence agent part of an elite spook-squad for hire and sent on a hunt for something everyone seems to want. Plenty of tension, action, shooting without gratuitous blood, some amazing car chases in crowded European streets (they must have had one heck of a crash budget), and an excellent double-crossing/double-twisting plot. If you are an action thriller fan, this movie will not let you down.

Nicolas Cage, the most versatile B-movie drama-king does all things Nick as a marine assigned to protect a Navajo code talker (Adam Beach). As expected, there were tons of overly-dramatic "war is hell" action scenes and moments of personal drama. The level of cheese did not turn away this war-movie buff, but it was tough to get past it from time to time.

He rocks you with grooving new songs and hits you with classics that still raise goosebumps…. I haven't heard a better revival of his style of music. Although I didn't like all the songs on the DVD, please do stick it through — because there are some riffs you won't want to miss….. As for me? I like it enough that I want to stop writing now so I can go back to soak more of it in :)

Although "To Be Or Not To Be" is considered to be one of the great film comedies, both its public and critical reception was mixed when it came out.

Benny and Lombard play a bickering but loving couple who run a theater in Warsaw when the Nazis invade Poland in 1939. What follows is an unlikely but totally infectious screwball comedy with some very serious implications.

"To Be or Not to Be" is significant in several ways. It was Lombard's last film. And although Benny was a huge radio star at the time and would continue that run on TV, this is was one of the few movies of his that r…

The story of Timothy Treadwell – famously known for going out into the wild and chronicling the lives of bears. He saw himself as a savior of the bear and of nature. The filming is incredible. The man got close. In the end, he got too close. This is no surprise after getting to know him. He was definitely out there at times. Very emotional and all over the place. Losing track over what was real – the fact that predators exist in nature. This film is an amazing collection of footage and interviews with his closest associates who both celebrated what he did but were also critical of the f…

This history of Pu Yi – the last emperor of China is quite the epic. Chinese history is not well known to most, never mind the complicated transition from Empire, to Nationalism, to Japan domination, and finally to communism. Pu Yi was born in to emperor-hood, was ousted by chiang kai shek, cozied up to the Japanese as the leader of Manchuria, then finally ended up as a peasant under communist rule. This movie pulls out all the stops when it comes to showmanship and drama, awesome attention to detail, and a dynamic cast that brings it all to life. If you have any interest in Chinese imperi…

Intriguing and awkward, confusing at some points, but really exceptional. Michael Haneke is the master of stories of everyday life and even when his story is simple, it won't be plain. This time he confronts us with an unusual and a little bit old fashioned part of world, where people still make music recitals in their homes and where Schubert extremely matters.

The movie follows a strange piano teacher and her offbeat habits. It interferes in the crack between her business and private life, popping a question – can a person whose job is art even accept it just as a job and ignore the…

A grand viewing of the McCandless escape from the clutches of his childhood and the typical dysfunction in so many families. The story was very engaging and full of humorous, fun, and sometimes spellbinding encounters with man and nature. Despite some periods of overly melodramatic narrative, this tale will surely entertain you and delight your senses and inspire your thoughts.

Consider A Futile and Stupid Gesture the theatrical companion to "Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon":https://www.viewguide.com/movie_reviews/4513. Will Forte plays comedy genius Doug Kenney in Futile and Stupid Gesture, whereas archival footage of the lunatic real McCoy was used in DSBD, an rFactor 1 documentary.

A Futile and Stupid Gesture is therefore more entertaining in a voyeuristic way. It shows the cocaine and groupies, yet few bare boobs, proving that things have changed since Kenney & Co made "Animal House":https://www.viewguide.com/movie_revi…