ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[memento]

Plot: A story about a simple man from the mountains, Guaguasi, who falls in love with a beautiful chorus girl, Marina, during the Cuban Revolution. Guaguasi joins the rebels and arrives in Havana at the end of Batista's dictatorship, and, in the midst of political turmoil, is swept off his feet by the mesmerising Marina. The story celebrates the vitality and lunacy of the Revolution period with surrealism, humor and sensuality and is a compassionate metaphor about the human condition. 

[Fran]

From IMDb:  I just came out of it -- it is quite a brilliant movie. There are very few actors, some glances at the amazing background of Istanbul and Çanakkale and some village that is celebrating a marriage. There are an endless number of jokes that will make you laugh, but the film takes its quality from a hidden, dark drama that unfolds slowly but inevitably. Apart from the story, I think it has a quiet message that resonates after the film.

Iskender makes a living by being a wizard (sihirbaz) -- or an impostor (hokkabaz), if you ask his father, Sait. His friend for life, Maradona, has eyes as bad as his, and both decide to make a tour in order to afford a laser operation that will finally free them of their glasses. They borrow the caravan of his brother-in-law, under the condition they relieve them of Sait, a veteran, by driving him to the memorial to the battle of Galipolli.

There is a sense of melancholy, and the accordion music when the wizardry happens on stage is only the tip of the iceberg. With very original storytelling, Cem Yilmaz highlights the drama of "normal people" that try to deal with difficult situations in their life:  family members, lack of money, lack of recognition, lack of sight and a certain form of loneliness.

[southendmd]

Plot:  The surviving crew members from NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.

[memento]

Plot: Episodes in the novelist's life: In 1890, young Jack London quits a cannery job to try oyster piracy. Later, he signs on for a sealing voyage, tries Yukon prospecting and a brief university career, loving and leaving women along the way. Instead of riches, he gets story ideas. Suddenly, he finds success and a delectable lady; but the urge to adventure won't let him go.

[Fran]

From StarPulse.com:

Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai directed this historical drama based on a true story of the conflict between Jewish refugees and Palestinians on the eve of the formation of the nation of Israel. On May 7, 1948, a freight ship, the Kedma, arrived on the coast of Palestine, carrying a load of Jewish refugees from Europe who had survived concentration camps in several nations. A few days later, the state of Israel would be created, but at the time, the passengers of the Kedma found themselves in the midst of a war, as they were greeted by British gunfire on one side, while on the other the Jewish underground army known as the Palmach stood by to defend them. The Palmach took many of the Kedma's refugees into hiding, while the rest were given weapons and asked to fight alongside the Palmach against the British and Palestinians. Over the next several days, the Palestinians and their British allies find themselves fighting with the Palmach soldiers and the Jewish refugees while interacting with one another as both sides realize how close and how far away they truly are. The cast includes Roman Hazanowski, Menachem Lang, Juliano Mer, Yussef Abu Warda, and Andrei Kashkar.

-- Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

[oilgun]

Plot:   A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

[memento]

IMDB: This may be the first Russian movie I saw that did not end tragically. There were the normal problems of living in Moscow, particularly for the 3 young women trying to make it under very difficult circumstances. The things they do (particularly Lyudmilla) are funny and yet give us a glimpse into how difficult it must have been for them. Katya, the main character, goes through her trials but comes out on top. She does
better than anyone else (out of the 3), even raises a daughter (without a husband), but she secretly longs for a man in her life. After many failed attempts are relationships she accidentally meets the man who turns out to be the perfect one for her. However, they too go through some struggles before coming to the final realization that they belong together. It is a wonderful story of struggles, successes, and life in general. The acting was wonderful, particularly the actress who played Katya. Her young daughter (Alexandra) was adorable. The scene I liked the most was Gosha invites Katya and her daughter to a picnic, to get to know each other better (after declaring that he is going to marry Katya). Katya is tired and she just falls asleep in a chair in the fresh air. Gosha gently puts a blanket on her. Very simple, but very caring and touching. There are many wonderful moments in the movie. The humor is sprinkled throughout and it is very refreshing to see a movie like this one. The most valuable thing to me was it gave a glimpse into life in the USSR, and yet we can relate to the story and the characters on a human level.

[Lynne]

From Spain

A lonely orphan sheds his fear of the dark by taking an illuminating journey into the realm where nighttime truly comes alive in co-directors Adrià García and Victor Maldonado's imaginative animated lullaby.

[southendmd]

Plot:  This Disney Circle-Vision 360-degree film shown at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center showcases the breathtaking scenery and other visual delights of Canada. Highlights along the coast-to-coast tour include winter sports such as skiing, dog sledding, bobsledding, ice skating, and ice hockey; organ music and the boys choir at Montreal's Cathédrale de Notre Dame; a parade with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; rodeos and the Calgary Stampede; a flight with the Royal Air Force; and a glimpse at all manner of wildlife including geese, possums, wolves, bison, bears and bobcats.

(Hotel du Canada, Epcot)

[Fran]

From Amazon:  From the cafes of Montmartre to the Hotel Ritz, Clara now reigns supreme in Parisian Love. A playful gamin with "It" aplenty, Marie (Bow) is a wily "Apache" dancer who thrives off the American tourists slumming in Paris's seedy districts. When her lover Armand (Donald Keith) is shot during a robbery, Marie vows revenge upon the wealthy culprit: Pierre Marcel (Lou Tellegen). With the help of a comical underworld matriarch (Lillian Leighton) and a sinister and of thieves, Marie trades in her wool cap and ragged trousers for ermine and lace in an elaborate plot to seduce Marcel.