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Thursday, February 22, 2007

31. Chinese filmmaker Yimou Zhang's "Yi ge dou bu neng shao (Not One Less)" (1999): A marvelous neo-realist Chinese film, ideal for family viewing

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Long after De Sica made Bicycle thief and Fellini his La Strada , neo-realist traditions grab me like no other in cinema history. The Chin...
5 comments:
Monday, February 05, 2007

30. British filmmaker David Lean's "Ryan's daughter" (1970): A complex masterpiece that never got its due praise when released

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More than 30 years after the movie was made, Ryan's Daughter needs to be compared with his other important works-- Lawrence of Arabia,...
1 comment:
Tuesday, December 19, 2006

29. Iranian director Amir Naderi's evocative "Aab, baad, khaak" (Water, Wind, Dust) (1989): Evocative and uplifting film on human values

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This is an unusual film of exceptional values--75 minutes long in color, with hardly any spoken dialogs. I saw this Iranian film in Farsi wi...
Saturday, December 16, 2006

28. Mexican film "El Violin" (2005) by director Francisco Vargas: Riveting debut performance by an elderly actor and impressive photography

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Imagine that you look like a grandfather in real life. Imagine that your right palm has been amputated but you play a violin with a bow stra...
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

27. Canadian Sarah Polley's "Away from Her" (2006): Remarkable debut film and a superb performance by Julie Christie

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Julie Christie's combination of talent, beauty and brains has enthralled me over four decades. Nearly a decade ago, her Oscar nominated ...
Monday, December 11, 2006

26. Polish film "Persona non grata" (2005): One of the finest films of Polish director Krzyzstof Zanussi

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Director Krzyzstof Zanussi has made 75 distinguished films and is one of the three best filmmakers from Poland--the others being Wajda and K...

25. Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui's "Gaav" (The Cow, 1969): Stunning in simplicity but providing fodder for thought

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This is a major work of cinema. It might not be well known but this film ranks with Fellini's La Strada , De Sica's The Bicycle Thi...
Thursday, December 07, 2006

24. US director Julie Taymor's "Titus" (1999): One of the most striking adaptations of Shakespeare on screen

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Why did I like the film? I applaud any director making his or her initial film who chooses to film a complex subject like Shakespeare's...
Wednesday, November 22, 2006

23. British director Peter Glenville's US film "The Comedians" (1967): Relevant today as ever

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W hile many viewers might have forgotten this film, the relevance of the subject of expatriates living in countries ruled by dictators and ...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006

22."Queimada (Burn!)" (1969): Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo's powerful political film with Marlon Brando

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Q ueimada is a film I grew up with. I saw it for the first time in a movie theater in Kolkota, India, a year after it was made. It's a...
1 comment:
Monday, November 06, 2006

21. US director John Ford's "7 Women" (1966): a great swansong with a twist at the end

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Ann Bancroft in one of her finest roles I wonder what feminists feel about this film. In my view, this is a fascinating ...
2 comments:
Monday, October 16, 2006

20. Little known US TV film director Charles Carner's "Judas" (2004): Recommended only for those who have courage to accept another viewpoint

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This is a remarkable film. First, because it was made at least two years before the Gospel of Judas was unearthed in Egypt a few years ago ...
Thursday, October 12, 2006

19. New Zealander Jane Campion's "The Piano" (1993): Clever film that makes you wonder

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This film won the Cannes Film Festival's top honor the year it was released. It is a good film. It's a clever film. You would love i...
Thursday, October 05, 2006

18. Italian director Guiseppe Tornatore's English/French film "La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano" (The Legend of 1900) (1998): a charming fable on celluloid

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When asked by the Khaleej Times in Dubai to pick my 10 best films, I listed this movie The legend of 1900 as one of the top 10 movies made...
1 comment:
Wednesday, October 04, 2006

17. US filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish's "Northfork" (2003): A notable effort using surreal and absurdist images offering layers of entertainment

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" I t all depends on how you look at it-–we are either halfway to heaven or halfway to hell ," says the ...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006

16. US filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen's "Blood Simple" (1984): A movie to make you laugh (and then reflect on why you laughed)

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Debut films have a quality that experience smothers. What struck me first was the disarming innocence of a clever script--not a single cop s...
Friday, September 22, 2006

15. Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Trzy kolory: bialy" (Three colors: white) (1994); White as a metaphor

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O stensibly Kieslowski chose white of the French flag to make a movie on equality. Equality if it can be reached in marriage, makes it work....
1 comment:
Thursday, September 21, 2006

14. The late Italian director Sergio Leone's US masterpiece "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984): A great swansong

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Not many realize that Sergio Leone was offered the chance to direct Puzo's The Godfather but opted to make Once Upon a Time in Americ...
4 comments:
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

13. German director Wim Wender's US film "The Million Dollar Hotel" (2000): Stamp of a mature director

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Here's an American film made with a European touch that provides social, psychological and political commentary. The story was conceived...
2 comments:
Sunday, September 17, 2006

12. Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene's "Moolaade" (2004): Africa ought to be proud of this film!

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Ousmane Sembene is a colossus among African filmmakers. He is what Kurosawa and Ray are to Asia. At 82, this man is making films on women...
2 comments: